Since our separation, I have wondered where you are. In my sorrow everything
appears lonesome and desolate. The further you travel, the more distant you
become, and the fewer letters I receive from you. The river is wide. The fish
sink 1. Where can I ask after you? In the dead of night, as the wind
blows through the bamboo trees, it beats an autumn tune. The rustling of a
thousand leaves echoes my frustration. Therefore, I lean against the lonely
pillow to search for you in my dreams. However, I cannot fall asleep. Once again
my candle has melted away.
1
The poem "War Horses Drank at the Well by the Great Wall" says,
"A guest came from far away
And left me two carp.
When I asked my boy to cook them,
He discovered that there was a letter in them."
Here "the fish sink" means "the fish will not deliver letters".