Poetry · LT104

Old-Style Songs

Flexible-meter ancient verse and sweeping lyrical song ballads.

275works

9dynasties

86authors

Masters & Authors

24 authors

Northern and Southern

100 works

420–589

  1. On a LampXie TiaoAlone it faces the evening of longing, shining in vain on the seams of a dancing robe.
  2. On a CandleXie TiaoI resent you, moon of the autumn night, for leaving me the shade of the inner chamber.
  3. On a MatXie TiaoI only hope a silk robe will brush it, and never let white dust spread over it.
  4. On a Mirror StandXie TiaoHer jade face sees only itself, in vain; she always fears your feeling will fade.
  5. Falling Plum BlossomsXie TiaoAt dusk they fall and scatter for good; your favour cannot be won back.
  6. A Palindrome Poem of Frontier SpringWang RongParted love is cut off by the long road; sighs gather deep in the inner chamber.
  7. Counsellor Xiao Goes West: Written on Night DutyWang RongThe small heart knows no near or far; but the borderlands have wind and frost.
  8. To an Old Friend, with Pollia from the Fragrant IsleXie TiaoHow can we walk hand in hand, pouring wine and writing new poems?
  9. Parting from Jiang of the Water BureauXie TiaoAfter we part, if you can think of me, why lament that we live in different lands?
  10. A Night of PartingXie TiaoIn the hall of parting the candles burn out; behind the farewell curtains the zither is sad.
  11. On a Bamboo Warming CageXie TiaoClose-woven, yet its use calls for openness; its pattern slants, but its nature is not crooked.
  12. In the Old Manner: PartingJiang YanSeeing you off seems like only yesterday, yet the dew before the eaves has already beaded.
  13. In the Manner of Lady Ban: The FanJiang YanSecretly I grieve that the cool wind will come and blow on the trees by my jade steps.
  14. In the Manner of Minister Zhang: Parting SorrowJiang YanA fair lady strokes her sounding zither, keeping watch by empty curtains through the clear night.
  15. In the Manner of the Monk Xiu: Lament at PartingJiang YanAt dusk the blue clouds gather, and the fair one has still not come.
  16. In Reply to Vice Director Liu's Lament for a Soldier AbroadQiu Chi Though fish play to the south and north, in the end they return beside the lotus leaves.
  17. In Reply to Palace Attendant Xu's Poem to a Wife on Another's BehalfQiu Chi Who would speak of the hardships of service? I hug my knees and sigh in vain.
  18. Climbing High to View the SpringShen YueThe spring wind shakes the many trees, lush and thick, both green and red.
  19. Written for a Young Man Newly MarriedShen YueShe puts Zhao Feiyan to shame and makes Qin Luofu a laughing-stock.
  20. A Spring Poem: Willows Like SilkShen YueSpring grass is green and green again; the traveller's heart is wounded at this season.
  21. On Peach BlossomsShen YueThe red petals already blaze bright, and now they hold the sunlight too.
  22. On the Moon · Moonlight on a Quiet NightShen YueMoonlight comes down upon the quiet night; the night is still, and the haze and dust are gone.
  23. On the Willow · Light Shade over JianzhangShen YueWith the wind the branches knot and come loose; wet with dew, they are soft and long.
  24. On the Transverse Bamboo FluteShen YueIn the tune there is a deep meaning; my true heart, how could you know it?
  25. Six RemembrancesShen YueWhen she smiled she had no equal; when she pouted she was lovelier still.
  26. Embroidery at the CollarShen YueWithout a sound, it seems a breeze is stirring; with no wind, the branches move of themselves.
  27. The Slippers on Her FeetShen YueHer skirt parts as she comes to the dancing mat; her sleeves brush round the singing hall.
  28. Imitating 'Green, Green the Riverside Grass' · Dust on the BedShen YueMy old love I must not remember; at midnight I sigh long.
  29. In the Old Manner: Below Cong TerraceShen YueA brocade quilt gives no warmth to one alone; my silk robe is fragrant for nothing.
  30. Dreaming of a BeautyShen YueI watched you standing, then lying stretched beside me; suddenly I woke, and you were not there.
  31. Imitating the Ancients: A Lone Bird on the Cassia BoughShen YueNot that there is no other mate for me; my small heart will never change.
  32. Early SpringShen YueWith nothing to do we follow the plum blossom, and in the empty air put our faith in the willows.
  33. Mourning One GoneShen YueAlas, the way of humans is different: once gone, one vanishes forever.
  34. Poems on Fulling ClothLiu YunOn the waterside flats the leaves come down; over the hilltops the autumn clouds fly.
  35. Miscellaneous Poem · Light Clouds, Warming ColoursLiu YunYou know only that seeking office is right, and never think that parting is wrong.
  36. Threading Needles on the Seventh NightLiu YunMeeting the cold, I take up my night sewing, and draw out fine thread by the light of the moon.
  37. On a Rush MatLiu YunThough it lacks the lightness of single-cocoon silk, happily it has the colour of a green robe.
  38. On a Singing GirlJiang HongShe does not show herself whole to others, but hides half behind light gauze.
  39. On a Dancing GirlJiang HongAs she lifts her sleeves she already strikes a pose; as she moves her feet, grace again.
  40. On Red NotepaperJiang HongIt carries the heart of parting, and is the wrapping of longing too.
  41. On the Rose · Planted by the DoorJiang HongUnshaken, the scent already swirls; with no wind, the petals fly of themselves.
  42. In the Style of XieHe ZilangLonging for you, she strikes the tight-set zither bridges; how slender her jade-white fingers are.
  43. In Reply to Secretary Yu Qian's Poem in the Old MannerHe ZilangWhen will my lord come home, to pour a cup of wine with me?
  44. In Reply to Young Master Miao's 'Watching the Moon'He ZilangIn the cool, clear water of the jade pool, the moth-brow moon is mirrored.
  45. On a Swaying Hairpin FlowerShen ManyuanCut like lotus, it does not look made; shaped as flowers, it seems to have grown.
  46. Teasing Lady XiaoShen ManyuanWhen the wind lifts the curtains now and then, one glimpses, as in a dream, her lovely form.
  47. On a Five-Coloured Bamboo Warming CageShen ManyuanIn vain we sigh at its fine golden trim; who remembers it once soared toward the clouds?
  48. On a Lamp · The Silk Feast at DuskShen ManyuanIt does not grudge the light moths circling it; it fears only the dawn, when the flies begin to buzz.
  49. Gazing at the River at Dusk, for Adjutant YuHe XunBright and clear, sails head for the shore; round and red, the sun sinks behind the islet.
  50. Looking in the Mirror · Pearl Blinds Rolled at DawnHe XunThe wanderer has gone and not come home; her tear-streaked makeup wets her breast as she sits.
  51. Boudoir Lament · The Dawn River Sinks Behind the RoofHe XunMy longing for you never shifts; how is it different from the North Star?
  52. On the Seventh Night · The Immortal Carriage HaltsHe XunParted, they cannot say a word; the Milky Way swells into a rushing flood.
  53. On a Dancing CourtesanHe XunFollowing the song, she turns her slender hands; listening to the tune, she stirs her moth brows.
  54. Watching a New BrideHe XunWhat are they beside this night of bridal candles, when a light fan hides her rouged face?
  55. On a Courtesan's HouseHe XunNight flowers open on the boughs; a new moon rises in the mist.
  56. On White Gulls, Teasing One Who PartsHe XunEast and west, from here they go their ways; no shadow or sound of each other can reach them.
  57. After 'Green, Green the Riverside Grass'He XunA broken string still clings to its peg; a fallen leaf has only just left the bough.
  58. Teasing Consultant Liu XiaochuoHe XunLittle does she know the man bound for the dawn audience is already in the ragged line of geese.
  59. Gazing Out from an Autumn ChamberYu DanThe one she longs for never comes; in vain she keeps watch past the middle of the clear night.
  60. Dreaming at Night of Going HomeYu DanParted, we cannot see each other; it is hard to bear facing the spring light.
  61. Gazing at the Weaver GirlFan YunHer inch of feeling is tied in a hundred knots; her one heart hangs in ten thousand places.
  62. Lament for a Man Away at the WarsJiang YanOn what day will the frontier dust settle, and his war horse come back to the court?
  63. On a Beauty's Spring OutingJiang YanWhite snow has set into her jade-fine face; a bright pearl dots her crimson lips.
  64. In the Manner of Pan of the Yellow Gate: Telling My GriefJiang YanWhen the rain has stopped, no cloud comes back; when flowers fall, how could the petals stay?
  65. Autumn Night · The Moon Sets Toward MidnightShen YueDimly the fireflies sink into the mist; in long lines the geese cross the clouds.
  66. Matching Xiao Zixian's Poems in the Old MannerWu Jun Not only do my tears turn to pearls; the pearls, too, are seen to turn to blood.
  67. Poems Exchanged with Liu YunWu Jun The parted crane flies a thousand li; the lone mate finds no rest at night.
  68. For Du Rongcheng: Two Swallows Meet AgainWu Jun I answer that the sea road is long, and with so much wind I had no strength to fly.
  69. A Spring Poem: Where Has Spring Come FromWu Jun From where has spring come? It brushes my clothes and startles the plum.
  70. A Cast-Off Wife to Her Former HusbandWu Jun My heart broke at the place we parted; my looks waste away in tears.
  71. On a Handsome YouthWu Jun A million is paid for one word from him, a thousand in gold to buy his company.
  72. On a Moonlit Night, for Chen of Nankang and His New BeautyWang SengruShe is sixteen and like a flower; the moon of the fifteenth is like a mirror.
  73. Seeing a Nobleman Welcome His New Beauty, a Few Lines for the OccasionWang SengruHappily Changqing has no partner yet, and Wenjun is newly widowed.
  74. Hearing a Neighbour Woman Weave at Night, with Censor SimaWang SengruStill afraid you have nothing to wear, night after night I weave at the window.
  75. Night Sorrow · Dew from the EavesWang SengruWho knows how my heart and eyes are thrown into confusion, so that, looking at red, I suddenly see green?
  76. Grievance in a Spring BoudoirWang SengruGrieving, I watch the powder on butterfly wings; weeping, I gaze at the spiders' threads.
  77. Pounding Cloth · As the Season's Pitch Pipes TurnWang SengruA foot of silk lies in a fish's belly; my inch of heart rides on a wild goose's foot.
  78. Telling a Dream on Someone's BehalfWang SengruOn waking, all was empty; only then I knew it had all been illusion.
  79. For Someone: So Near, Yet Never MeetingWang SengruI have someone of one heart with me, in my own village, not some distant county.
  80. In the Manner of 'Gathering Lovage', for the Former Concubine of Director HeWang SengruThe new one draws near with a smile; the old one withdraws, holding back her tears.
  81. A Few Rhymes at the Wine Feast of Wang of Jin'anWang SengruHer turning glances are not without meaning; from behind a tilted fan she looks this way again.
  82. A Love Gift Written for SomeoneWang SengruHappily there is a chance to lift my robe and wade across; full of feeling, I send a single word.
  83. The Grievance of Master He's ConcubineWang SengruThe banished minister and the abandoned wife: their fallen hearts are not hard to know.
  84. A Favoured Concubine's Grievance, Written for SomeoneWang SengruIt is my sorrow that has made me thin, not that you prize a slender waist.
  85. A Concubine Grieves for Herself, Written for HerWang SengruA broken string can still be mended; a heart that has gone is the hardest thing to keep.
  86. Autumn Boudoir Lament · Slanting Light on the West WallWang SengruAll my toil and pain are in vain; in the end, they say, you do not know.
  87. For My Wife · Dust on the Jade BedXu FeiSo for now I let a single letter speak for a heart twisted nine times over.
  88. Facing the Peach Tree Before Our Room, on the Day We Should Meet, for My WifeXu FeiThe guarded walls cannot be crossed; I pick this blossom in place of the sacred hemp.
  89. Hearing Cloth Pounded Beyond the Walls at Night, from the Huaguan OfficeFei ChangI can only hear, never see; alone at night I stand in empty grief.
  90. Matching Secretary Xiao's 'Longing on a Spring Morning'Fei ChangThe water follows the peach blossoms away; spring comes back with the willows.
  91. Gazing at a Beauty in the Spring FieldsFei ChangAt dusk below the tall tower, you should know my family name is Qin.
  92. On Looking in the Mirror · Dawn Light on the Apricot BeamsFei ChangIn the city every woman paints her brows halfway up her forehead; it is not I alone who draw them long.
  93. Sunny Spring Sends Forth Its Mild AirFei ChangWith a sweep of the sleeve one should keep the guest; having met, let us not make things hard for each other.
  94. On an Autumn Night the Cool Wind RisesFei ChangA rosy face lasts only a while; when you come home, how can it still be in time?
  95. In Reply to My Husband: Two PoemsLiu LingxianIf you would know how deep my hidden grief, the spring chamber is deep, and it is dusk.
  96. Imitating the Ancients: Old Friends Must Not Be ForgottenHe SichengAn old friend must not be forgotten, like the lasting fragrance of orchid and cassia.
  97. Meeting a Beauty in the Southern ParkHe SichengThe wind lifts her grape-patterned sash; the sun shines on her pomegranate-red skirt.
  98. Boudoir Lament · The Nomad Pipes Keep Breaking OffWu Jun Three thousand li lie between us; like the stars Shen and Shang, letters can hardly pass.
  99. On a Singing Girl · Back from the High HallWang SengruWith a second glance a city is easily toppled; a single smile costs a thousand in gold.
  100. Listening to the BlackbirdLiu LingxianRapt and delighted, I linger to listen, and so my makeup is left unfinished.