1. My love for beauty is cut off before I grow old, and I sit leaning against the fumigation cage till dawn.
From "Ci of the Harem" written by Bai Juyi of the Tang Dynasty
The dream is wet with tears, and the sound of singing is heard in the front hall late at night.
My beauty is cut off before I grow old, I sit leaning against the fumigation cage until dawn
Translation
My turban is soaked with tears and I can’t fall asleep. Good dreams are hard to come by late at night. At that time, I heard the sound of singing to the beat coming from the front hall. The beauty has lost the favor of the king before she grows old, and she sits leaning against the incense cage until dawn.
2. The king is as clear as road dust, and the concubine is as turbid as cement;
From "Seven Sorrow Poems" by Cao Zhi of the Wei and Jin Dynasties
The bright moon shines on the tall building, and the light shines brightly. Wander.
There is a sad and longing woman above, who laments more than she can.
Who is the one who sighs? It is said that she is a wife.
You have been traveling for more than ten years, and your concubine often lives alone.
You are as clear as road dust, and I am as muddy as cement.
Different forces rise and fall. When will they meet and harmonize?
I hope that for the southwest wind, I will pass away into your arms forever.
If you are unfaithful, how can you rely on your humble concubine?
Translation
The bright moon shines on the tall building, and the light it sheds wanders around upstairs. There was a sad woman upstairs, sighing sadly. May I ask who is sighing upstairs? The answer was that she was the wife of a stranger. My husband has been away for more than ten years, and I am often alone. My husband is like light dust on the road, and my body is like mud in dirty water.
Floating dust and sedimentation mud are different from each other. When can they merge into each other and harmonize each other? If possible, I would like to turn into the southwest wind, disappear from the world and enter the arms of my husband! My husband’s mind has long been closed to me. What else can I rely on?
3. I regret that I will be a merchant’s wife, and I will be destined to have a bad husband.
From "Yangchun Song·Bride's Resentment" by Xu Zaisi of the Yuan Dynasty
I regret being a merchant's wife, and I am destined to have a bad husband. When I left, I only talked about Soochow. After more than three years, I got a letter from Guangzhou.
Translation
I really regretted marrying a businessman, but I had bad luck and met a betrayed man. Before I left, I said I was going to Soochow. Three years later, a letter came from Guangzhou.
4. The humble concubine stays alone in the empty room. She worries about you and misses you, but dare not forget her. She sheds tears on her clothes without realizing it.
From "One of Two Songs of the Swallow" written by Cao Pi in the Wei and Jin Dynasties
The autumn wind is bleak, the weather is cool, the grass and trees are shaking and the dew turns to frost, and the swallows say goodbye and return to the south to fly. (Yan Nanxiang, a work by Hu Nanxiang)
I miss you so much when you travel, and I long for my hometown, so why should I leave you somewhere else?
The humble concubine stays alone in the empty room, worrying about you and not forgetting about you, and her clothes are stained with tears.
The sound of the harp and the strings of the piano are used to clear the merchants, but the short songs and slight chants cannot be long.
The bright moon shines brightly on my bed, and the stars are drifting westward into the night.
The morning glory and the weaver girl look at each other from a distance, how can you live alone in the river beam?
Translation
The autumn wind is bleak, the weather is cold, the grass and trees are falling, and the white dew is frost. The swallows say goodbye and return, and the swans fly south. I miss my beloved who is traveling far away, and my heart breaks. I am full of thoughts and miss my hometown. Why do you want to leave others alone? The concubine stays alone in her boudoir. When she is sad, she misses the gentleman. I can't forget it. Unknowingly, tears fell down and wet my clothes.
He took the guqin and plucked the strings, but there was a trace of sadness. The short song is chanted softly, seeming to continue and break. The bright moonlight shines on my empty bed, the stars flow slowly to the west, and the sleepless nights are long with worry. Morning Glory and Weaver Girl, we look at each other from a distance. What sin do you have? Being blocked by the Milky Way.