English Rendering
While my little boat moves on its mooring of mist,
And daylight wanes, old memories begin....
How wide the world was, how close the trees to heaven,
And how clear in the water the nearness of the moon!
A Night-mooring on the Jiande River
- Poetry of Meng Haoran
《宿建德江》
Original Text (中文原文)
Simplified Chinese Version
移舟泊烟渚，日暮客愁新。
野旷天低树，江清月近人。
Traditional Chinese Version
移舟泊煙渚， 日暮客愁新。
野曠天低樹， 江清月近人。
Analysis & Context
Five-character-quatrain
Composed during Meng Haoran's autumnal journey when mooring overnight at Jiande River, this poem captures the profound melancholy of a wandering scholar whose talents remain unrecognized. As dusk descends on the riverscape, the poet transforms fleeting moments into timeless lyrical art.
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.
- Farewell to Zhu Da Leaving for the Capital
- Dawn View Afloat
- From Qin Country to the Buddhist Priest Yuan
- Returning at Night to Lumen Mountain
- Mount Lu Viewed from Xunyang at Dusk
- Seeing off Du Shisi South of the River
- 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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