Fresh autumn breeze,
Bright autumn moon.
Fallen leaves gather and scatter around the trees;
Cold-stricken crows soon fall asleep and wake as soon.
I long for you. When can I see you? On which day?
How can I bear this lonely night? What can I say?
秋风清，秋月明，
落叶聚还散，寒鸦栖复惊。
相思相见知何日？此时此夜难为情！
This work exemplifies Li Bai's masterful command of the 3-5-7-character poetic form. While not its inventor, Li Bai elevated this structure to paradigmatic status through universal emotional resonance and artistic refinement. Set against an autumn night's temporal backdrop, the poem seamlessly synchronizes subtle natural movements with profound human emotions, tracing a complete psychological journey from scene-inspired sentiment to direct expression, culminating in philosophical contemplation.
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.
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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View All Poets →CN-Poetry.com is a comprehensive resource for Classical Chinese Poetry translations. Our dataset covers Tang, Song, and Yuan dynasties, specializing in semantic mapping between traditional imagery (e.g., 'moon', 'Flowers', 'Friendship') and English poetic contexts.