Seven-Character Quatrains

Wang Changling — Seeing Xin Jian Off at Lotus TowerCold rain fell all night on the river into Wu; at dawn I see you off before the lonely Chu hills.If my friends and family in Luoyang ask about me, say my heart is a piece of ice in a jade vessel.

Wang Changling — A Wife's LamentThe young wife in her chamber had never known sorrow; one spring day she dressed beautifully and climbed her green tower.Suddenly she saw the willows lining the road and regretted having urged her husband to seek a marquisate.

Wang Changling — Spring Song of the PalaceLast night the wind opened peach blossoms by the uncovered well; above Weiyang's front hall the full moon stood high.A dancer from Pingyang has just won his favor; in the spring cold beyond the curtain, she is given a brocade robe.

Wang Wei — On the Ninth Day of the Ninth Month, Remembering My Brothers East of the MountainsAlone in a strange land, a stranger among strangers, each festival makes me long for my kin all the more.Far away I know my brothers are climbing the heights; each wears a sprig of dogwood, but one of us is missing.

Wang Han — Song of LiangzhouFine grape wine in a cup that shines by night; I would drink, but the pipa urges us into the saddle.Do not laugh if we lie drunk on the battlefield: how many who went to war in ancient times came home?

Bai Juyi — Palace SongTears soak my silk scarf; I cannot fall asleep or dream.Deep in the night, from the front hall comes the sound of songs rehearsed.My rosy face has not yet aged, but his favor has already ended;I lean against the fragrant brazier and sit until daybreak.

Zhu Qingyu — Song of the PalaceIn the flowering season the courtyard gates stay closed and still;Two beauties stand together beneath the jeweled veranda.They long to speak of things within the palace,But dare not say a word before the parrot.

Zhu Qingyu — To Director Zhang before the ExaminationLast night the bridal chamber's red candles burned; at dawn I must bow before my husband's parents.When I finish dressing, I ask my husband softly: “Are the shades of my painted brows in fashion?”

Cen Shen — Meeting a Messenger Bound for the CapitalEastward toward my old home the road stretches without end; both sleeves are drenched, and still my tears do not dry.We meet on horseback, and I have neither paper nor brush; please carry word that I am safe.

Li Bai — Seeing Meng Haoran Off to GuanglingMy old friend says farewell in the west at Yellow Crane Tower;Amid the mists and blossoms of the third month he sails down to Yangzhou.The distant image of his lone sail vanishes beyond green mountains;I see only the Yangzi flowing at the sky's edge.

Li Bai — Sailing down to JianglingAt dawn I leave Baidi amid many-colored clouds;A thousand miles to Jiangling, yet home in a single day.The gibbons on both banks have not ceased callingBefore my light boat passes ten thousand folds of mountains.

Li Yi — Hearing a Flute at Night above the City of SurrenderBefore Huilie Peak the sand is like snow; beneath the city of surrender moonlight lies like frost.Somewhere a reed flute is playing: all night the soldiers gaze toward home.

Li Shangyin — Master JiaIn the Xuanshi Hall the emperor summoned a banished minister in search of wisdom; Master Jia's gifts had no equal.Pity how he leaned toward him at midnight—only to ask about ghosts and spirits, not the lives of his people.

Li Shangyin — Sui PalaceHe went south for pleasure, careless of military precautions;Who inside the ninefold palace read the letters of remonstrance?All across the realm, spring wind stirred the cutting of court brocades:Half became horse blankets, and half became sails.

Li Shangyin — The Jasper PoolBy the Jasper Pool, the Queen Mother opened her patterned windows;The song of “Yellow Bamboo” shook the earth with grief.The eight steeds can run thirty thousand miles in a day:Why, then, has King Mu never come back?

Li Shangyin — Chang'eCandle shadows deepen against the mica screen;The Milky Way sinks slowly, and dawn stars fade.Chang'e must regret stealing the elixir:Blue sea and blue sky, in her heart night after night.

Li Shangyin — Night Rain, Sent NorthYou ask when I will return; there is no date yet.Night rain in the Ba Mountains swells the autumn pools.When will we trim the candle together beside the western windowAnd talk about this night of rain in the Ba Mountains?

Li Shangyin — Sent to Secretary LinghuMount Song's clouds and Qin's trees have long stood between our homes;From far away your letter came, a single page between two paper carp.Do not ask about the old guest of Liang Garden:In autumn rain at Maoling, Sima Xiangru lies ill.

Li Shangyin — BecauseBecause she has endless charm behind her cloudlike screen,As the cold leaves Phoenix City she dreads the spring night.Without reason she married a husband with a golden turtle badgeAnd lost their hours beneath the fragrant quilt to his early court duties.

Du Fu — Meeting Li Guinian South of the YangziOften I saw you at Prince Qi's house; many times I heard you sing in Cui Nine's hall.And now, amid the beautiful scenes south of the Yangzi, I meet you again as flowers fall.

Du Mu — Parting Gift, First PoemGraceful and slender, a little over thirteen;Like cardamom just budding at the start of the second month.Along ten miles of Yangzhou road in spring wind,No girl behind the lifted pearl curtains can compare.

Du Mu — Parting Gift, Second PoemToo deep a feeling seems almost like no feeling at all;Before the wine cup I cannot even bring myself to smile.The candle has a heart and grieves at parting too:In our place it weeps till daybreak.

Du Mu — Golden Valley GardenThe splendor of that age has scattered with the fragrant dust;Water flows without feeling, and grass turns green each spring.At dusk birds cry their grievances into the east wind;A falling blossom still resembles the woman who leaped from the tower.

Du Mu — Sent to Magistrate Han Chuo in YangzhouBlue hills rise faintly, waters wind far away;In the south, autumn is over but the grass has not yet withered.On a moonlit night at the Twenty-Four Bridges,Where do you, lovely friend, teach someone to play the flute?

Du Mu — RecollectionsI wandered dissolute beside rivers and lakes, carrying wine,Among slender-waisted dancers so light they could dance upon a palm.Ten years in Yangzhou seem one waking dream;All I have gained is a name for faithlessness in the pleasure houses.

Du Mu — Autumn EveningSilver candles cast autumn light, cooling the painted screen;With a little silk fan she swats at fireflies in flight.Palace steps grow cool as water in the night;She lies watching the stars of the Oxherd and Weaver Girl.

Du Mu — Climbing Leyou Plain before Departing for WuxingIn times of peace, it is a pleasure to be without ability; at leisure I love lone clouds, and in stillness, monks.Soon I will take a governor's banner down toward rivers and sea; from Leyou Plain I look toward Zhaoling's tomb.

Du Mu — Red CliffsA broken halberd buried in sand, its iron not yet rusted; I polish and wash it myself and recognize its former age.If the east wind had not aided young Zhou, deep spring in Bronze Sparrow Tower would have confined the two Qiao sisters.

Du Mu — Moored on the QinhuaiMist veils cold water and moonlight veils sand; at night I moor on the Qinhuai near a tavern.The singing girls do not know the grief of a lost kingdom; across the river they still sing “Flowers in the Rear Court.”

Liu Zhongyong — A Soldier's LamentYear after year, Gold River and then the Jade Pass;Morning after morning, horsewhip and sword ring.In the three months of spring, white snow returns to the Green Mound;For ten thousand miles the Yellow River winds around Black Mountain.

Wei Zhuang — A Painting of JinlingWho says an aching heart cannot be painted?The painter's heart follows the feelings of his age.Look at these six scenes from the southern dynasties:Old trees and cold clouds cover the abandoned city.

Wei Yingwu — West Brook at ChuzhouI love the secluded grass that grows beside the brook; high above, orioles sing deep within the trees.Spring flood and evening rain swell the current; at the deserted crossing, an unmanned boat lies askew.

Zhang Xu — Peach Blossom CreekA high bridge shows dimly beyond the countryside's mist; west of the rocky shore I call to a fishing boat.Peach blossoms float down the water all day: where beside this clear creek lies the cave?

Zhang Bi — Sent to SomeoneMy dream of parting traveled tenderly to your home, through little corridors turning beside slanting railings.Only the moon in the spring courtyard remains faithful: it still shines on the falling flowers for those apart.

Zhang Hu — Inscribed at Jinling FerryAt Jinling Ferry a little tower stands on the hill;One night there is enough to fill a traveler with sorrow.At low tide, in the slanting moonlight over the night river,Two or three distant lights mark Guazhou.

Zhang Hu — To a Palace WomanThe moon's trace crosses palace trees beyond the forbidden gates; her bright eyes follow only the egrets' roost.She pulls out her jade hairpin beside the lamplight and frees a moth caught in the red flame.

Zhang Hu — Terrace of Gathered Spirits, First PoemSunlight slants across the Terrace of Gathered Spirits; red tree blossoms open to the dawn dew.Last night the retired emperor received a new Daoist register; Taizhen came smiling through the curtain.

Zhang Hu — Terrace of Gathered Spirits, Second PoemLady Guo has won the sovereign's favor;At daybreak she rides her horse through the palace gate.Disliking powder and rouge for hiding her face,She paints her brows lightly before greeting His Majesty.

Zhang Ji — Moored at Night by Maple BridgeThe moon has set, crows call, frost fills the sky; riverside maples and fishing fires face my sleepless grief.Beyond the walls of Gusu stands Cold Mountain Temple; at midnight its bells reach my traveler's boat.

Chen Tao — Song of LongxiSworn to sweep away the Xiongnu, heedless of their lives, five thousand silk-clad warriors perished in nomad dust.How pitiful the bones beside the Wuding River: in their wives' deepest dreams they are still alive.

Anonymous — Miscellaneous PoemAs Cold Food rain comes to an end the grasses grow thick; wind crosses the wheat shoots, willows shade the dike.I too have a home and cannot return; cuckoo, do not sing so close to my ear.

He Zhizhang — On Returning Home, Written by ChanceI left home when young and return an old man; my native accent remains, though the hair at my temples is thin.Children meet me but do not know me; laughing, they ask where this visitor has come from.

Wen Tingyun — Lament of the Jasper ZitherOn a cool bamboo mat by the silver bed, sleep will not come; the blue sky is clear as water, clouds light in the night.The calls of geese pass far toward the Xiao and Xiang; among twelve towers the moon shines on alone.

Liu Fangping — Moonlit NightDeep in the night, moonlight touches half the houses;The Northern Dipper spans the sky, the Southern Dipper tilts.Tonight I feel the warmth of spring more keenly:New insect voices pass through the green window gauze.

Liu Fangping — Spring LamentSunlight fades beyond the gauze window into dusk; in the golden house no one sees her tear marks.Spring grows late in the lonely empty courtyard; pear blossoms cover the earth, and the gate stays closed.

Liu Yuxi — Black-Robed LaneWild grasses flower beside Vermilion Bird Bridge;At the mouth of Black-Robed Lane the evening sun slopes low.Swallows that once nested before the halls of Wang and XieNow fly into the homes of ordinary people.

Liu Yuxi — Spring SongFreshly adorned to suit her face, she descends the crimson tower;The courtyard locks in all the spring, and all her grief.Walking to its heart, she counts the flower blossoms;A dragonfly settles on her jade hairpin.

Zheng Tian — Mawei SlopeXuanzong turned his horse and Consort Yang died;He could not forget their love, though a new reign began.At least he acted as an enlightened sovereign should:Who could say that of the man in Jingyang Palace well?

Han Hong — Cold Food FestivalFlowers fly everywhere in the city in spring; at Cold Food, east wind bends the palace willows.At dusk candles are passed through the Han palace; thin smoke drifts into the homes of the five marquises.

Han Wo — Already CoolBeyond green balustrades embroidered curtains hang; a scarlet screen bears paintings of flowering boughs.A brocade mat eight feet long, woven with dragon's-whisker grass: the weather has cooled, though it is not yet cold.

Gu Kuang — Palace SongFrom a jade tower halfway to heaven rise songs and reed pipes; wind carries laughter and voices of the palace women.Shadows part in the moonlit hall as the night clock sounds; crystal curtains roll up near the Milky Way.

Wang Changling — Seeing Xin Jian Off at Furong TowerCold rain covered the river as it entered Wu at night; at dawn, when I saw my guest off, the Chu hills stood alone.If friends and relatives in Luoyang ask about me, tell them my heart is as clear as ice in a jade vessel.

Wang Changling — A Wife's RegretA young wife in her room had never known sorrow; dressed up one spring day, she climbed the green tower.Suddenly she saw the willows along the road and regretted sending her husband away to earn a noble title.

Wang Changling — Song of the Spring PalaceLast night the wind opened peach blossoms by the uncovered well; the moon stood high over the front hall of Weiyang Palace.A singer and dancer from Pingyang has just gained the ruler's favor; outside the curtains, in the spring cold, he gives her a brocade robe.

Wang Wei — Thinking of My Brothers East of the Mountains on the Ninth Day of the Ninth MonthAlone in a foreign place, I am a stranger; at every festival I miss my family all the more.Far away, I know my brothers are climbing the heights with dogwood in their hair, but one of us is missing.

Wang Han — Song of LiangzhouFine grape wine fills cups that glow at night; just as we go to drink, a lute urges us to mount our horses.Don't laugh if we lie drunk on the battlefield. How many have ever returned from war?

Bai Juyi — Palace SongTears soak my silk handkerchief; I cannot fall asleep and dream.Deep into the night I hear songs being rehearsed in the front hall.I have lost the ruler's favor before my beauty has faded;I lean against the incense burner and sit there until dawn.

Zhu Qingyu — In the PalaceDuring the flowering season, the courtyard gate remains shut and quiet;Two beautiful women stand together by a fine pavilion.One wants to speak of palace affairs, full of feeling,But she does not dare speak in front of the parrot.

Zhu Qingyu — To Zhang of the Water Department Just Before the ExaminationLast night the red candles burned out in the bridal chamber; at dawn the bride will greet her husband's parents in the hall.After putting on makeup, she quietly asks her husband: “Are my eyebrows painted in the fashion they like?”

Cen Shen — Meeting a Messenger Going to the CapitalI look east toward home down an endless road; both my sleeves are wet with tears that will not dry.We meet on horseback, and I have no paper or brush. Please tell them I am safe.

Li Bai — Seeing Meng Haoran Off to GuanglingMy old friend says goodbye in the west at Yellow Crane Tower;Amid mist and spring blossoms, he goes down to Yangzhou in March.The distant shape of his lone sail vanishes past the green hills;I see only the Yangzi flowing to the edge of the sky.

Li Bai — Going Down to JianglingIn the morning I leave Baidi among colored clouds;In one day I reach Jiangling, a thousand miles away.The monkeys on both banks have not stopped calling,But my light boat has already passed ten thousand layers of mountains.

Li Yi — Hearing a Flute at Night on the Surrender City WallThe sand before Huile Peak looks like snow; moonlight below Surrender City looks like frost.Somewhere a reed flute is playing; all night every soldier looks toward home.

Li Shangyin — Jia YiIn the Xuanshi chamber the emperor called for a wise man and summoned an exiled minister; Jia Yi's talent was beyond compare.How sad that the emperor leaned forward in the middle of the night, only to ask about spirits rather than the people's lives.

Li Shangyin — The Sui PalaceThe emperor traveled south on a whim, without making security preparations;Inside the palace, who took notice of the letters advising against it?Throughout the land in the spring wind, people cut up imperial brocade;Half became saddlecloths, half became sails.

Li Shangyin — The Jade PoolAt the Jade Pool the Queen Mother opened her patterned window;The song of Yellow Bamboo sounded painfully across the earth.King Mu's eight horses could travel thirty thousand miles in a day;Why did he never come back?

Li Shangyin — Chang'eCandle shadows deepen against the mica screen;The Milky Way slowly sinks, and the morning stars fade.Chang'e must regret stealing the drug of eternal life,Alone with the blue sea and sky in her thoughts every night.

Li Shangyin — Writing North on a Rainy NightYou ask when I'll return, but I do not know when;Night rain in the Ba mountains is swelling the autumn pools.When will we trim the candle together by the west window,And talk about this rainy night in the Ba mountains?

Li Shangyin — To Official LinghuClouds over Mount Song and trees in Qin have separated us for so long;Your letter came from far away, carried like two carp.Don't ask about your old guest from Liang Garden:Here at Maoling, like Sima Xiangru, I am ill in the autumn rain.

Li Shangyin — Because of ThisBecause there is such beauty behind the cloud-patterned screen,I dread the spring nights as the cold leaves the capital.For no good reason I married a man with a gold-turtle badge,And waste our scented quilt when he must attend the early court.

Du Fu — Meeting Li Guinian South of the RiverI often saw you at Prince Qi's home and heard you perform many times at Cui Jiu's house.Now, amid the beautiful scenery south of the river, I meet you again when the flowers are falling.

Du Mu — At Parting, First PoemShe is graceful and slender, just over thirteen,Like a cardamom bud at the start of the second month.Along the ten miles of Yangzhou streets in the spring wind,None of the women behind the raised beaded curtains can match her.

Du Mu — At Parting, Second PoemI care so much that I seem not to care at all;Before the wine cup I find I cannot smile.The candle has a wick, as if it too feels sad at parting,And sheds tears for us until morning.

Du Mu — Golden Valley GardenAll its splendor has scattered like fragrant dust;The water flows on without caring, and the grass grows green each spring.At dusk, in the east wind, birds call sadly;The falling flowers still look like the woman who fell from the tower.

Du Mu — To Han Chuo, Official in YangzhouGreen hills show faintly, the waters stretch far away;Autumn is nearly over, but grass south of the river has not withered.On a moonlit night at the Twenty-Four Bridges,Where are you, handsome friend, teaching someone to play the flute?

Du Mu — Looking BackI wandered aimlessly with wine along the rivers and lakes;There were women with slender Chu waists, light enough to dance on a palm.Ten years in Yangzhou seem like a dream from which I have woken;All I gained was a reputation for being heartless in the pleasure houses.

Du Mu — Autumn EveningThe light of a silver candle makes the painted screen look cold;She bats at fireflies with a light silk fan.At night the palace steps are as cool as water;She lies watching the stars of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl.

Du Mu — Climbing Leyou Plain Before Leaving for WuxingIn peaceful times, finding pleasure in doing nothing means I have no ability; I love idle clouds and the quiet life of monks.I am about to take my official banner away to the rivers and sea; from Leyou Plain I look toward Emperor Taizong's tomb.

Du Mu — Red CliffA broken halberd lay buried in the sand, its iron not yet rusted away; I polished and washed it and recognized that it came from an earlier age.If the east wind had not helped Zhou Yu, the two Qiao sisters would have been locked deep inside the Bronze Sparrow Tower in spring.

Du Mu — Mooring on the Qinhuai RiverMist covers the cold water, moonlight covers the sand; I moor on the Qinhuai River at night near a tavern.The singing girl knows nothing of grief for a fallen kingdom; across the river she still sings “Flowers in the Back Courtyard.”

Liu Zhongyong — A Soldier's ComplaintYear after year, the Golden River and then the Jade Pass;Day after day, a horse whip and the ring of a sword.Through all three spring months, white snow falls by the Green Tomb;For ten thousand miles, the Yellow River winds around the Black Mountains.

Wei Zhuang — A Picture of JinlingWho says sadness cannot be painted?The painter's heart just follows what the world wants.Look at these six paintings of the Southern Dynasties:Old trees and cold clouds fill the former capital.

Wei Yingwu — The West Stream at ChuzhouI especially love the quiet grass growing beside the stream, with yellow orioles singing above it in the deep trees.At evening the spring flood rushes in with rain; no one is at the country ferry, and the boat lies crosswise on its own.

Zhang Xu — Peach Blossom CreekA high bridge is faintly visible through the country mist; west of the rocky bank I ask a fishing boat:“Peach blossoms float with the current all day. Where along this clear stream is the cave?”

Zhang Bi — To Someone Far AwayIn my dream of parting, I returned fondly to your home; its small halls turned past winding railings.Only the spring moon in the courtyard still cares for us apart, shining on the fallen flowers.

Zhang Hu — Written at the Jinling FerryAt Jinling's ferry there is a little building on the hill;A traveler staying there one night is bound to feel sad.At low tide, in the night river under the slanting moon,Two or three lights are shining at Guazhou.

Zhang Hu — For a Palace WomanThe moon's light passes the trees by the forbidden gate; her lovely eyes watch only the roosting egrets' nest.She draws out a jade hairpin by lamplight and pokes the red flame to save a moth flying into it.

Zhang Hu — Gathering Spirits Terrace, First PoemSlanting sunlight falls on Gathering Spirits Terrace; blossoms in the red trees open to meet the morning dew.Last night the retired emperor received new Daoist scriptures; Taizhen came smiling through the curtain.

Zhang Hu — Gathering Spirits Terrace, Second PoemLady of Guo has the ruler's favor;At dawn she rides a horse through the palace gate.She thinks powder and rouge would spoil her complexion,So she meets the emperor with only lightly drawn eyebrows.

Zhang Ji — Mooring at Night by Maple BridgeThe moon sets, crows cry, and frost fills the sky; among riverside maples and fishing lights I lie awake in sorrow.From Cold Mountain Temple outside Gusu, the midnight bell reaches my boat.

Chen Tao — Song of LongxiThey vowed to wipe out the Xiongnu without concern for their lives; five thousand soldiers in fine clothes died in foreign dust.How sad that the bones beside the Wuding River still belong to men whom their wives dream of at home.

Anonymous — An Occasional PoemAs the Cold Food rain ends, the grass grows thick; wind moves through young wheat and willows shade the bank.I too have a home but cannot return; cuckoo, stop calling beside my ear.

He Zhizhang — Lines Written on Returning HomeI left home young and have returned old; my accent has not changed, though my hair at the temples has thinned.Children see me but do not know me; laughing, they ask, “Where have you come from, stranger?”

Wen Tingyun — Complaint of the Jade ZitherOn a cool bamboo mat and silver bed I cannot dream; the blue sky is like water and the night clouds are thin.The sound of geese travels far past the Xiao and Xiang Rivers; in the twelve-story tower the moon shines by itself.

Liu Fangping — Moonlit NightDeep in the night, moonlight covers half the houses;The Big Dipper lies across the sky, and the Southern Dipper tilts.Tonight I especially feel that the spring air is warm;New sounds of insects pass through my green window screen.

Liu Fangping — Spring ComplaintThe sun sets outside the gauze window and dusk slowly comes; in the golden room no one sees her tears.The empty courtyard is lonely in late spring; pear blossoms cover the ground, and she does not open the door.

Liu Yuxi — Black Robe LaneWildflowers grow beside Vermilion Bird Bridge;The setting sun slants across the entrance to Black Robe Lane.The swallows that once nested in the halls of the Wang and Xie familiesNow fly into the homes of ordinary people.

Liu Yuxi — Spring PoemWith fresh makeup suited to her face, she comes down from the red tower;The locked courtyard holds spring light and her sadness.She walks into the central courtyard and counts the blossoms;A dragonfly lands on the jade pin in her hair.

Zheng Tian — At Mawei SlopeEmperor Xuanzong turned his horse around, and Consort Yang died;Their love was hard to forget, though sun and moon bring new days.In the end, this is what an enlightened emperor did;But who was that other man in the well at Jingyang Palace?

Han Hong — Cold Food FestivalFlowers fly everywhere in the city in spring; on the Cold Food festival the east wind bends the imperial willows.At dusk candles are passed around the Han palace; thin smoke drifts into the homes of the five nobles.

Han Wo — The Weather Has Turned CoolBeyond the green railing hang embroidered curtains; a crimson screen shows a flowering branch.An eight-foot mat of dragon-whisker grass lies on a square brocade mattress; it has turned cool but is not yet cold.

Gu Kuang — Palace SongMusic rises from the jade tower halfway to the sky; the wind carries the laughter and talk of palace women.Shadows part at the moonlit hall and the night clock can be heard; the crystal curtain rolls up close to the Milky Way.