Title: Song of Sunset on the River
▪ 暮江吟
Author: Bai JuYi ▪ 白居易
Poetic Form: júejù ▪ 绝句Apologies, individual character links no longer available for this poem...1. (一 + 道) + (残 + 阳) + 铺 + (水 + 中)
(one + path) + (deficient + sunlight) + unfurl +
(water + center)
gloss: One strip of fading sunlight unfurls over
the water
2. ((半 + 江) + (瑟 + 瑟) + ((半 + 江) + 红)
((half + river) + (jade + jade)) + ((half + river) +
red)
gloss: Half the river is the color of jade, half the
river is red
3. (可 + 怜) + (九 + 月) + (初 + 三 + 夜)
(can + to feel regard for) + (ninth + moon) + (first
+ third + night)
gloss: How I love the third night of the ninth
moon
4. (露 + 似 + (真 + 珠)) + (月 + 似 + 弓)
(dew + to appear + (real + pearl)) + (moon + to
appear + bow)
gloss: The dew looks like real pearls; the moon
looks like a bow.
Song of Sunset on the River
translation by Jessica Alexander © A stretch of fading sunlight unfurls across the water,
Half the river emerald blue, half the river red.
How charming the third night of the ninth moon:
The dewdrops are like pure pearls, the moon a bow.