Written to Examiners in Joke
- Poetry of Su Shi

《催试官考较戏作》

English Rendering

On the mid-autumn night Everywhere the moon is bright, 

Over the thatched roof, over the city hall, 

Over my mansion which looks like a fairy-land, 

O' er the Sword Pool where lotus blooms grow old in the fall, 

O' er the Phoenix Beak where wild oranges fragrant stand.

On the eighteenth of the eighth moon, 

Incomparable high tide at noon: 

Like water spouted three thousand miles high by whales Or the march of ten myriads of armored men.

Red flags and blue canopies furl and unfurl like sails; 

Black sand and white waves swallow each other now and then.

"Tis hard for men to get together as of old, 

Candidates would regret not to see such a scene.

I hope you will burn more candles as you are told, 

For outdoors candidates craning their necks can be seen.

Written to Examiners in Joke by Su Shi
Written to Examiners in Joke by Su Shi

Original Text (中文原文)

八月十五夜,

月色随处好。

不择茅檐与市楼,

况我官居似蓬岛。

凤味堂前野橘香,

剑潭桥畔秋荷老。

八月十八潮,

壮观天下无。

鲲鹏水击三千里,

组练长驱十万夫。

红旗青盖互明灭,

黑沙白浪相吞屠。

人生会合古难必,

此景此行那两得!

愿君闻此添蜡烛,

门外白袍如立鹊。

Analysis & Context

1072

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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