Autumn Night, Du Mu (Tang Shi #294)
Thursday, 5 September 2019 12:29![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lnhammerThe silver candle’s autumn light for the chilly screen—
I have a small gauze fan, fireflies flutter wings.
The nighttime scene of stairs outside is cool like water.
I sit and watch the stars of Cowherd and the Weaver-girl.
秋夕
银烛秋光冷画屏，
轻罗小扇扑流萤。
天阶夜色凉如水，
坐看牵牛织女星。
The screen is a painted divider, and the wings my addition to bring out the parallels. The festival of the 7th night of the 7th (lunar) month commemorates the one night of the year the Cowherd (Altair) and the Weaver-girl of heaven (Vega) can meet, via a bridge made of magpie wings over the river of the Milky Way. The indoor setting, the fan, and the romantic context suggest a female speaker.
—L.
I have a small gauze fan, fireflies flutter wings.
The nighttime scene of stairs outside is cool like water.
I sit and watch the stars of Cowherd and the Weaver-girl.
秋夕
银烛秋光冷画屏，
轻罗小扇扑流萤。
天阶夜色凉如水，
坐看牵牛织女星。
The screen is a painted divider, and the wings my addition to bring out the parallels. The festival of the 7th night of the 7th (lunar) month commemorates the one night of the year the Cowherd (Altair) and the Weaver-girl of heaven (Vega) can meet, via a bridge made of magpie wings over the river of the Milky Way. The indoor setting, the fan, and the romantic context suggest a female speaker.
—L.