This poem is about returning my pearl to you with tears streaming down my face, wishing I could not meet again when I was not married.
It comes from "The Song of a Chaste Woman to Master Li Sikong in Dongping" written by Zhang Ji, a poet of the Tang Dynasty.
Zhang Ji (about 767 ~ about 830), a poet in the Tang Dynasty. The courtesy name is Wenchang, Han nationality, and a native of Wujiang, Hezhou (now He County, Anhui).
The specific original text is as follows:
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 Mingzhu sheds tears, wishing we had met before she was married.
The translation is as follows:
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.
Appreciation: This poem uses metaphorical techniques throughout the poem to euphemistically express one's attitude. On the surface, it is completely a romantic poem expressing the love affairs between men and women, but at its core, it is a political lyric poem, titled "Yan of a Chaste Woman", which is used to clarify aspirations. This poem has a shallow meaning but a deep meaning, and the words are unexpected, implicitly expressing the poet's political stance. The whole poem is sincere, psychological description is meticulous, euphemistic and touching.