Chang'an · Year 726 · 3 AM
A sleepless night.
A bright moon.
床前明月光
Chuáng qián míng yuè guāng
Before my bed, the moonlight gleams,
疑是地上霜
Yí shì dì shàng shuāng
so bright, I take it for frost on the ground.
举头望明月
Jǔ tóu wàng míng yuè
I raise my head and gaze at the moon,
低头思故乡
Dī tóu sī gù xiāng
I lower it, thinking of home.
LI BAI · TANG DYNASTY
Quiet Night Thoughts
Before my bed, the moonlight gleams,
so bright, I take it for frost on the ground.
I raise my head and gaze at the moon,
I lower it, thinking of home.
明月the bright moon — in Chinese poetry, the moon is the classic symbol of longing for home
霜frost — its cold whiteness mirrors the moonlight, and the chill of loneliness
故乡hometown — the place the poet has been away from for years
Every Chinese child knows this poem by heart.
Now you do, too.