In spring the river rises as high as the sea,
And with the river's tide uprises the moon bright.
She follows the rolling waves for ten thousand li;
Where'er the river flows, there overflows her light.
The river winds around the fragrant islet where
The blooming flowers in her light all look like snow.
You cannot tell her beams from hoar frost in the air,
Nor from white sand upon Farewell Beach below.
No dust has stained the water blending with the skies;
A lonely wheel-like moon shines brilliant far and wide.
Who by the riverside did first see the moon rise?
When did the moon first see a man by riverside?
Many generations have come and passed away;
From year to year the moons look alike, old and new.
We do not know tonight for whom she sheds her ray,
But hear the river say to its water adieu.Away,
away is sailing a single cloud white;
On Farewell Beach are pining away maples green.
Where is the wanderer sailing his boat tonight?
Who, pining away, on the moonlit rails would lean?
Alas! The moon is lingering over the tower;
It should have seen her dressing table all alone.
She may roll curtains up, but light is in her bower;
She may wash, but moonbeams still remain on the stone.
She sees the moon, but her husband is out of sight;
She would follow the moonbeams to shine on his face.
But message-bearing swans can't fly out of moonlight,
Nor letter-sending fish can leap out of their place.
He dreamed of flowers falling o'er the pool last night;
Alas! Spring has half gone, but he can't homeward go.
The water bearing spring will run away in flight;
The moon over the pool will sink low.
In the mist on the sea the slanting moon will hide;
It's a long way from northern hills to southern streams.
How many can go home by moonlight on the tide?
The setting moon sheds o'er riverside trees but dreams.
Original Poem:
「春江花月夜」
张若虚
春江潮水连海平，海上明月共潮生。
滟滟随波千万里，何处春江无月明！
江流宛转绕芳甸，月照花林皆似霰。
空里流霜不觉飞，汀上白沙看不见。
江天一色无纤尘，皎皎空中孤月轮。
江畔何人初见月？江月何年初照人？
人生代代无穷已，江月年年望相似。
不知江月待何人，但见长江送流水。
白云一片去悠悠，青枫浦上不胜愁。
谁家今夜扁舟子？何处相思明月楼？
可怜楼上月徘徊，应照离人妆镜台。
玉户帘中卷不去，捣衣砧上拂还来。
此时相望不相闻，愿逐月华流照君。
鸿雁长飞光不度，鱼龙潜跃水成文。
昨夜闲潭梦落花，可怜春半不还家。
江水流春去欲尽，江潭落月复西斜。
斜月沉沉藏海雾，碣石潇湘无限路。
不知乘月几人归，落月摇情满江树。
Interpretation:
This poem has captivated countless readers for more than a thousand years, and Zhang Ruoxu, who only had two poems handed down in his life, became famous for this one poem alone. The title of the poem is very mesmerizing. Spring, river, flower, moon and night, these five things are concentrated to reflect the world's most touching and beautiful scenery, constituting a marvelous artistic realm that is tempting to explore.
The poem is divided into five parts.
The first part mainly describes the natural scenery of the moonlit night of the Spring River: the spring tide of the river is so strong that it connects with the sea; a round of bright moon rises from the sea as if it surges out with the tide. The moonlight shines on the spring river with the water rippling millions of miles, where there is no bright moonlight on the river in spring. The river twists and turns around the grassy wilderness flow, the moonlight of the spring flowers crystal white. The moonlight is bright, so I don't feel any frost shrapnel flying, the white sand on the continent and the moon color blend together to see indistinct.
The author opens with a magnificent picture of the moonlit night of the spring river: the river tide is connected to the sea, and the moon is born with the tide. The river seems to be connected with the sea, and the atmosphere is magnificent. At this time, a round of bright moon with the tide of birth, the scene is spectacular. The river curved around the spring field of flowers and grasses, and the moonlight sprinkled on the flowers and trees, like a layer of white snow sherbet to the flowers and trees. The author's observation of the moonlight is meticulous, and the moonlight cleanses the world of colors and dyes the world in a dream-like silver light. Delicate strokes create a fabulous realm, so that the moonlit night of the Spring River seems particularly beautiful and quiet.
The second part of the moonlit night of the spring river to write the beauty of the scenery and people: the river and the sky became a color without a tiny bit of dust, bright sky only a round of lonely moon hanging high. Who was the first to see the moon on the river? And from which year did the moon on the river begin to shine on earth? Life is endless from generation to generation, but the moon on the river is similar every year. I don't know who the moon on the river is waiting for, but I can only see the Yangtze River continuously sending away the flowing water.
The clear and crisp universe of heaven and earth seems to make one enter a pure world. This naturally aroused the author's reverie meditation: what person on the river is the first to see the moonlight, and what person is the first to be illuminated by the moonlight? The author explores the philosophy of life and the mysteries of the universe, exploring his new ideas: personal life is short and fleeting, while the survival of mankind is long and endless generations. Therefore, the “endless generations” of life and the “yearly similarity” of the moon can coexist. This is a kind of comfort that the author feels from the beauty of nature.
The third part of the book is about the love between the maiden and the wanderer in the moonlit night: the white clouds in the sky are like the white sail of the wanderer which is going away, leaving endless sorrows of lovesickness for the maiden by the maple pond. Which wanderer is drifting on the river and lake in a boat tonight? Where are the people who are thinking of each other upstairs under the bright moonlight?
The fourth part is about the woman's longing for the departed: the poor moonlight that lingers upstairs should shine on the dressing table of the thinking woman. The moonlight shines on the curtains of the woman's door, but it can't be rolled away, and it shines on her anvil of pounding clothes, but it can't be brushed away. At this time, we look at each other's moon but cannot communicate with each other, I hope to follow the moonlight to shine on you. The geese kept flying and couldn't fly out of the boundless moonlight, and the moon shone on the surface of the river, and the fish and dragons jumped in the water and stirred up ripples.
The author does not directly depict the sorrow and tears of the woman, but indirectly accentuates her feelings of longing: first, the floating clouds are swimming, so the light is uncertain; second, the moonlight with the feeling of pity for the thinking woman, wandering around upstairs and can not bear to leave. It wants to be the companion of the thinking woman, to give her comfort, to relieve her sadness, so the soft light lightly sprinkled in the makeup mirror on the table, jade curtains, pounding on the anvil. But the woman was so touched by the scene that she missed it more than anything else. She wants to drive away the annoying moonlight, but the moonlight can't be driven away, the curtains of the jade house can't be rolled away, and the anvil on the pounding stone is still coming back after wiping it off.
The last part of the story is about the wanderer's longing to return home: last night I dreamed of flowers falling into a pool, but unfortunately, half of the spring has already passed and I can't go home yet. Spring is fading with the flowing river, and the setting moon on the river pool is once again tilting to the west. The slanting moon slowly sinks and hides in the sea mist, Jieshi and Xiaoxiang's departed people are infinitely far away. I don't know how many people can take advantage of the moonlight to go home, only the westward falling moon swaying with feelings of separation sprinkled all over the riverside woods.
The author uses the falling flowers, flowing water, the moon to emphasize the flat boat people trekking to other countries, even dreaming of home: the flowers fall in the pool, the spring is already half, the boat people are still far away from home, only the end of the world, how can the feelings be embarrassed! River flowing spring, flowing away is not only the natural spring, but also the youth of the traveler, happiness and longing. River pool falling moon, more set off his miserable, lonely and hard feelings. The sunken sea fog hides the falling moon; Jieshi and Xiaoxiang, the sky is different, and the road is so far away.
This poem greatly surpasses its predecessors in thought and art. It injects new meanings into these common traditional themes, integrating poetic, pictorial, and philosophical feelings into one, and by virtue of its depiction of spring, river, flowers, moon, and night, it praises the marvelous sceneries of nature, eulogizes the pure love in the world, and expands the sympathy for the maiden and the wanderer to combine with the pursuit of the philosophy of life and exploration of the mysteries of the universe, thus converging into a kind of love, love, and love, which is the most important thing in the world. The sympathy for the maiden and the wandering son is expanded and combined with the pursuit of philosophy of life and the exploration of the mysteries of the universe, thus creating a beautiful and faraway mood in which love, scenery and reasoning are blended together.
Poem translator:
Xu Yuanchong (许渊沖)
About the poet:
Zhang Ruoxu (张若虚), circa 660 - 720 AD, was a poet of the Tang Dynasty. Along with He Zhizhang, Zhang Xu, and Bao Rong, Zhang Ruoxu was known as the “Four Scholars of Wuzhong,” and only two of his poems remain.
