Bai Juyi: Dream of Wei Zhi

 

[updated September 2022]

 

Dream of Wei Zhi

 

梦 微 之
夜 来 携 手 梦 同 游
晨 起 盈 巾 泪 莫 收。
漳 浦 老 身 三 度 病
咸 阳 宿 草 八 回 秋。
君 埋 泉 下 泥 销 骨
我 寄 人 间 雪 满 头。
阿 里 韩 郎 相 次 去
夜 台 茫 昧 得 知 不?
Meng Wei Zhi

Ye lai xie shou meng tong you
Chen qi ying jin lei mo shou.
Zhang pu lao shen san du bing
Xian yang su cao ba hui qiu.

Jun mai quan xia ni xiao gu
Wo ji ren jian xue man tou.
E wei han lang xiang ci qu
Ye tai mang mei dei zhi bu?

 

Dream of Wei Zhi

Evening arrives, dream of when we walked hand-in-hand
Arise in the morning, pillowcase filled with a collection of tears.
Sick for three years, my old life like Zhangpu
Eight autumns ago you joined the overnight grasses in Xianyang.

By now your bones have disappeared under the mud and water springs
For me, I have been halfway between white hair and the dirt.
Your son and son-in-law have also passed on
Are you aware that they too are hidden inside the evening terraces?

 

Notes:

Xianyang:  City in central Shaanxi Province, a few miles upstream from the ancient capital of Chang’an. The ancient capital during the West Zhou Dynasty.