Autumn Dwelling at Bashang
English translation and interpretation are being reviewed.
晚见雁行频。
落叶他乡树，
寒灯独夜人。
空园白露滴，
孤壁野僧邻。
寄卧郊扉久，
何年致此身。
English translation
Wind and rain have settled on the plain of Ba, at evening I see the wild geese fly often.
Falling leaves, a tree in another land, a cold lamp, a man alone at night.
In the empty garden the white dew drips, by the lonely wall, a wild monk for neighbor.
Long have I lodged here at the suburb gate, what year shall I set this body to use?
Meaning
The autumn wind and fine rain over Ba Plain have just stopped, and at evening I see flocks of wild geese flying south without pause. Facing the falling leaves of these alien trees, a lone lamp in the cold night shines on me alone. In the empty garden the white dew drips again and again, and my single gate has only a wild monk for a neighbor. I have lodged long in this desolate suburban place — when shall I be able to give myself to my country's service?
Background
Read the background
Ba Shang was the place where the author lodged after coming to the capital. With no way to advance himself, he was stranded there; moved by the turning of the season into autumn, he wrote this poem to soothe his melancholy.