yè夜yǔ雨jì寄běi北

Li Shangyin lived and worked for a time in the Ba-Shu region (today's Sichuan and Chongqing). One autumn he got a letter from the north asking when he would come back. That night it was raining, and he wrote this poem as his reply. One view says it was sent to his wife, Lady Wang; some editions title it "Sent to My Wife on a Rainy Night". Others argue his wife had already died when he wrote it, so they think it went to a friend in Chang'an.

李商隐曾在巴蜀一带（今四川、重庆）做官和生活。有一年秋天，他收到北方寄来的信，信里问他什么时候回去。那天夜里正下着雨，他写了这首诗回答。一说这首诗是寄给妻子王氏的，有的版本题目就叫《夜雨寄内》，“内”指妻子；但也有人考证，他写这首诗时妻子已经去世，所以认为是寄给长安的朋友的。

Li Shangyin (about 813–858) was a late Tang poet, named together with Du Mu as the "Little Li and Du". All his life he worked as an aide to regional officials, often far from home. His poems are tender and beautiful, and some are hard to pin down. This one, though, is simple and clear, like talking to someone.

李商隐（约813—约858），晚唐诗人，和杜牧并称“小李杜”。他一生在各地做幕僚，就是给地方长官当助手，常常离家很远。他的诗感情细腻，语言很美，有些诗意思隐约，不容易读懂；这首却写得浅白，像在对人说话。

The first line is like a question and an answer. You ask when I am coming; I do not know yet. The words "no date yet" carry a sense of helplessness. The second line shows what is in front of him. Rain falls at night, and the pools are rising. The rain keeps falling, just as missing someone fills his heart. The last two lines are the best part. The poet imagines the future: when we meet again, we will trim the candle by the west window and talk about tonight's rain. Tonight is lonely, but later it will become something warm to talk about. "Night rain on the Ba Mountains" appears twice: once as today's sadness, once as tomorrow's joy.

第一句像一问一答：你问我哪天回，我说还不知道。一个“未有期”，带着无奈。第二句写眼前：夜里下着雨，池塘的水在上涨。雨下个不停，就像思念也涨满了心。后两句最妙，诗人想象将来：等我们再见面，在西窗下剪着烛花，聊起今天晚上巴山的雨。现在是孤单的雨夜，将来回头说起它，又变成温暖的话题。“巴山夜雨”在诗里出现了两次，一次是现在的愁，一次是将来的乐。