Chasing Coolness on a Summer Night
- Poetry of Yang Wanli
Night's heat persists like noon's fierce blaze,
I stand by the door in moonlit haze.
Where bamboo thick and trees entwine with insect song,
A subtle coolness steals—though no wind blows along.
Composed around the fourth year of the Qiandao era under Emperor Xiaozong of Song (1169 AD). At that time, Yang Wanli, having passed the age of forty, had resigned from official duties and was living in leisure. He often took nighttime strolls, admired the moon, and sought coolness in his hometown. This heptasyllabic quatrain was an impromptu composition born from his nocturnal pursuit of relief from the heat. Rather than emphasizing the daytime's scorching temperatures, the poet focuses on the subtle experience of coolness at night. Through concise and refreshing description, he interweaves the moonlight, bamboo groves, insect choruses, and the essence of stillness into a uniquely evocative tableau, reflecting his deep affection for nature and refined sensitivity.
夜热依然午热同，开门小立月明中。
竹深树密虫鸣处，时有微凉不是风。
- 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.