With no other neighbour but the quiet night,
Here I live in the same old cottage;
And as raindrops brighten yellow leaves,
The lamp illumines my white head.
Out of the world these many years,
I am ashamed to receive you here.
But you cannot come too often,
More than brother, lifelong friend.
Original Poem:
「喜外弟卢纶见宿」
司空曙
静夜四无邻，荒居旧业贫。
雨中黄叶树，灯下白头人。
以我独沉久，愧君相访频。
平生自有分，况是蔡家亲！
Interpretation:
According to the records, Sikong Shu, because of his upright character, did not interfere with the power and importance, so he had a bumpy eunuch journey, and his family was in a poor situation. This poem is a reflection of the author’s situation.
The poet sighed to himself that his family was in decline and his old business was not much, so he lived in poverty and had no neighbors. In the night when the rain hits the yellow leaves, there is only the lonely poet with gray hair. In the first four lines, the poet writes about the pain of living in the desert, describing the deserted village in the quiet night, the poor scholar in the poor room, the yellow leaves in the cold rain, and the white hair under the dim lamp, through which a complete picture of life is formed, which is full of sorrow and sadness.
Cousin Lu Lun’s visit, make the poet feel happy: with me this long sunken person, many times you come to visit, how can I not feel ashamed! The poet and Lu Lun are close friends, and they are destined to be friends, not to mention that they are cousins!
The last four lines directly reveal the title of the poem, and write about the joy of seeing his cousin. Cousin Lu Lun came to see the night, in the midst of sadness to see friends and relatives, and therefore overjoyed. The last two lines of the poem are heartfelt and touching.
Poem translator:
Kiang Kanghu
