The Moon o’er the Mountain Pass
- Poetry of Shen Quanqi
The moon is born above the Eastern Sea
And dimly bright throws half her light on me.
At dusk she shines on districts near the border;
At midnight she’s besieged with walls of order.
Her halo sheds a cold light far and wide;
Her beam is blended with frost falling light.
The general hears the horn at break of day;
His war horse yearning for southward way.
This poem was composed during the Wu Zhou period, a time of frequent border conflicts. Shen Quanqi, serving in the court, repeatedly heard reports of incessant northern campaigns. The title "Moon Over the Mountain Pass" follows the old Yuefu tradition, often used by poets to express the sorrow of separation between soldiers and their families or to reflect on the realities of war. While inheriting this tradition, Shen Quanqi skillfully employs the "moon" as the unifying image—shining both on the frontier and the heartland, both cold and distant, yet implicitly evoking human sorrow. Without directly depicting grief, the poet uses the "moon's journey" as a thread, creating movement within stillness, allowing readers to feel a profound solitude and the desolate cold of war beneath its clear light.
汉月生辽海，朣胧出半晖。
合昏玄菟郡，中夜白登围。
晕落关山迥，光含霜霰微。
将军听晓角，战马欲南归。
- Why Chinese poems is so special?
- The most distinctive features of Chinese poetry are: concision- many poems are only four lines, and few are much longer than eight; ambiguity- number, tense and parts of speech are often undetermined, creating particularly rich interpretative possibilities; and structure- most poems follow quite strict formal patterns which have beauty in themselves as well as highlighting meaningful contrasts.
- How to read a Chinese poem?
- Like an English poem, but more so. Everything is there for a reason, so try to find that reason. Think about all the possible connotations, and be aware of the different possibilities of number and tense. Look for contrasts: within lines, between the lines of each couplet and between successive couplets. Above all, don't worry about what the poet meant- find your meaning.