Autumn Night: Wind and Rain at the Window

Autumn flowers pale and autumn grasses sag; The guttering autumn lamp makes autumn nights so long. Already the autumn window feels autumn without end— How bear the wind and rain that deepen desolation! How swiftly autumn's wind and rain arrive! They startle green dreams through the autumn window. Hugging autumn sorrows, she cannot bear to sleep; She moves her tear-stained candle toward the autumn screen. The weeping candle flickers on its short stand, Drawing out grief, reflecting hate, stirring thoughts of parting. Whose autumn courtyard knows no entering wind? Where is the autumn window free from the sound of rain? The silk quilt cannot withstand autumn wind's force; The dwindling water-clock urges on the autumn rain. Night after night, a silent, drifting presence— Before the lamp, as if keeping a lonely traveler company in tears. Cold mist makes the little courtyard ever more forlorn; Sparse bamboo and an empty window drip and drip. Who knows when the wind and rain will cease? Already tears have soaked the window gauze.