This one by Li Yu (李煜), last emperor of the Southern Tang dynasty, expresses his sadness at being apart from his lover and unable to join her.
My Translation
I climb the western wing
Silent and alone;
The sickle moon,
A single tree,
A courtyard deep,
An autumn—peaceful, shackled.
The cut continues,
My thoughts chaotic,
This parting pain—
The flavor of my heart.
Original Chinese
无言独上西楼，
月如钩，
寂寞梧桐，
深院锁清秋。
剪不断，
理还乱，
是离愁，
别是一般滋味在心头。
Pronunciation
Wú yán dú shàng xi lóu,
Yuè rú gōu,
Jìmò wútóng,
Shēn yuàn suǒ qīngqiū.
Jiǎn bùduàn,
Lǐ hái luàn,
Shì líchóu,
Bié shì yībān zīwèi zài xīntóu.
Literal Translation
Not speak alone up western multi-story-building,
Moon like hook(1),
Lonely(2) Pawlonia tree,
Deep(3) courtyard lock(4) clear(5) autumn.
Cut(6) not interrupt,
Reason(7) still(8) chaotic(9),
Is parting sorrow(10)
Leaving(11) is common feeling(12) in heart
Alternative readings:
(1) Sickle
(2) Still, desolate, quiet, solitary
(3) Close, late, profound
(4) Padlock, shackles, chains
(5) Pure, clean, peaceful
(6) Scissors, divide, separate, to wipe out or exterminate
(7) Texture, grain of wood, inner essence, intrinsic order, logic, truth, to manage, to pay attention to, to put in order
(8) Yet, even more, in addition, even, also
(9) in confusion or disorder, upheaval, illicit sexual relations, random, arbitrary
(10) Literally the two characters mean “strange, elegant, rare” and “anxiety.” Together they mean “parting sorrow” or “pain of separation”
(11) Departing, being apart
(12) Flavor, taste