c i P oe t ry : long s ong ly riC s 26910 Going round the crimson hall,
Creeping in through the decorated doorway
12 It shines on the sleepless me.
I should not owe it any grudge
14 Then why would it always turn full when we are separated?
Men are sad now, joyous then, because of parting and reunion;
16 Moon cannot but wane and wax, wax and wane.
Things can never be perfect.
18 I only hope we will both live long,
And, while a thousand miles apart, share the same moon’s beauty.
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水調歌頭 (shuĭ diào gē tóu)
bright moon how many time have 明月幾時有 (míng yuè jĭ shí yŏu)
hold wine ask blue sky 把酒問青天^ △^ (bă jiŭ wèn qīng tiān)
not know heaven up palace terrace 不知天上宮闕^ (bù zhī tiān shàng gōng què)
today night be what year 今夕是何年^ △^ (jīn xī shì hé nián)
I desire ride wind return go 我欲乘風歸去^ ▲^ (wŏ yù chéng fēng guī qù)
again afraid jade building jade house 又恐瓊樓玉宇^ (yòu kŏng qióng lóu yù yŭ)
high place not stand cold 高處不勝寒 △^ (gāo chù bú shèng hán)
rise dance tease clear shadow 起舞弄清影^ (qĭ wŭ nòng qīng yĭng)
how like in human space 何似在人間 △^ (hé sì zài rén jiān)
circle crimson cabinet 轉朱閣 (zhuăn zhū gé)
lower beautiful door 低綺戶 (dī qĭ hù)
shine without sleep 照無眠 △ (zhào wú mián)
not should have grudge 不應有恨 (bù yīng yŏu hèn)
what thing always toward part time round 何事長向別時圓 △ (hé shì cháng xiàng bié shí yuán)
human have sorrow joy leave union 人有悲歡離合 (rén yŏu bēi huān lí hé)
moon have cloudy sunny wax wane 月有陰晴圓缺 (yuè yŏu yīn qíng yuán quē)
this thing ancient difficult perfect 此事古難全 △ (cĭ shì gŭ nán quán)
but wish people long long 但願人長久 (dàn yuàn rén cháng jiŭ)
thousand mile share moon goddess 千里共嬋娟 △ (qiān lĭ gòng chán juān)
The first thing of note in this poem is its opening comments, which tie the song
to a specific occasion and lend it a genuine personal voice. Su Shi was the first to
introduce this common practice of classical poetry into the writing of a song lyric.
When he wrote this piece, Su Shi no doubt had in mind a poem by the great
Tang poet Li Bai (701–762), “Questioning the Moon with Wine Cup in Hand.”
Commentators have also pointed out the link between Su Shi’s opening question
and the “Questions for Heaven” (Tian wen) posed by Qu Yuan (340?–278 b.C.e.)
more than a thousand years earlier. The echo across history adds an extra dimen-
sion to the existential quest in this song: a millennium of earnest human search in
the face of the indifference of eternity. The awe and puzzlement felt by the poet is