Watching the Moon at Penting on the Fifteenth Night
In years past, on the fifteenth night of the eighth month,
I stood by Qujiang Pool, beside the Apricot Garden.
This year, on the fifteenth night of the eighth month,
I stand by a waterside pavilion on the sands of Penpu.
Looking northwest for home, where can it be?
Looking southeast, how many times has the moon grown full?
Yesterday’s wind blew, and no one understood;
Tonight the clear moonlight is like years gone by.
Notes
The fifteenth night of the eighth lunar month is Mid-Autumn. Qujiang Pool and the Apricot Garden were associated with Chang’an. Penpu was a waterside area near present-day Jiujiang. Qīngguāng is the moon’s clear light.
Meaning
The speaker contrasts Mid-Autumn nights once spent near Chang’an with this year’s night at Penpu. Looking toward home and the moon, the speaker finds the moonlight much like that of earlier years.
Appreciation
Two Mid-Autumn nights in different places frame a reflection on home, change and the familiar moon.
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The repeated date makes the contrast between past and present unmistakable.
One gaze looks toward home and another toward the moon. The closing light resembles earlier years even as the speaker’s circumstances have changed.
Find the two regions on a map and talk about memories connected with a familiar moon.
About the poet
Bai Juyi (772–846), courtesy name Letian, was a Tang poet and official born near present-day Xinzheng, Henan.
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His works include Song of the Pipa Player, Song of Everlasting Sorrow and many poems about daily life.