dailycharacter
秋夕(杜牧)
Title: Autumn Night ▪ 秋夕
Author: Du Mu ▪ 杜牧
Poetic Form: júejù ▪ 绝句
Apologies, individual character links no longer available for this poem...
1. (银 + 烛) + (秋 + 光 + 冷) + (画 + 屏)
(silver + candle) + (autumn + light + cold) +
(painting + screen)
gloss: The cold autumn light shines on the
candlelit painted screen
2. ((轻 + 罗) + (小 + 扇) + 扑) + 流 + 萤
((lightweight + net) + (small + fan) + to flutter)
+ to banish + fireflies
gloss: A small (silken) fan flutters to ward off
flitting fireflies
3. (天 + 阶) + (夜 + 色) + (凉 + 如 + 水)
(heaven + steps) + (night + color) + (cool + as if +
water)
gloss: The palace steps seem cool as water in
the nighttime glow
4. 坐 + 看 + ((牵 + 生) + (织 + 女) + 星)
to sit + to watch + ((to pull + cow) + (to weave +
woman) + stars)
gloss: [She] sits watching the stars: Altair and
Veda (the Cowherd and the Weaving Maid)
Author: Du Mu ▪ 杜牧
Poetic Form: júejù ▪ 绝句
Apologies, individual character links no longer available for this poem...
1. (银 + 烛) + (秋 + 光 + 冷) + (画 + 屏)
(silver + candle) + (autumn + light + cold) +
(painting + screen)
gloss: The cold autumn light shines on the
candlelit painted screen
2. ((轻 + 罗) + (小 + 扇) + 扑) + 流 + 萤
((lightweight + net) + (small + fan) + to flutter)
+ to banish + fireflies
gloss: A small (silken) fan flutters to ward off
flitting fireflies
3. (天 + 阶) + (夜 + 色) + (凉 + 如 + 水)
(heaven + steps) + (night + color) + (cool + as if +
water)
gloss: The palace steps seem cool as water in
the nighttime glow
4. 坐 + 看 + ((牵 + 生) + (织 + 女) + 星)
to sit + to watch + ((to pull + cow) + (to weave +
woman) + stars)
gloss: [She] sits watching the stars: Altair and
Veda (the Cowherd and the Weaving Maid)
Translation
Autumn Night
translation by Jessica Alexander ©
A pallid candle flickers cold upon autumn's painted screen,
While a solitary silken fan chases dusky fireflies into the night.
In the chill half-light, the palace steps are cool and blue as water,
Upon which she sits, watching the Weaving Maid, her Cowherd,
and their starry tryst.
translation by Jessica Alexander ©
A pallid candle flickers cold upon autumn's painted screen,
While a solitary silken fan chases dusky fireflies into the night.
In the chill half-light, the palace steps are cool and blue as water,
Upon which she sits, watching the Weaving Maid, her Cowherd,
and their starry tryst.
Analysis
Paragraph.
