English中文
A Visitor from Afar
客从远方来，
遗我一端绮。
A traveller came from far away, and brought me a bolt of fine silk.
相去万余里，
故人心尚尔。
Ten thousand li lie between us, and yet your heart is still the same.
文采双鸳鸯，
裁为合欢被。
Its pattern is a pair of mandarin ducks; I cut it into a coverlet of joy.
著以长相思，
缘以结不解。
Filled with longing that never ends, bound with a knot that cannot be undone.
以胶投漆中，
谁能别离此？
Glue poured into lacquer—who could part the two of them?
Reading notes
绮 is patterned silk. 著 here refers to filling or padding the coverlet.