The courtyard is as clear as a pool of water, with algae and waterlilies crisscrossing it, covered with bamboo and cypress shadows. It turned out to be the shadow of bamboo and cypress trees.
Source: From the classical Chinese text "Night Tour of Chengtian Temple"
Original text:
On the night of October 12th, the sixth year of Yuanfeng, I undressed and wanted to sleep. The moonlight enters the house, and I happily set off. Thinking of nothing and being happy, I went to Chengtian Temple to look for Zhang Huaimin. Huai Min also stayed up and walked with each other in the atrium.
The sky under the courtyard looks like accumulated water, with algae and lilies intertwined in the water, covered with bamboo and cypress shadows. What night is there without a moon? Where are there no bamboos or cypresses? But there are few idle people like the two of us.
Translation:
On the night of October 12th, the sixth year of Yuanfeng (or the night of October 12th, 1083 AD, it does not need to be translated), (I) took off my clothes and got ready to sleep. , happened to see the moonlight shining on the door, (so I) happily got up and went out for a walk. It occurred to me that I had no one with whom to play, so I went to Chengtian Temple to look for Zhang Huaimin. Huai Min didn't sleep either, so we walked in the courtyard together. The moonlight shone on the courtyard, clear and transparent like water filled with water - water through which extended a line of waterlilies and waterlilies, which turned out to be the shadow of bamboo and cypress. Which night is without moonlight? (Again) Which place doesn’t have bamboo and cypress trees? It's just that there is a lack of people with leisure time like the two of us.
Author introduction:
Su Shi (1037-1101), a writer, calligrapher, painter and gourmet in the Northern Song Dynasty. His courtesy name is Zizhan and his nickname is Dongpo Jushi. Han nationality, Sichuan native, buried in Yingchang (now Jiaxian County, Pingdingshan City, Henan Province). He had a bumpy official career throughout his life, but he was knowledgeable and talented. He was excellent in poetry, calligraphy and painting. His writing is unbridled, clear and fluent. Together with Ouyang Xiu, he is called Ou Su, and he is one of the "Eight Great Masters of the Tang and Song Dynasties". His poetry is fresh and vigorous, good at using exaggeration and metaphor, and his artistic expression is unique. He is also called Su Huang together with Huang Tingjian. He started a bold and unrestrained school and had a huge influence on later generations. Together with Xin Qiji, he was called Su Xin. He was good at calligraphy in running script and regular script. He was able to create his own ideas. His pen was rich and ups and downs, and he had an innocent taste. He was called Song Dynasty together with Huang Tingjian, Mi Fu and Cai Xiang. The four schools have the same painting studies and literature, advocate spiritual similarity in painting, and advocate "scholar painting". He is the author of "The Complete Works of Su Dongpo" and "Su Dongpo Yuefu".
Thoughts and feelings:
The emotions expressed in "Night Tour at Chengtian Temple" are subtle and complex, including the sadness of being relegated, the emotion of life, the joy of admiring the moon, and the leisurely stroll. are included. When the author was "undressing and about to sleep", "the moonlight entered the house", so he "happily set off". The moonlight was rare, which made people happy. But there was no one to admire the moon with my wife, so I had to look for Zhang Huaimin, who was also demoted. There was so much desolation and sadness in it! The two of them walked in the atrium, leisurely. Compared with "idle people", all meanings are contained in it. The vivid and vivid description of the clear and beautiful moonlight reveals the author's special state of mind, although he was deeply moved by the humiliation, but he was adaptable to the situation and relieved himself. It expresses the author's love for the moonlight, expresses the author's self-understanding, self-respect, self-mockery, yearning for and appreciation of natural life, and the disdain and irony of "busy people" (court officials and villains) as opposed to "idle people".