孟郊诗

Poems of Meng Jiao


Index

古怨别

Old, Regretted Parting


飒飒秋风生
愁人怨离别
含情两相向
欲语气先咽

With a sigh, the autumn winds began
And a sad man regretted leave-taking.
He'd long cherished his feelings for her,
Wanted to speak but choked on the words.

心曲千万端
悲来却难说
别后唯所思
天涯共明月

His heartsong is completely broken and
Now, a sadness, he can't talk about.
After leaving the only one he'd loved,
She's beyond the edge of Heaven with the moon.

-- 孟郊


废话

I think this must be about Meng Jiao's first wife. The last line seems as if he's talking about the dead. It's not the usual use of 天涯, which can simply mean "very far away" or "beyond the horizon." This love is further away than that. Meng Jiao seems to be able to write more directly than anyone I have encountered. Even Xue Tao, who was very direct, put a kind of public face forward most of the time. Meng Jiao isn't like that. He does not care about appearances.


Index