Feel like the long weekend was just not quite long enough and I spent zero time even thinking about a blog post.
Thank goodness for poetry…this poem arrived in my mailbox on Sunday and it seemed just perfect for the rainy weekend and there is something amazing about a poem that was written more than 1200 years ago…it very much speaks to me today!
Looking at the Moon After Rain
Li Po – 701-762
Translated by Florence Ayscough and Amy Lowell
The heavy clouds are broken and blowing,
And once more I can see the wide common stretching beyond the four sides of the city.
Open the door. Half of the moon-toad is already up,
The glimmer of it is like smooth hoar-frost spreading over ten thousand li.
The river is a flat, shining chain.
The moon, rising, is a white eye to the hills;
After it has risen, it is the bright heart of the sea.
Because I love it—so—round as a fan,
I hum songs until the dawn.
This poem is in the public domain.
See you all back here tomorrow!
Photo by Vladyslav Dushenkovsky from Pexels
“…a white eye to the hills…” – what a beautiful phrase. I have never heard of a “moon-toad!”
Thanks for sharing this poem Kat – very, very pretty.
You’ve gifted us with the perfect poem and photo combination to start this Tuesday. I haven’t been outside to look at the moon at night in a while, so I will make sure to do that tonight.
This is pretty amazing in translation; I can only imagine how much better it must be in the original language! I had to read it twice. Really good — thank you for sharing!
I am amazed that people have been writing poetry for so long – 1200 years ago! Thank you for sharing it – it’s so lovely. And now I’m going to spend my morning humming 🙂
. . . sigh. . . XO
what a gorgeous photo … and I love thinking about just how timeless the moon and the rain are … and then my mind gets totally blown (in a good way!) thinking about words that old, and two people working together on a translation. thank you!