Reply to Cheng Yan's Poem on an Autumn Night
English translation and interpretation are being reviewed.
空城澹月华。
星河秋一雁，
砧杵夜千家。
节候看应晚，
心期卧亦赊。
向来吟秀句，
不觉已鸣鸦。
English translation
The long bamboo mat meets the wind early, over the empty city, pale moonlight.
One autumn goose in the starry river, fulling blocks at night in a thousand houses.
The season, I see, is growing late, my heart's hope, even lying down, is far away.
All this while I have been chanting your fine lines, and now, unawares, the crows are crying.
Meaning
The long bamboo stems are the first to meet the autumn wind, and the pale moonlight spreads over the empty city.
A wild goose flies toward the Milky Way, and in the still night comes the sound of washing blocks from a thousand households.
The seasons pass swiftly, and in a blink it is autumn and winter; in my idleness I harbor in vain intentions I have never fulfilled.
I recite your fine verses over and over, and before I know it the sky is near dawn and I hear the early crows clamoring.
Background
Read the background
The exact date of this poem is unknown. The title means that Cheng Yan sent him a poem, "An Autumn Night," as a gift, and Han Hong wrote this poem in reply. Judging from the sixth and seventh lines, it must have been written when the poet was living in idleness, without office.