Yang Wei-chen (1296–1370)
Eyebrow mounds dark, facing the spluttering lamp,
Her billowy half chignon spills over pillow’s edge.
Arms and legs joined with another’s, fetchingly about to sob,
She grasps the fine silk, nearly kneading it to pieces.
Translated by John Timothy Wixted
The poet became a Presented Scholar in 1327, after which he held several minor positions under the Yüan dynasty. As the foremost figure in classical poetry of his time, Yang Wei-chen represents a break from the stiffness and rationality of much Northern Sung poetry. This poem is about the pleasures of the night.