山居秋瞑 | 王维

Mountain Life in the Autumn Dusk

  Wang Wei

  Sam Chalekian

  Apr 10, 2023 

  Wang Wei reflects on the changing seasons.

Original Title

山居秋暝 

Shānjū qiū míng 

[Mountain] [Residence] [Autumn] [Gloom/Dusk]

Modern Title

秋天傍晚的山居生活

Mountain Life in the Autumn Dusk

Author

唐·王维

táng·wáng wéi

By: Wang Wei

Poem

空山新雨后，天气晚来秋。 

kōngshān xīn yǔ hòu, tiānqì wǎn lái qiū. 

[Empty] [mountain] [new] [rain] [after], [weather] [evening] [comes] [autumn]

After the rain in the empty mountains, the night heralds the coming of autumn.

明月松间照，清泉石上流。

Míngyuè sōng jiān zhào, qīngquán shí shàngliú.

[bright] [moon] [pine] [between] [shine], [fresh spring] [rock] [upper reaches]

The bright moon shines between the pines, the fresh water flows from the spring.

竹喧归浣女，莲动下渔舟。 

Zhú xuān guī huàn nǚ, lián dòng xià yúzhōu. 

[bamboo] [noisy] [return] [wash] [women], [lotus] [moves] [under] [fishing boats]

The clamor of washerwomen returning through the bamboo groves, the boats glide over the lotus flowers.

随意春芳歇，王孙自可留。

Suíyì chūnfāng xiē, wángsūn zì kě liú.

[do as one pleases] [the blooming of spring flowers] [withered vegetation], [prince’s son, here: Wang Wei] [from] [may] [stay]

As spring leaves with the coming of autumn, I am lucky enough to stay.

Vocabulary

暝：傍晚, nightfall

喧: 声音杂乱的大声说话, speaking in loud and familiar tones

洗女：洗衣服的女子, washerwomen

下: 顺流而下, downstream

随意: 任凭, to do as one pleases

春芳: 指春天盛开的鲜花，refers to the blooming of spring flowers

歇：here: 草木凋零, withered vegetation. In other contexts, this generally means 休息, to rest.

王孙: here: 王维自己, Wang Wei himself. Feeling himself to be lucky, he likens himself to 王公贵族的子孙, the grandchildren of nobles.

Tonal Map

平平平仄仄，仄仄仄平平。

仄仄平平仄，平平仄仄平。

平平平仄仄，仄仄仄平平。

仄仄平平仄，平平仄仄平。

Rhyming Scheme

AA, XA, XA, XA. (hou, qiu, liu, zhou)

“X” here denotes no rhyme.

Wang Wei Tang Dynasty