无题·相见时难别亦难
Wú Tí · Xiāng Jiàn Shí Nán Bié Yì Nán
Untitled — Hard to Meet, Hard to Part
李商隐 (Li Shangyin) · Tang Dynasty · 813–858
Original Text
相见时难别亦难，
xiāng jiàn shí nán bié yì nán,
东风无力百花残。
dōng fēng wú lì bǎi huā cán.
春蚕到死丝方尽，
chūn cán dào sǐ sī fāng jìn,
蜡炬成灰泪始干。
là jù chéng huī lèi shǐ gān.
晓镜但愁云鬓改，
xiǎo jìng dàn chóu yún bìn gǎi,
夜吟应觉月光寒。
yè yín yīng jué yuè guāng hán.
蓬山此去无多路，
péng shān cǐ qù wú duō lù,
青鸟殷勤为探看。
qīng niǎo yīn qín wèi tàn kàn.
English Translation
It is hard to meet and hard to part; the east wind is powerless, a hundred flowers wither. The spring silkworm spins silk until it dies; the candle's tears dry only when it turns to ash. Facing the morning mirror, she worries her cloud-like hair will change; chanting poems at night, she must feel the moonlight's chill. From here to Penglai Mountain, the road is not far — may the blue bird diligently go and look for me.
Historical Background
This is Li Shangyin's most famous love poem, likely written in the 840s. Li Shangyin's "Untitled" poems are known for their ambiguity — they may reference a forbidden love affair, political frustration, or spiritual longing. The third couplet ("spring silkworm" and "candle tears") has become one of the most quoted lines in all Chinese poetry.
Literary Analysis
The poem's genius lies in its layered metaphors. The silkworm's thread (丝/sī) is a homophone for longing (思/sī), so "the silkworm spins until death" means "my longing ends only in death." The candle weeping wax tears mirrors the lover's endless grief. Every image reinforces the theme of devotion unto death. The final couplet introduces hope through the mythical blue bird messenger of the Queen Mother of the West, suggesting that even across impossible distances, love seeks connection.
Details
Form
Seven-character Regulated Verse (七言律诗)
Theme
Love & Longing
About Li Shangyin (李商隐)
Li Shangyin was a Late Tang poet celebrated for his densely allusive and emotionally complex verse. His 'Untitled' poems are among the most analyzed in Chinese literature, blending romantic passion with political allegory in richly layered imagery.
2 poems by Li Shangyin in our collection
Traditional Chinese
相見時難別亦難，東風無力百花殘。春蠶到死絲方盡，蠟炬成灰淚始乾。曉鏡但愁雲鬢改，夜吟應覺月光寒。蓬山此去無多路，青鳥殷勤為探看。