A Night at a Tavern
- Poetry of Du Mu

《旅宿》

English Rendering

Solitary at the tavern,

I am shut in with loneliness and grief.

Under the cold lamp, I brood on the past;

I am kept awake by a lost wildgoose.

...Roused at dawn from a misty dream,

I read, a year late, news from home --

And I remember the moon like smoke on the river

And a fisher-boat moored there, under my door.

A Night at a Tavern by Du Mu
A Night at a Tavern by Du Mu

Original Text (中文原文)

旅馆无良伴,凝情自悄然。

寒灯思旧事,断雁警愁眠。

远梦归侵晓,家书到隔年。

沧江好烟月,门系钓鱼船。

Analysis & Context

Five-character-regular-verse

This poem was written by Du Mu during his travels, though the exact date is unknown. Staying at an inn in a foreign land, the poet found himself in a state of loneliness and was moved by the scenery to reflect on his longing for home and family. While the poem does not explicitly mention the hardships of travel, its lines are filled with the melancholy of a wanderer and a deep sense of homesickness.

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.

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