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.
Original Poem:
「秋夜寄邱员外」
韦应物
怀君属秋夜， 散步咏凉天。
空山松子落， 幽人应未眠。
Interpretation:
This poem is a gift of nostalgia for a friend triggered by the poet on an autumn night. The poem expresses the poet's concern for the life of his friend Qiu Dan, who lives in the mountains, and imagines that Qiu Dan will miss the poet himself at this time, thus expressing his sincere friendship.
The first two lines: I miss you in my heart on this autumn night, and I sigh at the cool weather while taking a walk.
Write the poet's autumn night walks to give birth to the feeling of wistfulness. Autumn night, the climate has been nearly cool, the moonlight is exceptionally bright, the sky is exceptionally high. This distant sky will cause the poet's thoughts to soar, leading to infinite reverie, which is also the best time to remember friends.
The last two lines: the sound of pinecones falling to the ground in the silent mountains, I think you should not have gone to sleep yet.
It is expected that Qiu Dan, who is still awake in the distant mountains, must be missing the poet himself. In the autumn night, the mountain must be silent, only the sound of pine cones falling to the ground breaks the silence. Qiu Dan, who lives a hermit life in the mountain, must like this quiet autumn night, and wanders around under the pines alone. Through the poet's imagination, it shows the sincere friendship between friends.
In this poem, the poet uses a combination of realism and fiction to present different spaces at the same time, juxtaposing the scene in front of him with the scene in his mind, and connecting the person who remembers him with the person he remembers in a different place, thus expressing the deep feelings of love between two places.
Poem translator:
Kiang Kanghu
About the poet:
Wei Yingwu (韦应物) was a native of Xi'an from about 737 to 786 AD. As a young man, he was chivalrous and unrestrained. His poems were concerned with the hardships of the people, expressed his indignation against the world, and described the scenes in the countryside, etc. His language was simple and light, and his style was beautiful and clear, and he was most famous for describing the scenes in the countryside.
