After the shower at Bashang,
I see an evening line of wildgeese,
The limp-hanging leaves of a foreign tree,
A lantern's cold gleam, lonely in the night,
An empty garden, white with dew,
The ruined wall of a neighbouring monastery.
...I have taken my ease here long enough.
What am I waiting for, I wonder.
Original Poem:
「灞上秋居」
马戴
灞原风雨定， 晚见雁行频。
落叶他乡树， 寒灯独夜人。
空园白露滴， 孤壁野僧邻。
寄卧郊扉久， 何年致此身？
Interpretation:
This poem expresses the feeling of loneliness behind closed doors. The poet paints a picture of vivid imagery and exquisite art for the readers: the autumn air over the Ba Yuan is gloomy, the disturbing autumn wind and rain stops only in the evening, and the geese fly southward in the dreary sky. Continue to unfold the scroll, but see the wind and rain in the yellow leaves falling, boarding the ancient temple of the guest alone to the cold lamp, sad. The poet is traveling to another country and has no time to return home, gazing at the falling leaves and feeling cut off from his heart. A “cold” word, a “alone” word, highlighting the main character’s desolate and lonely image, can be described as the finishing touch. The night is dark, the wind gusts outside the window, the indoor lamp is like a bean, the light is faint, alone in the ancient temple, how can I face my sorrows.
At the end of the night, all the music is silent, even the autumn insects have stopped singing. Dew drops on the withered leaves, tick, tick, the sound is weak, but very clear. Instead of breaking the silence of the night, the sound of dew drops made people feel terribly quiet. Obviously alone, but said that there is a neighbor – an absolute world, long lived in the ancient temple monk. With such a wild monk as a neighbor, the loneliness of the situation is more prominent. These two lines in the writing of the scene at the same time to further portray the poet’s state of mind, the autumn night is heavy, dripping dew outside the house, the sound of dead leaves. The poet’s thoughts rise and fall, sleepless nights, wild monks as neighbors, have been abandoned outside the world of sadness.
The last couplet expresses his feelings, pushing the whole poem to its peak. Poet to seek employment in Chang’an, living in an ancient temple for a long time, the money will be exhausted, and no hope of promotion, the indignation of the unrecognized talent and the slimness of the search for a job is overflowing.
The whole poem is written in front of the eyes of the scene, not as decorative, easy to use; lyric focus on the inner feelings, not moaning, can be called a true reflection of the lamentation of the late Tang Dynasty.
About the Poet:
Ma Dai(马戴), a native of Jiangsu Province, was admitted to the academy in 844 A.D. When he was serving as a secretary in the Taiyuan Shogunate, he was convicted for his outspokenness and was relegated to the post of Longyang Lieutenant. He was pardoned and returned to the capital, where he became a doctor of the Imperial College. He was a poet friend of Jia Dao and Yao He, and specialized in five rhymes.
Poem translator:
Kiang Kanghu
