The mountain-light suddenly fails in the west,
In the east from the lake the slow moon rises.
I loosen my hair to enjoy the evening coolness
And open my window and lie down in peace.
The wind brings me odours of lotuses,
And bamboo-leaves drip with a music of dew…
I would take up my lute and I would play,
But, alas, who here would understand?
And so I think of you, old friend,
O troubler of my midnight dreams!
Original Poem:
「夏日南亭怀辛大」
孟浩然
山光忽西落， 池月渐东上。
散发乘夜凉， 开轩卧闲敞。
荷风送香气， 竹露滴清响。
欲取鸣琴弹， 恨无知音赏。
感此怀故人， 中宵劳梦想。
Interpretation:
This poem writes a kind of leisurely and self-satisfied mood, writes all kinds of feeling delicate, seems to be lightly, often can attract people gradually into a good mood, the poem is full of interest.
The first two lines: the sun and shadow of the mountain suddenly fall in the west, the moon on the pond slowly rises from the east. The poet begins by writing about the refreshing idleness of the water pavilion on a summer night.
In the third and fourth lines, the poet is wearing his hair in the coolness of the night, and opening the window to lie down in a quiet and spacious place. After bathing, the poet lies against the window, not only writing a kind of leisure, but also writing a kind of comfort, a kind of pleasure from both body and mind.
The last six lines: A gust of evening breeze brings the fragrance of lotus flowers, and the dew dripping from the bamboo leaves makes a crisp sound. I want to play with my qin, but unfortunately I don’t have a soulmate to appreciate it. Sentimental about the good night, he misses his old friend, and he misses it bitterly even in his dreams all night long. The poet continues to write about this pleasure from both the sense of smell and the sense of hearing.
Poet by the secluded realm and think of playing the piano, by playing the piano think of “soulmate”, and give birth to “hate no soulmate to appreciate” the lack of regret, which naturally from the water pavilion cool transition to nostalgia for friends up. Poet how hope friends around, spend the night together, friends period not come, naturally born melancholy. The mood of “nostalgia for the old man” is carried to the end of the night, when the poet enters the dreamland and actually meets his friend in the dream. The poem ends with a dream, and there is great room for imagination.
Poem translator:
Kiang Kanghu
About the poet:
Meng Haoran (孟浩然), 689-740 AD, a native of Xiangyang, Hubei, was a famous poet of the Sheng Tang Dynasty. With the exception of one trip to the north when he was in his forties, when he was seeking fame in Chang’an and Luoyang, he spent most of his life in seclusion in his hometown of Lumenshan or roaming around.
