English中文
Thinking of One Far Away: Red Leaves, Yellow Flowers, Late Autumn
红叶黄花秋意晚，
千里念行客。
飞云过尽，
归鸿无信，
何处寄书得。
Red leaves, yellow flowers, the autumn grown late; I think of the traveler a thousand miles away. The drifting clouds have all passed over, the homing geese bring no word — where can I send a letter?
泪弹不尽临窗滴，
就砚旋研墨。
渐写到别来，
此情深处，
红笺为无色。
Tears without end I let fall by the window, then ground them fresh into ink upon the inkstone. As I write of all that has happened since we parted, where the feeling goes deepest, the red paper has lost its color.
Reading notes
弹 in 弹泪 is read tán. 旋 in 旋研墨 is read xuán, describing grinding ink immediately. 别来 means “since we parted,” a time relation retained in the translation.