100 Tang Poems

Time was, long before I met her, but longer still, since we parted, The east wind is powerless, for it has come and a hundred flowers are gone, Spring's silk-worms will spin until they die And every night candles will weep their wicks away. In the morning mirror she sees her temple hair changing the color of clouds Chanting poems in the chill of moonlight. Oh, it is not so very far to Penglai O blue-birds listen, bring me what she says.   Penglai, detail of painting by Yuan Jiang (袁江), 1680-1730 Interpreting Li Shangyin This is the third of five poems Tang poet Li Shangyin wrote to a female muse, one unnamed. Line one describes the difficulty of the two lovers(?) meeting, time being the greatest obstacle. Powerless is the East Wind 东风 Dōngfēng of spring because all its flowers have come and gone. For we, mere mortals, life will go on like the silkworm spinning, until it dies. And each night the candle wax weeps as the wick fades away. The poet’s unnamed