It burns down into ashes

I don't understand the symbolism with the candle and the tears. Perhaps it isn't supposed to mean anything very specific?

"burns to ashes" might be neater than "burns down into ashes", but the problem is that candles don't do that. They do not leave any "ashes", just a small pool of wax.

Thanks, Mr Wordy, for the reply.

The symbolism can be interpreted in many ways; one of them is that a lover won't stop shedding tears for the person they love until there are no tears left.

Will it make more sense by saying the following?

Not until it burns down/up, will a candle stop shedding tears.

AngliholicNot until it burns down/up, will a candle stop shedding tears.

These both make sense, but I wonder if "burns away" would be better.

Thanks, Mr Wordy, for the advice.

"Burns away" does sound better to my ears, but what are the differences between it and "burns up?"

Angliholic"Burns away" does sound better to my ears, but what are the differences between it and "burns up?"

There is very little tangible difference in meaning. I guess "up" feels more matter-of-fact, and "away" feels more poetic, but here we're getting into nuances that are very hard to explain.

AngliholicNot until it burns down/up, will a candle stop shedding tears.

Are up and down interchangeable? If not, when does something burn up and when does it burn down? Can you explain the difference, please?

KerowinAre up and down interchangeable? If not, when does something burn up and when does it burn down? Can you explain the difference, please?

In "burns up", the word "up" signifies that the burning is complete and thorough: everything is burnt, nothing remains.

In "burns down", as it applies to a candle, the word "down" refers to the fact that the f

Mr WordyIn "burns up", the word "up" signifies that the burning is complete and thorough: everything is burnt, nothing remains.
In "burns down", as it applies to a candle, the word "down" refers to the fact that the flame moves downwards as the candle becomes physically shorter.

Thank you so much for the reply, it was very clear and useful.

Not knowing Chinese, nor the original poem, it's hard to say what a good translation might be. Nevertheless, I find the following may be appropriately tersely poetic.

Shedding tears, the candle consumes itself.

CJ