Autumn Night Song, Wang Wei (Tang Shi #313)

[lnhammer]

The moon’s just visible, the autumn dew is sparse—
Light silk’s too thin but I have not put on more clothes.
Night deepens, I continue playing my silver zheng:
Heart fears that empty room—I cannot bear to return.

秋夜曲
桂魄初生秋露微，
轻罗已薄未更衣。
银筝夜久殷勤弄，
心怯空房不忍归。

A zheng is a zither with movable bridges (like a koto). Lost in translation: it’s literally the “cassia [on the moon] ’s soul” that’s just visible—basically a poeticism for the moon itself.

—L.

Comments

[sartorias]

Another poignant one.

[lnhammer]

It’s even better if you replace “fears” with “dreads.”