The Moon over the West River
- Poetry of Su Shi

《西江月·照野弥弥浅浪》

- Last updated: 2024-03-23 14:23:14

The Moon over the West River by Su Shi
中文原文

顷在黄州，春夜行蕲水中，过酒家饮。酒醉，乘月至一溪桥上，解鞍曲肱，醉卧少休。及觉已晓，乱山攒拥，流水锵然，疑非尘世也。书此语桥柱上。

照野弥弥浅浪，横空隐隐层霄。障泥未解玉骢骄，我欲醉眠芳草。

可惜一溪风月，莫教踏碎琼瑶。解鞍欹枕绿杨桥，杜宇一声春晓。

English Translation

On a spring night I passed a wine-shop,drank there and then rode by moonlight to a bridge where I lay down and slept.Awake at dawn,I found the hills in rich green and lush gloom like an earthly paradise,and wrote down this lyric on the bridge.

Wave on wave glimmers by the river shores;

Sphere on sphere dimly appears in the sky.

Unsaddled now is my white-jade-like horse.

Drunken,asleep in the sweet grass I'll lie.


My horse's hoofs may break,I'm afraid,

The breeze-rippled brook paved by moon light's white jade,

I tie fast my horse to a bough of green willow 

Near the bridge then I pillow

My head on saddle and sleep till the cuckoo's songs awake 

A spring daybreak.

This lyric was written at Huangzhou in 1082. The poet describes the happiness of his sleep after drinking.

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Why Chinese poems is so special?
The most distinctive features of Chinese poetry are: concision- many poems are only four lines, and few are much longer than eight; ambiguity- number, tense and parts of speech are often undetermined, creating particularly rich interpretative possibilities; and structure- most poems follow quite strict formal patterns which have beauty in themselves as well as highlighting meaningful contrasts.
How to read a Chinese poem?
Like an English poem, but more so. Everything is there for a reason, so try to find that reason. Think about all the possible connotations, and be aware of the different possibilities of number and tense. Look for contrasts: within lines, between the lines of each couplet and between successive couplets. Above all, don't worry about what the poet meant- find your meaning.

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