A Lady to Her Lover — Summary

A woman speaks to her lover, noticing how winter’s snow reliably follows the falling autumn leaves. That turn toward cold and whiteness becomes her reason: she has commissioned a portrait of him carved in snow-white jade. The poem feels quiet and deliberate, almost like a whispered vow. There is tenderness in her wish to keep his image fixed, but the choice of snow-white jade also brings a cool, still, enduring quality. It suggests her love is not only warm or urgent — it has the permanence of stone and the clarity of winter. The mood is intimate and slightly solemn, as if she is responding to the passage of time by making something beautiful that will outlast the seasons. The connection between falling leaves, snow, and carved jade links the natural world to a private act of devotion.