Moonlit Night
Tonight the moon above Fuzhou
Is watched alone from the inner room.
I think tenderly of our young children far away,
Too young to understand longing for Chang’an.
Fragrant mist dampens her cloudlike hair;
Clear moonlight chills her jade-like arms.
When shall we lean together by an open curtain,
And let its light dry the traces of our tears?
Notes
Fuzhou was a prefecture near present-day Fuxian, Shaanxi, and is distinct from the more familiar city of Fuzhou. The inner room is where the speaker imagines his wife. “Cloudlike hair” and “jade arms” are figurative descriptions; the open curtain belongs to the hoped-for reunion.
Meaning
From Chang’an, the speaker imagines his wife watching the moon in distant Fuzhou, thinks of their young children and hopes for reunion.
Appreciation
The poem begins by imagining the wife’s moon-gazing, expressing longing through another person’s view.
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The children’s youth contrasts with the adults’ awareness of separation.
Damp hair and chilled arms imagine how long the wife has watched the moon.
The hoped-for light on two people answers the opening image of watching alone.
About the poet
Du Fu (712–770), courtesy name Zimei, was a major Tang poet.
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His poetry records personal experience and the upheaval of his age, including the An Lushan rebellion.
He lived in Kuizhou in later years; his works include Spring View and Ascending the Heights.