Bai Juyi: Feelings About Her Mirror

 

[updated September 2022]

 

Feelings About Her Mirror

 

感 镜
美 人 与 我 别
留 镜 在 匣 中。
自 从 花 颜 去
秋 水 无 芙 蓉。
经 年 不 开 匣
红 埃 覆 青 铜。
今 朝 一 拂 拭
自 照 憔 悴 容。
照 罢 重 惆 怅
背 有 双 盘 龙。
Gan Jing

Mei ren yu wo bie
Liu jing zai xia zhong.
Zi cong hua yan qu
Qiu shui wu fu rong.

Jing nian bu kai xia
Hong qi fu qing tong.
Jin zhao yi fu shi
Zi zhao qiao cui rong.
Zhao ba chong chou chang
Bei you shuang pan long.

 

Feelings About Her Mirror

I took leave of a beautiful lady
She left her mirror inside a small box.
Naturally this flower will never come back again
Autumn river a mirror without her cottonrose hibiscus face.

Endure many years not opening this small box
Red dust has enveloped the greenish copper.
Today at dawn I touched and wiped it clean
Naturally it illuminated my ill and emaciated face.
See again and again the sadness and melancholy
The back of the mirror had a pair of dragons in love.