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Shí Wǔ Yè Wàng YuèGazing at the Full Moon 十五夜望月

Wang Jian (王建, also known as Wang Chien)｜Mid Tang｜seven-character quatrain

Wang Jian on the mid-autumn moon and cold dew.

Original Chinese text with pinyin

中庭地白树栖鸦
zhōng tíng dì bái shù qī yā

冷露无声湿桂花
lěng lù wú shēng shī guì huā

今夜月明人尽望
jīn yè yuè míng rén jǐn wàng

不知秋思在谁家
bù zhī qiū sī zài shuí jiā

Simplified characters; traditional title: 十五夜望月.

In the courtyard the ground is white; crows roost in the trees;

cold dew, without a sound, wets the osmanthus.

Tonight the moon is bright and everyone gazes —

I wonder in whose house the autumn longing falls.

Original translation by Poetune — literal but poetic, written for this site.

中庭地白树栖鸦 · zhōng tíng dì bái shù qī yā — In the courtyard the ground is white; crows roost in the trees;

冷露无声湿桂花 · lěng lù wú shēng shī guì huā — cold dew, without a sound, wets the osmanthus.

今夜月明人尽望 · jīn yè yuè míng rén jǐn wàng — Tonight the moon is bright and everyone gazes —

不知秋思在谁家 · bù zhī qiū sī zài shuí jiā — I wonder in whose house the autumn longing falls.

Wang Jian on the mid-autumn moon and cold dew. The scene stays with you.

Wang Jian on the mid-autumn moon and cold dew.

Wang Jian is known for palace lyrics and yuefu that sketch court and ordinary life.

Lifetime: c. 767–c. 830. Other famous works: Gazing at the Full Moon (十五夜望月); The New Bride (新嫁娘词); Rain Passing a Mountain Village (雨过山村).