月夜 yuè yè 48
translations
今夜鄜州月 jīn yè fū zhōu yuè, ngiuæt L d L L e
閨中只獨看 guī zhōng zhǐ dú
kàn. kɑn L L r e L
遙憐小兒女 yáo lián xiǎo ér nǚ, niǔ L L r L r
未解憶長安 wèi jiě yì cháng ān. qɑn d r e L L
香霧雲鬟濕 xiāng wù yún huán
shī, ship L d L L e
清輝玉臂寒 qīng huī yù bì hán. hɑn L L e d L
何時倚虛幌 hé shí yǐ xū huǎng, xuɑ̌ng L L r L r
雙照淚痕干 shuāng zhào lèi hén
gān . gɑn L d d L L
Rhyme ABCBDBEB
Brownrigg,
Ray (www.mcs.vuw.ac.nz/~ray/ChineseEssays)
(literal)
Moon Night
This
night Fu zhou moon
Chamber
in only alone watch
Distant
pity/love little son daughter
Not
understand remember Chang an
Fragrant
mist cloudy hair-bun damp
Bright
splendour jade arm cold/needy
What time
lean/rely empty curtain
Two shine
tear mark dry
Chang, Edward C. (www.poetry-chinese.com) (literal)
On a Moonlit Night
tonight Fu Zhou's moon
in the boudoir you alone watching
afar, pitying for my little children
don’t understand why thinking of Changan
fragrant fog moistens the hairdo
clear moonlight chills the fair arms
when to lean on see-through curtain
shining on our dried traces of tears
Ditmanson, Peter (www.colby.edu/personal/p/pbditman/151/DuFu.doc) (literal)
Moonlit Night
now night Fu county moon
room midst only lone see
distant pity little son daughter
notyet know recall Changan (Tang Capital)
fragrant mist cloud hair damp
clear light jade arms cold
what time leanon empty curtain
double shine tear marks dry
Hawkes, David A Little Primer of Tu Fu (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1967) (literal)
Moonlit Night
To-night
My-wife can-only alone watch
Distant sorry-for little sons-daughters
Not-yet understand remember Chang’an
Fragrant mists cloud-hair wet
Clear light jade-arms cold
What-time lean empty curtain
Double-shine tear-marks dry
“nooriginalthought” (home.earthlink.net/~nooriginalthought/Chinese_Poetry.html) (literal)
Moon Night
this night
Fu county moon
door middle
only alone look/see
invite/request
pity small child female
not-yet
untie/solve/know thoughts Chang An
fragrant
mist cloud hair-on-temples moist
pure lustre
jade shoulders chill
what time
rely/lean-on modest curtain
pair shine
tears mark dry
Yip, Wai-lim, ed. Chinese Poetry: Major Modes and Genres (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1976
Moonlit Night
anonymous (www.chinese-poems.com) (literal)
Moonlit Night
This night Fuzhou moon
Woman’s chamber in only alone watch
Far pity little boy girl
Not understand remember Chang'an
Fragrant mist cloud dressed hair wet
Clear brightness jade arm cold
What time lean on empty curtain
Pair shine tears trace dry
unknown (titohost.itbdns.com/chinese-poet/chinese%20poem-1/1-8l5w.htm) (literal)
A moonlit
night
tonight
room
inside alone see
far-away
feel-sorry young daughter
not-yet
understand think Changan
fragrant
fog rich hair wet.
clean
light beautiful elbow cold
where
stand roof-window
together
lit & tear trace dry?
Alley, Rewi Tu Fu: Selected Poems (Peking: Foreign Languages Press, 1964)
Moonlight Night
This night at Fuchow there will be
Moonlight,and there she will be
Gazing into it,with the children
Already gone to sleep,not even in
Their dreams and innocence thinking
Of their father at Changan;
Her black hair must be wet with the dew
Of this autumn night,and her white
Jade arms,chilly with the cold; when
Oh when, shall we be together again
Standing side by side at the window,
Looking at the moonlight with dried eyes.
Alley, Rewi
The People Sing: More Translations of
Poems and Songs of the People of
Moonlight Night
This night at Fuchow there will be
Moonlight,and there she will be
Gazing into it,with the children
Already gone to sleep,not even in
Their dreams and innocence thinking
Of their old home at Changan;
Her black hair must be wet with the dew
Of this autumn night,and her white
Jade arms,chilly with the cold; when
Oh when, shall we be together again
Standing side by side at the window,
Looking at the moonlight with eyes
That are wet.
Baird, Nathan (ensie.blogspot.com/2006_04_01_archive.html)
Moonlit Night
The
my wife must watch alone tonight.
Sadly distant here in Chang’an,
can our little ones know my plight?
Mists dampen her soft hair, scented,
her jade-arms cool in the moon’s light.
-- Will we lean on our window sills
till our tear-marks dry in the night?
Barnstone, Tony & Chou Ping (www.7beats.com/2006_12_01_7beats_archive.html)
Moonlit
Night
In
my wife
can only watch alone.
Far off,
I brood over my small children
who don't
even remember Changan.
Her satin
hair dampens in fragrant mist,
jade arms
chilled by clear moonlight.
When will
we lean together between empty curtains
beaming
as tear tracks dry on our faces?
Brownrigg,
Ray (www.mcs.vuw.ac.nz/~ray/ChineseEssays)
Tonight’s
Moon
This moon at home tonight
My wife must watch alone.
I grieve for my young ones
Who know not where
I’ve gone.
Damp
mist, hair fragrance lifts;
Cool
moon, jade arm falls on.
When will that bright-lit pane
Shine on us both as one?
Bynner, Witter The
On a Moonlight Night
Far
off in
Watching it alone from the window of her chamber-
For our boy and girl, poor little babes,
Are too young to know where the Capital is.
Her cloudy hair is sweet with mist,
Her jade-white shoulder is cold in the moon.
...When shall we lie again, with no more tears,
Watching this bright light on our screen?
Chang, Edward C. (www.poetry-chinese.com)
On a Moonlit Night
At
this very moment tonight in Fu Zhou,
you
are watching the moon alone in your boudoir.
Far
away, I feel for my young children
Who
do not understand why Changan is on your mind.
The
fog moistens your hairdo;
the
clear moonlight chills your arms.
When
can we lean by the thin curtain
and
let the moonlight shine on the traces of our tears?
Dai
Naidie and Yang Xianyi 戴乃迭、杨宪益 (www.poetic.com.cn/go.asp?id=21982&ttt=)
One
Moonlight Night
On this
moonlight night in
She will
be watching in her room alone;
Far away,
my heart aches for our children,
Too young
to remember Chang’an.
Her
cloudy hair will be damp in the fragrant mist,
Her
jade-white arms cold in the limpid light;
When
shall we lean together by gauze curtains,
Side by
side beneath the moon, all our tears dried?
Davis, A. R. Tu Fu (New York: Twayne Publishers, 1971)
Moonlit Night
Tonight the Fu-chou moon,
In her chamber alone she watches.
From afar I pity my little children
Who know not enough to remember Ch’ang-an
With fragrant mist her cloud-hair-knots are damp;
In the chill moonlight her jade arms are cold.
When shall we lie within the empty curtains
And it shine on both, our tear-traces dry?
Ding Zuxin and Raffle (www.zftrans.com/bbs/simple/index.php?t3405_8.html)
Moonlit
Night
This moon above
Must be watched from my bedroom, alone.
My poor children, there in Zhangan,
Cannot understand what their mother feels.
She sits staring, stares long, stares hard.
Her silk hair will be wet
From the dew, from the mist.
Her arms will be wet, will be chilled.
When will we be able to lean at the
Curtain together,
Seeing tears dried on shining faces?
Ditmanson, Peter (www.colby.edu/personal/p/pbditman/151/DuFu.doc)
Moonlit
Night
Tonight
the
my wife
can only watch alone.
From a
distance, I feel for my little children
who do
not yet know or recall Chang'an.
The
fragrant mist dampens her waves of hair,
her jade
arms are chilled by the clear light.
When will
we lean in the empty window,
a pair in
the glow, our tear marks drying.
“Dongbo” (www.mountainsongs.net/poem_.php?id=200)
Night
Moon
The
Alone in
your room you watch it.
From this
distance
I grieve
for our small children,
Who miss
me here in Changan.
I can
imagine their moist curls,
And
crystal cold jade arms.
Oh when
will we be together again
Moon glow reflected
On tracks of dried teardrops?
Hart, Henry H. The Charcoal Burner, and Other Poems; Original Translations from the
Poetry of the Chinese (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1974)
Moonlight
Tonight
my wife is alone,
Watching
the moon shine down on Fu Chou.
My heart
aches for my little children far away.
They
cannot understand
About
their father in Changan.
My wife’s
cloudlike hair
Must be
damp with the fragrant mist,
And her
jadelike arms chilled
By the
cold moonlight.
When
shall we once more lean together
At the
open window to look upon the moon,
While the
traces of tears of happiness
Dry on
our cheeks?
Hawkes, David A Little Primer of Tu Fu (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1967)
Moonlit Night
Tonight in Fu-chou my wife will be watching this moon alone. I think with tenderness of my far-away little ones, too young to understand about their father in Ch'ang-an. My wife's soft hair must be wet from the scented night-mist, and her white arms chilled by the cold moonlight. When shall we lean on the open casement together and gaze at the moon until the tears on our cheeks are dry?
Moonlit Night
Tonight at Fu-chou, this moon she
watches
Alone in our room. And my little, far-off
Children, too young to understand what keeps me
Away, or even remember Chang'an. By now,
Her hair will be mist-scented, her jade-white
Arms chilled in its clear light. When
Will it find us together again, drapes drawn
Open, light traced where it dries our tears?
Hung, William Tu Fu: China’s Greatest Poet (New York: Harvard University Press, 1952)
Moonlight Night
The same moon is above Fu-chou tonight;
From the open window she will be watching it alone,
The poor children are too little
To be able to remember Ch’ang-an.
Her perfumed hair will be dampened by the dew,
The air may be too chilly on her delicate arms.
When can we both lean by the wind-blown curtains
And see the tears dry on each other’s face?
Kline, A. S. (www.tonykline.co.uk)
Moon at Night in Ch’ang-an
North of here in the moonlight
She too looks up in loneliness.
I am sad for our little children,
Too young to think of far off Ch’ang-an.
Clouds of hair wet with jewelled mist.
Cold light on arms of jade.
When will we two stir the silk curtains
While one moon shows the stain of tears?
Kotewall, Robert & Normal L. Smith in Davis, A. R., ed. The Penguin Book of Chinese Verse (Harmondsworth: Penguin Books, 1962)
A Moonlit Night
This night in Fu-chou in moonlight,
In her chamber she alone looks out;
Afar I pity my little children
That they know not yet to think of Ch’ang-an.
In the sweet mist her cloud-like tresses are damp;
In the clear moonlight her jade-like arms are cold.
When shall we two nestle against those unfilled curtains,
With the moon displaying the dried tear-stains of us both.
Li
Weijian and Weng Xianliang 李维建,翁显良 (www.poetic.com.cn/go.asp?id=21982&ttt=)
Moonlight
Night
Tonight
the moon in a distant sky
Arrests
the eye of my loving wife alone,
For the
poor little ones are to the feeling of loss yet unknown.
The mist
is moist and fragrant on your cloud-like hair.
The light
lucid and cool on your jade-white arms.
When
shall we stand together by the soft curtains
And let
it shine on us – us without a trace of tears?
Liu, James J. Y. Essentials of Chinese Literary Art (North Scituate, Mass.: Duxbury Press, 1979)
Moonlit Night
Tonight, the moon over Fu-chou,
From her room she can only watch alone.
Far away, my poor little children
Don’t know they should remember the capital.
Fragrant mist moistens her hair, dark as clouds;
Clear rays chill her arms, fair as jade.
When shall we lean against the empty curtain,
With the moon drying the tears of us both?
Lowell, Amy
& Florence Ayscough (digital.library.upenn.edu/women/lowell/tablets/tablets.html#115)
Moon
Night
Tonight
the moon at Fu Chou.
In the
center of the Women’s Apartments
There is
only one to look at it.
I am far
away, but I love my little son, my daughter.
They
cannot understand and think of Chang An
The
sweet-smelling mist makes the cloud head-dress damp,
The jade
arm must be chilly
In this
clear, glorious shining.
When
shall I lean on the lonely screen?
When
shall we both be shown upon, and the scars of tears be dry?
Lunde, David (www.chinapage.com)
Moonlit Night
Tonight my wife must watch alone
the full moon over Fu-zhou;
I think sadly of my sons and daughters far away,
too young to understand this separation
or remember our life in Chang'an.
In fragrant mist, her flowing hair is damp;
In clear moonlight, her jade-white arms are cold.
When will we lean at the open casement together
while the moonlight dries our shining tears?
Murphy, James R. (http://www.torusflex.com/poetry%20project1/poetry.html)
Moonlit Night
this night’s moon shines the same in fu zhou
alone in her room my dear wife watches
from far off here i pity our small son and daughter
too young to know why i stay in chang-an
her fragrant hair will be damp from the dew
the clear moonlight is gleaming on her cool jade arms
when will we stand together again to hold back the curtains
and show the drying tears as we each search our face
“orchid_dreams” (www.chinahistoryforum.com/lofiversion/index.php/t14104.html)
Night in
the Moonlight
Tonight's
Fu Zhou moon
Is lonely
watched in the boudoir
Pity my
young children
Doesn't
understand to miss Chang'an*
Fragrant
mist dampens her thick hair
Bright
moonlight cools her pale skin
When can we
sit under the moon together
And let the
moonlight dry her tears.
Owen, Stephen The Great Age of Chinese Poetry: The High T’ang (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1981)
Moonlit Night
The moon tonight in Fu-chou
She watches alone from her chamber,
While faraway I think lovingly on daughters and sons,
Who do not yet know how to remember Ch’ang-an.
In scented fog, her cloudlike hairdo moist,
In its clear beams, her jade-white arms are cold.
When shall we lean in the empty window,
Moonlit together, its light drying traces of tears.
Seth, Vikram Three Chinese Poets (New York, NY: HarperCollins, 1993)
Moonlit Night
In
The moon alone tonight, and my thoughts fill
With sadness for my children, who can't think
Of me here in Changan; they're too young still.
Her cloud-soft hair is moist with fragrant mist.
In the clear light her white arms sense the chill.
When will we feel the moonlight dry our tears,
Leaning together on our window-sill?
Sze, Arthur (www.thedrunkenboat.com/tufusze.htm)
Moonlight Night
This evening in Fu-chou my wife
can only look out alone at the moon.
From Ch'ang-an I pity my children
who cannot yet remember or understand.
Her hair is damp in the fragrant mist.
Her arms are cold in the clear light.
When will we lean beside the window
and the moon shine on our dried tears?
Watson,
Moonlight Night
From her room in Fu-chou tonight
all alone she watches the moon.
Far away, I grieve that her children
can’t understand why she thinks of Ch’ang-an.
Fragrant mist in her cloud hair damp,
clear lucence on her jade arms cold-
when will we lean by chamber curtains
and let it light the two of us, our tear stains dried?
Wu Juntao吴钧陶 (www.poetic.com.cn/go.asp?id=21982&ttt=)
The
Moonlit Night
The moon
tonight in
In the
chamber you alone will see it floating by.
I’m sorry
for our children dear,
Who know
not to yearn for me in Chang-an here.
Your
balmy curls are dewy dreams;
Your arms
are smooth like jade and chill in lucid beams.
When
we’ll lean by the gauzy veils?
We’ll
shine in the light and tears will be the dry trails.
Xu
Yuanchong 许渊冲 (www.poetic.com.cn/go.asp?id=21982&ttt=)
The
Moonlit Night
Alone in
your bed-chamber you would gaze tonight
At the
full moon which over
Far off,
I feel grieved to think of our children dear,
Too young
to yearn for their father in Changan here.
Your
fragrant cloud-like hair is wet with dew, it seems;
Your
jade-white arms would feel the cold of clear moon-beams.
When we
lean by the window screen side by side,
Watching
the moon with tears wiped away and eyes dried?
Yang Xianyi & Gladys Yang
(PPTS)
One Moonlight Night
On this moonlight night in
She will be watching in her room alone;
Far away, my heart aches for our children,
Too young to remember Chang’an
Her cloudy hair will be damp in the fragrant mist,
Her jade-white arms cold in the limpid light;
When shall we lean together by gauze curtains,
Side by side beneath the moon, all our tears dried?
Yip, Wai-lim, ed. Chinese Poetry: Major Modes and Genres (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1976
Moonlit Night
Tonight, moon over Fu-chou
My wife watches it alone
there,
I think of my children
across such distance;
They don't understand why I
am in Ch'ang-an.
Fragrant mist wets
cloud-locks.
Clear moonlight chills white
arms.
When can we lean on the open
casement together,
Doubly shone, as tears dry
up
Young, David Five T'ang Poets (Ohio: Oberlin College Press, 1990) <www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/discussions/start-thread.html?ie=UTF8&ASIN=0060950242&authorID=A3605VVN29N1FM&store=yourstore&reviewID=R10FD0670XOO7N&displayType=ReviewDetail>
Moonlit Night
Tonight
in this same moonlight
my wife is alone at her window
I can hardly bear to think of my children
too young to understand
why I can't come home to them
her hair must be damp from the mist
her arms cold jade in the moonlight
when will we stand together
by those slack curtains
while the moonlight
dries the tear-streaks
on our faces?
Zhang
Tingchen and Wei Bosi 张廷琛、魏博思 (www.poetic.com.cn/go.asp?id=21982&ttt=)
A Moonlit
Evening
Tonight
when the moon is over
She will
be watching all alone in her bedroom.
I pity my
small children far away,
Who don’t
even know what to miss of Changan.
Her
cloudlike hair is dampened by the fragrant mists;
In
radiant light, her jade-white arms grow chill.
When
shall we side by side lean from window,
All
traces of these tears in moonlight vanished?
Zhang
Xueqing 章学清 (www.poetic.com.cn/go.asp?id=21982&ttt=)
On a Moonlight Night
Tonight the moon in
Viewed from her boudoir by herself, my dear.
I wish my little ones would in their turn
For Changan like the mother fondly yearn.
The fragrant mists bedew her cloudy hair,
Her jade white arms, long chilled in lucent air.
Oh, when shall we be standing side by side
Against gauze curtains in the moon, tears dried?
anonymous (www.chinese-poems.com)
Moonlit Night
The
moon shines in
In her chamber, she watches alone.
I pity my distant boy and girl-
They don't know why she thinks of Chang'an.
Her cloud-like hair is sweet with mist,
Her jade arms cold in the clear moonlight.
When shall we lean in the empty window,
Together in brightness, and tears dried up?
unknown (home.earthlink.net/~nooriginalthought/Chinese_Poetry.html)
Moon Night
The moon this night in Fu county,
Is watched alone from her chamber door.
The tenderness of son and daughter,
Will not yet know of Chang An.
Her soft hair moistened by a fragrant mist,
Her smooth-white shoulders chilled in the pure light.
When shall we recline by humble curtains,
Both our eyes dried of tears?
unknown (www2.njnu.edu.cn/tangshi/group3.htm)
A Moonlit
Night
Alone in
your bed-chamber you would gaze tonight
At the
full moon which over
Far off,
I feel grieved to think of our children dear,
Too young
to yearn for their father in Changan here.
Your
fragrant cloud-like hair is damp with dew, it seems;
You
jade-white arms would feel the cold of clear moonbeams.
When can
we lean by the window screen side by side,
Watching
the moon with tears wiped away and eyes dried?
unknown (titohost.itbdns.com/chinese-poet/chinese%20poem-1/1-8l5w.htm)
A Moonlit
Night
As for
the moon of
From your
room, alone you would see it.
From far
away, I feel sorry that my little daughter.
Does not
understand how to think of Changan
By
fragrant fog, your rich hairs would be wet
Under the
clean moonlight, your beautiful elbows would be cold.
When, by
standing under a roof window,
Would we
be shined by the moon together, and would traces of tears dry?
unknown (dictionary.jongo.com/lesson/detail/387.html)
A Moonlit
Night
Alone in
your bedchamber, you would gaze tonight
At the
full moon, which over
I'm
grieved to think of our children so far away,
Too young
to yearn for me, who still in Chang'an stay.
Your
fragrant cloudlike hair is moist with dew, it seems;
Your
jade-white arms would feel the cold of clear moonbeams.
When
shall we stand by window curtains side by side,
Watching
the moon with trace of tears already dried?