English Rendering
Under the crescent moon a light autumn dew
Has chilled the robe she will not change --
And she touches a silver lute all night,
Afraid to go back to her empty room.
A Song of an Autumn Night
- Poetry of Wang Wei
《秋夜曲》Original Text (中文原文)
桂魄初生秋露微，轻罗已薄未更衣。
银筝夜久殷勤弄，心怯空房不忍归。
Meaning & Analysis
Folk-song-styled-verse
This landscape poem depicts the tranquility of an autumn night and the poet's inner solitude. Wang Wei masterfully blends natural imagery with personal emotion, conveying profound philosophical reflection through concise and vivid language. The verses capture the quiet beauty of the season while revealing the poet's lonely introspection, demonstrating his deep connection to nature and contemplative mind.
Related Themes
Reader's Companion
The Essence of the Verse
Classical Chinese poetry thrives on Concision and Ambiguity. Without tense or number, the words create a timeless space where the reader becomes the co-creator of the poem's meaning.
Reading Between the Lines
Look for Contrasts: light and shadow, movement and stillness. Don't just translate the words; feel the Yijing (artistic conception) that lingers long after the last character.
- Deer Enclosure
- An Early Audience at the Palace of Light, Harmonizing Secretary Jia Zhi's Poem
- Watching the Hunt
- The Lake Qi
- The Pepper Garden
- Mengcheng Mound
- The Summit Temple
- <Prelude to Water Melody> Sent to Ziyou on Mid-autumn Festival
- Invitation to Wine
- Question and Answer in the Mountains
- Cold sheet
- Coming Home ( Returning Home )
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