Jiang Cheng Zi by Su Shi

Jiang Cheng Zi by Su Shi:
Written by Mr. Su Shi at year of 1075. (Song Dynasty)
Translated by Laijon Liu

Ten years living and dead have torn us apart.
I try not to remember,
But it’s hard to forget,
Your lonely grave at thousand miles away,
And nowhere I could tell you about my lonely griefs.
Even though we met, how could you recognize me
Thru this dusty face and my frosty hair.

Last night, I suddenly came home thru a serene dream,
By the small window, you were there,
Putting the make up on.
We were staring at each other, without any words,
Only our tears shed thousand streams.
Year after year I grieved for the place:
When the moon shone bright at night
Over that low pine covered small hill.

Note:
This is another one of my favorite poems of Mr. Su Shi. When he wrote this for his dead wife, Ms. Wang Fei. At that time, Mr. Su was 40 years age, during his exile caused by a court’s political conflict, and his wife had past away for 10 years. He could not go visit his wife’s grave near his home. In a Chinese old saying that our thoughts of day give us very same dreams at night. So surely he missed his wife day and night. He wrote a short note about this poem stated that this piece was a record for his dream at night.

I’m a sensitive person, coz I know every time I read this poem I feel my tears gonna come out. And I think this poem is an example how a husband should love his wife. But on another thought, he was very lucky and so was his wife, that thru this poem I truly felt I am lacking of something that they had, their pain made them alive, even drew out the tear of dead man walking.

Chinese:
十 年 生 死 兩 茫 茫
不 思 量 　 自 難 忘
千 里 孤 墳 　 無 處 話 淒 涼
縱 使 相 逢 應 不 識
塵 滿 面 　 鬢 如 霜

夜 來 幽 夢 忽 還 鄉
小 軒 窗 　 正 梳 妝
相 顧 無 言 　 惟 有 淚 千 行
料 得 年 年 腸 斷 處
明 月 夜 　 短 松 岡