Home › Poems › Prelude to Water Melody (When Will the Moon Be Clear?)
Shuǐ Diào Gē TóuPrelude to Water Melody (When Will the Moon Be Clear?) 水调歌头
Su Shi's Mid-Autumn song, still sung today.
Original Chinese text with pinyin
明月几时有
míng yuè jǐ shí yǒu
把酒问青天
bǎ jiǔ wèn qīng tiān
不知天上宫阙
bù zhī tiān shàng gōng què
今夕是何年
jīn xī shì hé nián
……
人有悲欢离合
rén yǒu bēi huān lí hé
月有阴晴圆缺
yuè yǒu yīn qíng yuán quē
此事古难全
cǐ shì gǔ nán quán
但愿人长久
dàn yuàn rén cháng jiǔ
千里共婵娟
qiān lǐ gòng chán juān
Simplified characters; traditional title: 水調歌頭. This is a long poem; only the best-known lines are shown, and “……” marks omitted passages.
English translation
When did the bright moon first appear?
Cup in hand, I ask the blue sky.
I do not know, in the palaces of heaven,
what year it is tonight.
(…)
People have sorrow and joy, parting and reunion;
the moon is dim or bright, full or waning.
Since ancient times, this has never been complete.
I only wish that we may live long;
though miles apart, we'll share the beauty she displays.
Original translation by Poetune — literal but poetic, written for this site.
Line by line
Meaning and imagery
The poem opens with a cosmic question, drinking and asking the sky. In the omitted middle, Su Shi imagines flying to the moon palace but finds it too cold, and prefers the human world. The ending accepts imperfection: people part, the moon wanes, nothing is ever complete. The last two lines turn that acceptance into a blessing for everyone separated from loved ones.
Background
Written on the Mid-Autumn Festival of 1076 in Mizhou (Shandong), when Su Shi had not seen his brother Su Zhe for seven years. Only the opening and the ending are shown. Its modern musical setting, sung by Teresa Teng and Faye Wong, is famous.
Key words
- 宫阙 gōng què
- palaces
- 阴晴圆缺 yīn qíng yuán quē
- dim and bright, full and waning
- 婵娟 chán juān
- the beautiful moon
About the poet: Su Shi
Su Shi, better known as Su Dongpo, was a poet, essayist, painter, calligrapher and official — the great all-rounder of the Song dynasty. Repeatedly exiled, he met hardship with humor and philosophy, and made the ci (song lyric) a vehicle for grand themes.
Lifetime: 1037–1101. Other famous works: Prelude to Water Melody (When Will the Moon Be Clear?) (水调歌头); Spring Night (春夜); Remembering the Past at Red Cliff (念奴娇·赤壁怀古); Written on the Wall at West Forest Temple (题西林壁); Drinking at West Lake: First Sun, Then Rain (饮湖上初晴后雨); Red Cliff Rhapsody (赤壁赋); Gazing South from Chaoran Terrace (望江南); Drunk at Lake View Tower (六月二十七日望湖楼醉书); Spring River at Dusk (惠崇春江晚景); Crabapple (海棠); Silk-Washing Stream (浣溪沙); Silk-Washing Stream: Dragon Boat Festival (浣溪沙); Eating Lychees (食荔枝); On the Road to Xincheng (新城道中); Calming the Waves (定风波); For Liu Jingwen (赠刘景文).
Names from this poem
More by Su Shi
- Spring Night春夜
- Written on the Wall at West Forest Temple题西林壁
- Drinking at West Lake: First Sun, Then Rain饮湖上初晴后雨
- Remembering the Past at Red Cliff念奴娇·赤壁怀古
- Gazing South from Chaoran Terrace望江南
- Drunk at Lake View Tower六月二十七日望湖楼醉书
- Spring River at Dusk惠崇春江晚景
- Crabapple海棠