Yuan Dynasty
寿阳曲·潇湘夜雨
马致远
渔灯暗，
客梦回，
一声声滴人心碎。
孤舟五更家万里，
是离人几行清泪。
Translation
The fisherman’s lamp grows dim; the traveler wakes from a dream. Drop after drop, the night rain breaks the heart. In a lonely boat at the fifth watch, home lies ten thousand miles away. These rains over Xiao and Xiang seem to be the clear tears of one who is parted.
Analysis
“Night Rain over Xiao and Xiang” compresses the pain of travel into a single night scene. The dim fisherman’s lamp establishes a lonely visual field; the traveler’s dream collapses as the rain begins to sound. The repeated drops are not merely atmospheric; they become the sound of a heart breaking. “A lonely boat at the fifth watch, home ten thousand miles away” is the emotional center of the song: time, space, and longing converge in one line. The final image turns the rain into the tears of the separated traveler. Compared with Ma’s “Autumn Thoughts,” this piece is quieter and more inward, full of damp night air and sleepless sorrow.
About the Author
Ma Zhiyuan was a leading Yuan-dynasty dramatist and sanqu poet. His songs are especially admired for their concise imagery, travel melancholy, and meditations on fame, aging, and withdrawal.