One Mid-Autumn Night

This one came on the heels of the previous poem while walking in the marina.

1 中秋月明照如常 Bright is the Mid-Autumn moon shining as usual,
2 半壺已冷守寒窗 By the icy window, half the jug is already cold.
3 五更無情催日破 Hastening daybreak is the heartless hour of the fifth,
4 千杯萬醉夢不長 Even in drunkeness of a thousand cups, dreams can never be long.

1 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mid-Autumn_Festival

2 寒窗, cold window usually means a place of poverty but in this context, the literal meaning is taken. It is not known whether the poet is looking through the window looking at the moon or that he is just staring at the window.

3 A Chinese hour is equivalent to two western hours. Midnight is the third hour and hence 6am is the fifth.

4 Obviously an exaggeration. Even with a small cup, a thousand of them will cause alcohol poisoning!

Thursday, May 12, 2022