Dearest Qiu'er:
It's been three years since we parted. How have you been lately? It's been a year since your last letter how has life treated you since? I know you are still upset with me and refuse to write back, but do you think my heart is any lighter? Do you think I do not long to return home and be by your side? Yet my affairs here remain unfinished, and even if I were to return, your father would never allow us to be together. Thus, I have no choice but to endure this painful separation...
How are the flowers in Cizhou this season? In your last letter, you mentioned your newfound love for Bai Juyi's poetry, particularly his line, "The cuckoo cries blood, and the ape wails in sorrow." You said it made you appreciate the Sea of Azaleas in Azalea Valley even more, their crimson hues now holding a deeper meaning for you. Yet, I still prefer the memory of you strolling by the lake, wandering through the endless canola flower fields, your clothes brushed with flecks of golden yellow. Alas, those days are now nothing more than distant echoes.
I've never forgotten our Heart's Vow. Once matters here are settled, I'll return home as soon as possible. You've been frail since childhood, and the mountain air in Cizhou is bitterly cold take care not to let it chill you. I don't know if you're still angry with me, nor when this letter will reach you. Perhaps by the time you read it, I'll already be back in Cizhou, and then I'll recount these three years to you in detail.