1. Seeing the autumn wind in Luoyang city, I want to write a book full of ideas. I'm afraid that I can't say it all in a hurry, and the travelers are about to open the gate again. ——From the Tang Dynasty: Zhang Ji's "Autumn Thoughts"
Vernacular interpretation: The annual autumn wind blows to Luoyang City again, and the wanderers living in Luoyang City don't know how their relatives in their hometown are doing; write a letter A letter from home to wish you peace. There is so much to say and I don’t know where to start. After the letter was written, I was worried that I had not finished what I wanted to say in the rush; when the sender set off, I opened the envelope again and returned it to him.
2. The dew is white tonight, and the moon is bright in my hometown. All my brothers are scattered, and I have no family to ask about life and death. The letter sent was not delivered, but the troops were not suspended. ——From "Remembering My Brother-in-law on a Moonlit Night" by Du Fu of the Tang Dynasty
Vernacular interpretation: Tonight has entered the Bailu solar term, and the moon is still the brightest in my hometown. I have brothers but they are all scattered. I have no family and cannot inquire about life and death. Letters sent home to Luoyang City were often not delivered, not to mention the frequent wars that never stopped.
3. I can’t sleep alone in the cold light of the hotel, and the guest’s heart becomes desolate. Tonight I miss my hometown thousands of miles away, and I will see another year of frost on my temples tomorrow. ——From "The Great Night Work" by Gao Shi of the Tang Dynasty
Vernacular interpretation: I was lying alone in the hotel, with the cold light shining on me, and it was difficult to fall asleep for a long time. What is it that makes me, a tourist, feel desolate and sad? People in my hometown must be missing me tonight, who is thousands of miles away; my hair on the temples has turned gray, and tomorrow will be a new year.
4. Being a stranger in a foreign land, I miss my family even more during the festive season. I know from afar that when my brothers climbed to a high place, there was only one less person planting dogwood trees. ——From "Remembering Shandong Brothers on September 9th" by Wang Wei, a poet of the Tang Dynasty
Vernacular interpretation: Being far away from home alone and unable to reunite with my family, I miss my distant relatives even more during the Double Ninth Festival. When I think of my brothers wearing dogwoods and climbing to high places, I feel regretful because I am missing.
5. The hanging shadow is divided into thousands of miles of wild geese, and the roots are scattered into Jiuqiu Peng. ***You should shed tears when you look at the bright moon, and your heart will be in the same place all night long. ——From "Looking at the Moon" by Bai Juyi of the Tang Dynasty
Vernacular interpretation: The hanging shadow is as sad as a solitary wild goose, wandering without a trace like an autumn pod with broken roots. Looking at the bright moon at the same time makes one sad and sheds tears, and one feels homesick in the same way all night long.