English Rendering
As I walk in the cool of the autumn night,
Thinking of you, singing my poem,
I hear a mountain pine-cone fall...
You also seem to be awake.
An Autumn Night Message to Qiu
- Poetry of Wei Yingwu
《秋夜寄邱员外》Original Text (中文原文)
怀君属秋夜，散步咏凉天。
空山松子落，幽人应未眠。
Analysis & Context
Composed during Wei Yingwu's official service on an autumn evening, this poem reflects his constant longing for recluse-friend Qiu Dan amidst bureaucratic life. The work emerges from a solitary nighttime stroll where autumn's chill and stillness inspired tender remembrance. Without ornate diction, it connects their friendship across distance through shared nocturnal imagery. Deeply moved upon receiving it, Qiu responded with a matching verse—testament to their profound bond.
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 in the Evening Rain to Li Cao
- Greeting on the Huai River to My Old Friends from Liangchuan by
- An Autumn Night Message to Qiu
- For Kinsfolk and Friends at Guangling
- For My Brothers in the Capital on Cold Food Day
- On Hearing Homing Wild Geese
- 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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