1 窗外音絕夜籣徑 Outside the window is a path where sounds of the night had ceased,
2 回眸枕上鴛鴦影 A shadow of embroidered pillow Mandarin Ducks from one back glance.
3 萬燦難擋孤燈前 Myriad dots of brilliance withstand not the lonely light at the front,
4 船破水中銀河星 A boat crushing the stars of the Silver River.
1 Sets up the scene for the next line - looking outside to see if there are signs of someone coming. However, it is night and all is quiet.
2 回眸 – “returning eyes” – to turn the head back for a look. Mandarin ducks symbolizes marital bliss and hence a favorite embroidered theme on pillowcases. This line explains the reason the wife is looking out of the window – to see if there are signs of the husband returning. However, she is worried about their love because of the word “shadow” on the pillowcases when she glances back into the bedroom.
3 This is the pivot point where the scenery changes to a different perspective. We do not know what the myriad dots and a lonely light in the front mean.
4 By inference, the myriad dots are the stars and the single light is on a ship’s prow. The ship is still moving in the night because reflections on the water is being crushed. It can be safe to assume that the stars mean temptations encountered on a journey but his love for his lonely wife back home is immovable. His resolve indicated by the moving boat crushes all the temptations encountered. The Milky Way is known as the Silver River in Chinese.
Wednesday, August 9, 2023
2 回眸枕上鴛鴦影 A shadow of embroidered pillow Mandarin Ducks from one back glance.
3 萬燦難擋孤燈前 Myriad dots of brilliance withstand not the lonely light at the front,
4 船破水中銀河星 A boat crushing the stars of the Silver River.
1 Sets up the scene for the next line - looking outside to see if there are signs of someone coming. However, it is night and all is quiet.
2 回眸 – “returning eyes” – to turn the head back for a look. Mandarin ducks symbolizes marital bliss and hence a favorite embroidered theme on pillowcases. This line explains the reason the wife is looking out of the window – to see if there are signs of the husband returning. However, she is worried about their love because of the word “shadow” on the pillowcases when she glances back into the bedroom.
3 This is the pivot point where the scenery changes to a different perspective. We do not know what the myriad dots and a lonely light in the front mean.
4 By inference, the myriad dots are the stars and the single light is on a ship’s prow. The ship is still moving in the night because reflections on the water is being crushed. It can be safe to assume that the stars mean temptations encountered on a journey but his love for his lonely wife back home is immovable. His resolve indicated by the moving boat crushes all the temptations encountered. The Milky Way is known as the Silver River in Chinese.
Wednesday, August 9, 2023
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