Bai Juyi’s “Song of the Pipa (with Preface)” is a long narrative poem centered on a chance meeting with a pipa player while the poet himself is demoted and exiled to a re⋯ Read the full article

In “Recalling the Plum,” Li Shangyin uses the plum blossom—symbolically cherished in Chinese culture for its resilience during cold winter months—to convey both melanchol⋯ Read the full article

In “Solitary Outing,” Li Shangyin presents a nocturnal landscape brimming with understated melancholy. The opening lines immerse us in a quiet, moonlit path edged by spar⋯ Read the full article

“Chou Bi Post Station” is traditionally associated with the ruins linked to famed strategist Zhuge Liang from the Three Kingdoms era (though direct references to him may ⋯ Read the full article

In “Send-Off to General Li of the Qian-Niu Corps,” Li Shangyin weaves together martial valor, heartfelt loyalty, and the poignant sadness of parting. The poem begins by c⋯ Read the full article

Li Shangyin’s poem “Willow” reflects on the fleeting nature of seasons and the emotional undertones they carry. In the first couplet, the willows are depicted as companio⋯ Read the full article

In this poem often referred to by its first line—“春心莫共花争发” (Let not the spring heart bloom in rivalry with flowers)—Li Shangyin juxtaposes the stirring of the natu⋯ Read the full article

In “Falling Blossoms (No. 1),” Li Shangyin presents a scene of cascading petals in a small garden just as spring wanes. The first lines set up a bittersweet departure: a ⋯ Read the full article

Often categorized under his “Untitled” poems, this brief work by Li Shangyin opens with an image of a “clouded screen” that hints at both physical and emotional veils. Th⋯ Read the full article

In this poem, Li Shangyin draws inspiration from the Chinese myth of Chang'e, the goddess who ascends to the moon after consuming an elixir of immortality—at the cost of ⋯ Read the full article

In this poem often translated as “Renewed Reflection,” Li Shangyin contemplates the contrast between the splendid past and the subdued present. The opening lines evoke a ⋯ Read the full article

In this poem attributed to Li Shangyin, the speaker contemplates the intricate blend of longing, separation, and natural transition across the seasons. The opening stanza⋯ Read the full article

In this concise yet evocative poem, Li Shangyin encapsulates the tension between the allure of a magnificent sunset and the inevitable encroachment of nightfall. The spea⋯ Read the full article

In “Sui Palace,” Li Shangyin invokes the story of Emperor Yang of Sui, whose fateful expedition south ended in his downfall and the collapse of the Sui Dynasty. The poem ⋯ Read the full article

In Li Shangyin’s poem “Mawei (No. 2),” the poet meditates on the tragedy and aftermath surrounding the Mawei Inn incident—often alluding to the downfall linked to Emperor⋯ Read the full article