Tonight, stirred by wine and verse, I linger at Xie Gong's tower,
Where moonlight floods the silent halls, in its fullest, clearest hour.
The shadows close the heavy gate; one tree bears autumn's chill.
A magpie startles, scattering leaves; fireflies drift past the hill.
Now at the edge of distant skies—this moonlight pure and deep,
How many hearts, beneath its glow, are lost in silent grief?
夜来诗酒兴，月满谢公楼。
影闭重门静，寒生独树秋。
鹊惊随叶散，萤远入烟流。
今夕遥天末，清光几处愁。
This poem was composed during the Mid-Tang period, when the poet Qian Qi and his friend Pei Di gathered on an early autumn night at Xie's Pavilion by the southern gate, sharing wine and composing poetry under the moonlight. As the moon rose in the silent night, its cool radiance stirred deep emotions, immersing the poet in the tranquility and vastness of the autumn evening, ultimately evoking homesickness. The poem masterfully blends scene and sentiment, its restrained depth creating a serene and lingering artistic conception.
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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