English Rendering
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.
Chasing Coolness on a Summer Night
- Poetry of Yang Wanli
《夏夜追凉》#Moon #Hometown
Original Text (中文原文)
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。
Analysis & Context
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.
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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