Song Dynasty
长相思·吴山青
吴山青，越山青，两岸青山相送迎，谁知离别情？
君泪盈，妾泪盈，罗带同心结未成，江边潮已平。
Translation
The hills of Wu are green; the hills of Yue are green. On both banks the green mountains seem to send and welcome us, yet who can know the sorrow of parting? Your eyes are filled with tears; mine are filled with tears too. The love knot of silk has not yet been tied, and already the tide by the river has fallen still—the boat must depart.
Analysis
This short ci poem is powerful because of its simplicity. The repeated lines “The hills of Wu are green; the hills of Yue are green” create a broad landscape across the river, but the landscape cannot console the lovers. The mountains may appear to accompany them, yet they remain indifferent witnesses to parting. The question “Who can know the sorrow of separation?” marks the emotional center of the first stanza. The second stanza turns from landscape to human feeling. “Your tears brim; my tears brim” gives the poem a mirrored structure, showing that the pain is shared. The unfinished “love knot” suggests a promise or union that has not been fulfilled. When the tide has already stilled, departure becomes unavoidable. The poem’s strength lies in restraint: it uses plain words and repeated rhythms to express a grief that cannot be delayed or resolved.
About the Author
Lin Bu, courtesy name Junfu, was a Northern Song poet from Qiantang, Hangzhou. He chose a life of reclusion on Solitary Hill by West Lake and became famous for the image of “plum blossoms as wife and cranes as children.” His poetry is admired for purity, restraint, and elegant solitude, especially his celebrated plum-blossom lines. Although he is usually associated with reclusion and refined natural imagery, “Wu Hills Green” shows his ability to write human parting with great simplicity and emotional depth.