Text

君问归期未有期
jūn wèn guī qī wèi yǒu qī
巴山夜雨涨秋池
bā shān yè yǔ zhǎng qiū chí
何当共剪西窗烛
hé dāng gòng jiǎn xī chuāng zhú
却话巴山夜雨时
què huà bā shān yè yǔ shí

Notes

  • 寄 jì: (邮寄) send (e.g., a letter, something by post)
  • 寄北: sending to the north (e.g., this poem is addressed to someone in the north)
  • 君: honorific you (in this case, likely alluding to the author’s love)
  • 归期: the period of return (i.e., the date of return)
  • 巴山 ba1shan1: a mountain name (a.k.a, 大巴山)
  • 涨 (漲) zhǎnɡ: rise
  • 秋池: autumn pond
  • 何当 he2dang1: when will we be able to?
  • 剪烛 jian3zhu2: cutting away (burnt) candle (wicks) – an allusion to late night talking
  • 秉烛 bǐnɡzhú: literary sit by a lighted candle
  • 却: literary (使退却) drive back