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Yǔ Guò Shān CūnRain Passing a Mountain Village 雨过山村

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

Wang Jian on a mountain village in rain, women calling each other to bathe silkworm eggs.

Original Chinese text with pinyin

雨里鸡鸣一两家
yǔ lǐ jī míng yī liǎng jiā

竹溪村路板桥斜
zhú xī cūn lù bǎn qiáo xié

妇姑相唤浴蚕去
fù gū xiāng huàn yù cán qù

闲看中庭栀子花
xián kàn zhòng tíng zhī zi huā

Simplified characters; traditional title: 雨過山村.

In the rain, a cock crows at one or two houses;

by the bamboo stream, the village path, a slanting plank bridge.

Wife and mother-in-law call each other to go bathe the silkworm eggs;

idle in the courtyard, the gardenia flowers.

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

雨里鸡鸣一两家 · yǔ lǐ jī míng yī liǎng jiā — In the rain, a cock crows at one or two houses;

竹溪村路板桥斜 · zhú xī cūn lù bǎn qiáo xié — by the bamboo stream, the village path, a slanting plank bridge.

妇姑相唤浴蚕去 · fù gū xiāng huàn yù cán qù — Wife and mother-in-law call each other to go bathe the silkworm eggs;

闲看中庭栀子花 · xián kàn zhòng tíng zhī zi huā — idle in the courtyard, the gardenia flowers.

Wang Jian on a mountain village in rain, women calling each other to bathe silkworm eggs. The scene stays with you.

Wang Jian on a mountain village in rain, women calling each other to bathe silkworm eggs.

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).