The pinyin version of Chang'e's ancient poem by Tang Shangyin is as follows:
Cloud (yún) mother (mǔ) screen (píng) wind (fēng) candle (zhú) shadow (yǐng) deep (shēn) , the long (cháng) river (hé) gradually (jiàn) falls (luò) the dawn (xiǎo) star (xīng) sinks (chén).
Chang (cháng) E (é) should (yīng) regret (huǐ) steal (tōu) spiritual (líng) medicine (yào), blue (bì) sea (hǎi) green (qīng) sky ( tiān) night (yè) night (yè) heart (xīn).
Translation: Through the screen decorated with mica, the shadow of the candle gradually dimmed. The Milky Way is also quietly disappearing, and the morning stars are sinking in the dawn. Chang'e in the Moon Palace may regret stealing Hou Yi's elixir of life. Now only the blue sky and blue sea accompany her lonely heart every night.
In terms of content, this is a poem praising Chang'e. However, everyone has different opinions. Some people think that it is a song about the elopement of a loved one, some people think that it is a direct song about the loneliness of the protagonist, some people think that it is based on Chang'e to have other sustenance, some people think that it is about a woman learning Taoism and seeking immortality, and some people think that it should be viewed as "untitled".
The first two sentences describe the protagonist's environment and sleepless nights. Indoors, the candlelight is getting fainter and fainter, and the mica screen is covered with a deep shadow, which further highlights the emptiness and coldness of the room, revealing the protagonist's desolate state of mind while sitting alone for a long night.
Outdoors, the Milky Way gradually moves westward to the ground. The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl look across the river. It may have brought some reverie to the sleepless people who are alone in the room, but this group of Milky Way is about to disappear. The few morning stars dotting the empty sky seem to be silently accompanying the lonely moon and those who never sleep at night. At this time, even this last companion is about to disappear.
The word "Shen" vividly depicts the low-hanging morning star and the desire to fall, and the protagonist's heart seems to be gradually sinking. "The candle shadow is deep", "The long river falls" and "Xiao Xing sinks" indicate that time has reached the end of dawn, and the word "gradual" implies the passage of time.
About the author
Li Shangyin (about 813-about 858), whose courtesy name was Yishan, also known as Yuxisheng and Fan Nansheng, was jointly known as "Little Li Du" with Du Mu and Wen Tingyun. Collectively known as "Wen Li", he was originally from Hanoi, Huaizhou (now Qinyang City, Henan Province), and later moved to Xingyang (now Zhengzhou City, Henan Province) with his ancestors. He was a poet in the late Tang Dynasty.
Li Shangyin is one of the most outstanding poets in the late Tang Dynasty. His poems are carefully conceived, often using implicit symbolic techniques, sophisticated and rich diction, gentle and harmonious rhymes, and subtle twists and turns to express deep emotions.
Li Shangyin was also an outstanding poet in the late Tang Dynasty. There are excellent works in all genres, especially the five-seven-character rhymed poems that are the most accomplished. The attainment of seven-character rhymed poems is even more advanced than that of Du Fu and unparalleled in the late Tang Dynasty. His major works include "Yaochi" and so on.