The first two sentences of the poem use question and answer and description of the immediate environment, elucidating the feelings of loneliness and deep longing for his wife. The last two sentences imagine the joy of meeting again and talking in the future, contrasting with the loneliness tonight.
"Night Rain Sends to the North" is a lyrical seven-character quatrain written by Li Shang, a poet in the late Tang Dynasty, who lived in the foreign land of Bashu and wrote to his wife (or friend) far away in Chang'an. It is the poet's reply letter to the other party. ?
The original text is as follows:
You have not yet heard of your return date, and the night rain in Bashan swells the autumn pond.
Why should I cut off the candles from the west window and talk about the rainy night in Bashan?
The translation is as follows:
You asked me the date of my return. It is difficult to determine the date of return. It is raining heavily in Bashan tonight, and the rain has filled the autumn pond.
When can we hold candles and have a long talk together, telling each other how much we miss each other in the rain tonight in Bashan?
Extended information:
The opening question is, "You ask about your return date," and each question and answer, first pauses and then turns, is full of ups and downs and is very expressive. The sorrow of his journey and the pain of not being able to return have been vividly written on the page. A large section of content is omitted before the poem. It can be guessed that the poet has received a letter from his wife before, in which he hopes that her husband will return to his hometown soon. The poet naturally hopes to go home and reunite as soon as possible. However, due to various reasons, the wish could not be realized for the time being. The first sentence reveals the pain of parting and the deep longing.
The second sentence "The rain at night in Bashan makes the autumn pond rise" is the poet telling his wife about his environment and mood. The rain at night in the autumn mountains always arouses people's sorrow and thoughts of separation. The poet uses this scene that evokes people's thoughts of separation to express his infinite longing for his wife.
It seems to make people imagine that on a lingering autumn night in autumn, the pond is full of water, and the poet is alone in the house, leaning on the bed and meditating. Thinking about his wife's life and state of mind at home at this moment; recalling their shared life together; chewing on his own loneliness.
Three or four sentences, "How can you cut off the candles from the west window and talk about the rainy night in Bashan?" This is a happy imagination of the future reunion. The loneliness and longing in my heart can only be pinned on the future. At that time, the poet returned to his hometown and whispered with his wife under the window of the west room. They were so deeply in love that they stayed up all night, causing the candle to bear stamens. They cut off the stamens, but they still had endless feelings of separation and endless joy after being reunited.
Baidu Encyclopedia - Night Rain Sends to the North