Yu Nu Yao Xian Pei (When Lovely Scenes Are Absent) - Liu Yong
/玉女摇仙佩(佳景无时) - 柳永/
A Lament for Fading Splendor and Distant Longing
【Original Chinese / English Translation】
佳景无时，凄然顾影，楼台空寂。
When lovely scenes have vanished, I gaze sadly at my own shadow; terraces and halls lie in silent emptiness.
幽恨凭谁寄？缥缈归鸿声里。
To whom can I confide this hidden sorrow? Its echo drifts in the distant cries of returning wild geese.
新愁暗续旧愁多，剩惯看、风敲竹砌。
Fresh grief quietly renews the old—often I sit, listening to the wind knocking against bamboo steps.
往事难堪回首，凋落云烟未已。
Memories of the past are hard to revisit; even the drifting clouds and mist have yet to subside.
记得瑶阶争妍处，曾伴歌舞，月下同欢醉。
I recall a jeweled stairway once filled with lively splendor—we shared songs and danced together, reveling under the moon.
如今冷落朱门，珠帘夜夜垂地。
But now the grand gate stands in chill neglect, pearl curtains nightly trailing the floor.
伤离索、漫说当年意，怕更思量重到依依。
Grief at our parting weighs heavily; I scarcely dare revisit those moments of closeness gone by.
一片断魂声，泪染残灯里。
Amid these heart-piercing sounds, my tears fall beneath a waning lamp’s glow.
佳景无时，凄然顾影，楼台空寂。
When lovely scenes have vanished, I gaze sadly at my own shadow; terraces and halls lie in silent emptiness.
幽恨凭谁寄？缥缈归鸿声里。
To whom can I confide this hidden sorrow? Its echo drifts in the distant cries of returning wild geese.
新愁暗续旧愁多，剩惯看、风敲竹砌。
Fresh grief quietly renews the old—often I sit, listening to the wind knocking against bamboo steps.
往事难堪回首，凋落云烟未已。
Memories of the past are hard to revisit; even the drifting clouds and mist have yet to subside.
记得瑶阶争妍处，曾伴歌舞，月下同欢醉。
I recall a jeweled stairway once filled with lively splendor—we shared songs and danced together, reveling under the moon.
如今冷落朱门，珠帘夜夜垂地。
But now the grand gate stands in chill neglect, pearl curtains nightly trailing the floor.
伤离索、漫说当年意，怕更思量重到依依。
Grief at our parting weighs heavily; I scarcely dare revisit those moments of closeness gone by.
一片断魂声，泪染残灯里。
Amid these heart-piercing sounds, my tears fall beneath a waning lamp’s glow.
In this ci poem set to the tune of “Yu Nu Yao Xian Pei,” Liu Yong mourns the fading of once-lovely surroundings and the loneliness that comes when joy departs. While the title “When Lovely Scenes Are Absent” may suggest the season’s decline, the poem itself underscores emotional rather than purely seasonal loss. Vividly, the poet contrasts former days filled with music and warmth against an atmosphere now marked by silent halls, trailing curtains, and recollections too painful to face.
A crucial feature of Liu Yong’s style is the merging of external images—like the sound of wind against bamboo steps or the distant cries of wild geese—with the poet’s internal sorrow. These natural and architectural details mirror how each memory stirs another wave of longing. The poem also alludes to a once-intimate bond and the rituals of courtly delight: gatherings beneath moonlight, the jeweled staircase bright with color and laughter.
In classical Chinese tradition, small details often reveal the deepest sadness. The softly tapping bamboo evokes the poet’s restless mind, while the “waning lamp” provides a lonely glow amid the nighttime hush. The curtain that falls all the way to the ground hints at a neglected, unvisited space. Throughout, Liu Yong uses these images not just for decorative effect, but to illustrate the contrast between what once was and what is now irretrievably lost.
By the final lines, the poet’s weeping under the dim lamp crystallizes his longing. The “heart-piercing sounds” refer to the intangible echoes of memory—both external (nature’s faint calls) and internal (his own regrets). This layered resonance, where the outer setting matches the inner heartache, is a hallmark of Song Dynasty ci.
Ultimately, “Yu Nu Yao Xian Pei (When Lovely Scenes Are Absent)” teaches us that such poems do more than express grief; they invite us to contemplate how beauty and companionship can fade unexpectedly, yet remain achingly vivid in recollection. Through its delicate structure and poetic images, the piece captures the quiet ache that lingers long after the music stops and the revelers depart.
Key points
• Blends vivid imagery of deserted halls and nature’s whispers to convey solitude.
• Contrasts past joy and present neglect, illustrating how time heightens a sense of loss.
• Uses the soundscape (wind, wild geese, tapping bamboo) to reflect inner sorrow.
• Embodies the Song ci tradition of fusing emotional longing with atmospheric detail.
