TUNE: RIVERSIDE DAFFODILS

Yan Jidao

 (Northern Song Dynasty)

Awake from dreams, I find the locked tower high;

Sober from wine, I see the curtain hanging low.

As last year spring grief seems to grow.

Amid the falling blooms alone stand I;

In the fine rain a pair of swallows fly.

I still remember when I first saw pretty Ping,

In silken dress embroidered with two hearts in a ring,

Revealing lovesickness by touching pipa's string.

The moon shines bright just as last year;

It did see her like a cloud disappear.

About the poet 

Yan Jidao was a Northern Song Dynasty (960-1279) poet who created many works that depict stories and sentiments about love.   

About the translator 

Xu Yuanchong (1921-2021) was born in Nanchang in East China's Jiangxi Province. He was a professor of literary translation at Peking University.

About the book 

300 Song lyrics Translated by Xu Yuanchong Published by China Intercontinental Press