Sitting Alone on an Autumn Night
- Poetry of Wang Wei

《秋夜独坐》

Sitting Alone on an Autumn Night by Wang Wei

English Translation

Sitting alone, I grieve over my hair white;

In empty room it approaches midnight.

With the rain I hear in the mountain fruit fall;

By lamplight the insects chirp in my hall.

I cannot blacken my white hair while old,

Nor can I turn a metal into gold.

If you want to get rid of ills of old age,

You can only learn from the Buddhist sage.

This poem was written during the later years of Wang Wei’s life, when he had become a devout follower of Buddhism. The poem reflects his deep contemplation on life, aging, illness, and Buddhist philosophy. After the An Shi Rebellion, Wang Wei began earnestly practicing Buddhism, and in times of physical and mental exhaustion, he turned his focus to Zen meditation and Buddhist thought. The poem, titled “Sitting Alone on an Autumn Night,” describes his experience of sitting in solitude, reflecting on life during an autumn rainy night.

中文原文( Chinese )

独坐悲双鬓，空堂欲二更。

雨中山果落，灯下草虫鸣。

白发终难变，黄金不可成。

欲知除老病，唯有学无生。

Pre： The Wenxingguan Hall

Next：Out of the Frontier

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.

Sitting Alone on an Autumn Night - Poetry of Wang Wei

Sitting Alone on an Autumn Night
- Poetry of Wang Wei