Long Longing (Long longing in Chang'an)

Long Longing (Long longing in Chang'an)

Endless longing, here in Chang'an—

the spinning wheel chirps through autumn by the golden well's railing,

and the thin frost, chill and pale, makes the bamboo mat cold with its hue.

A lone lamp burns dim—my longing nears breaking point;

I roll back the curtain, gaze at the moon, and sigh in vain—

the one I love, a flower-like beauty, is beyond the clouds above.

Above, the vast and azure sky stretches on,

below, the green waters surge and heave.

The sky is vast, the road is long—my soul flies in bitter pain;

even in dreams my soul cannot pass the barrier mountains.

Endless longing—

it breaks my very heart and liver.