1. Thank you for the pearl
Tang Dynasty: Jiang Caiping
Gui Ye’s eyebrows have not been drawn for a long time, and the remaining makeup and tears stain the red silk.
Nagato doesn’t wash himself all day long, so why bother with pearls to soothe his loneliness.
Translation
I haven’t painted my willow eyebrows for a long time, and the remaining makeup on my face and tears have wet my red gauze clothes.
I haven’t washed myself in a long time, so you don’t need to give me a bunch of pearls to comfort my lonely heart.
2. Yin of a Jiefu, sent to Master Li Sikong in Dongping
Tang Dynasty: Zhang Ji
You know that I have a husband, so you give me a pair of pearls.
I feel your lingering affection, tied in a red lining.
The high-rise buildings of my concubine’s house are connected to the garden, and my beloved man is holding a halberd in the bright light.
I know that my heart is like the sun and the moon, and my husband's vows are as important as life and death.
Huanjun's pearls shed tears, why not meet again when they are not married.
Translation
You know that I already have a husband, but you still want to give me a pair of pearls.
I am grateful in my heart for your lingering affection and tying the pearl on my red blouse.
My high-rise building is connected to the royal garden, and my husband is on duty in the palace with a halberd.
Although I know that you are sincere and open-minded, I have vowed to fight with my husband through life and death.
Returning your twin pearls brings tears to my eyes. I regret not meeting you before I got married.
3. Compose a poem to answer the imperial edict asking what is there in the mountains
Southern and Northern Dynasties: Tao Hongjing
What is there in the mountains? There are many white clouds on the mountains.
I can only enjoy it for myself, but I can’t bear to give it to you.
Translation
You ask me what I have in my mountains.
Then let me tell you, there are only white clouds in this mountain, and I own the white clouds.
Only in the mountains can I have it. As long as I see it, I will be in a good mood.
So I will not and cannot give it to you.
4. Farewell to Wang Lang
Song Dynasty: Huang Tingjian
The emperor can use the wine from the mulberry trees falling in Pucheng, and the king can use the flowers from the autumn chrysanthemums in Hunan.
I give you the ink of Yichuan Painting, and I give you the sound of tears in Yangguan.
Pourting wine on the chest is the second best, and the chrysanthemum system is the decline of age in a short life.
The ink is used to seal the eternal articles, and the songs are used to describe the love of a family of brothers.
Thousands of miles away, everyone's head turns white, and his flesh and blood turn blue after ten years.
We talk to each other all night long in bed, and there is no end to the book bag.
This is the case with meritorious calligraphy and writing, so why hate the fact that there are so few music books?
It is not enough to stir-fry sand and make silk, but it takes a lot of work and ingenuity to write a piece of ice.
You must be careful to keep your sweat in check, Confucius and Mencius walked the world with clear eyes.
If you have younger brothers, you can run the house, and if you have a wife, you can raise an aunt and provide her with precious salmon.
Si Ma, the son’s eldest son, is a poet and scholar, while his father reads and makes spring tea.
Translation
I invite you to drink the Sangluo wine produced in Pucheng, and then put a few pieces of chrysanthemums that Qu Yuan once ate in the wine glass.
I give you the famous black ink produced in Yichuan, and I also give you a sad and emotional Yangguan song that will make you cry.
Fine wine will melt away the depression in your chest, and autumn chrysanthemum will help you stop aging and live forever.
Famous ink allows you to write masterpieces that will last forever, and songs make you feel the priceless friendship between brothers.
We have all turned gray and wandered to the end of the world. For ten years, we have had a close friendship of flesh and blood, and have grown up together.
Today we slept together and talked all night long, and before we knew it, the rooster had crowed; you were full of poems and books, eloquent, and could not say anything.
If you have advanced to this level of knowledge, how can you complain about the difficulty of understanding the music and books after the long separation?
After all, heating sand and stones cannot be used as a meal to satisfy one's needs. Carving patterns on ice cubes is just a vain pursuit of craftsmanship.
Please restrain your mind and sink into morality, and you will be able to appreciate the essence of Confucius and Mencius' scholarship.
You have a brother who is diligent and thrifty in running the house, and a wife who is virtuous and filial to her mother-in-law and never slacks off.
The son can read poetry and books when he grows up, and the daughter can spin silk and flax diligently. As for you, just enjoy yourself in peace, taste new tea while reading.
5. Tianshan Snow Song sends Xiao Zhi back to Beijing
Tang Dynasty: Cen Shen
The snow clouds in Tianshan Mountain are often closed, and the snow on thousands of peaks and ridges is Cuiwei.
The north wind blows at Chitingkou at night, and the snow in Tianshan becomes thicker overnight.
Be able to watch the Han moon shine on the Silver Mountain, and chase Hu Feng through the iron pass again.
There are no birds flying around Jiaohe City, and horseshoes slip on Luntai Road.
The dark mist and cold atmosphere are thousands of miles away, and the shadowy cliffs are thousands of feet thick.
The general's fox fur is not warm when he lies down, and the guard's sword is about to break due to the cold.
It is just when the snow falls in the Tianshan Mountains that I send you off to the capital.
How can I give you a farewell gift in the snow? There are only green pine branches.
Translation
The clouds and snow on the Tianshan Mountains remain closed all year round, and the majestic mountains and ridges are covered with snow.
The north wind blew through the Chiting intersection at night, and the snow in Tianshan became thicker overnight.
Snow light and moonlight reflect the silver mountains, and snowflakes chase the north wind and fly over the Iron Pass.
The birds around Jiaohe City have long been cut off, and it is difficult for war horses to cross the Luntai Road.
Cold clouds dimly condense into the sky thousands of miles away, and the cliffs are steep and hung with thousands of feet of solid ice.
The general's leather robe was not warm after lying down for a long time, and the guard's sword was so cold that it looked like it was about to break.
It was snowing heavily in Tianshan Mountain, so I bid farewell to my friend and returned to the capital.
How can I express my feelings in the ice and snow? I can only give you green pine and cypress branches!