Written 806 CE by
白居易 (Bái Jūyì) when he was 35. 120 lines of seven-character verse in
歌行体, narrating Emperor
唐玄宗's obsession with consort
杨贵妃, her execution at
马嵬坡 during the An Lushan rebellion, and his ghost-haunted grief. The closing line -
此恨绵绵无绝期 'this sorrow stretches on without end' - gives the poem its title.