张继
七言绝句
Character Explanations
Click on a character in the poem to display its explanation here.
月
“moon.” 月落 “the moon sets.”
落
“to fall, set.” 月落 “the moon declines.”
乌
“crow.” 乌啼 “the crow caws.”
啼
“to cry, caw (bird).” 乌啼 “the crow’s cry.”
霜
“frost, white frost.” 霜满天 “frost fills the sky.”
满
“full, filled.” 满天 “fills the sky.”
天
“sky.” 霜满天 “frost everywhere in the air.”
江
“river.” 江枫 “maples by the river.”
枫
“maple.” 江枫 “riverside maples.”
渔
“fishing, fisherman.” 渔火 “fishermen’s lights.”
火
“fire, light.” 渔火 “the lamps of fishing boats.”
对
“facing, in contrast to.” 对愁眠 “facing my sorrowful sleep.”
愁
“sorrow, melancholy.” 愁眠 “sleep mingled with sadness.”
眠
“to sleep, sleep.” 愁眠 “sleeping in sorrow.”
姑
“(Gu).” 姑苏 “Gusu,” former name of Suzhou.
苏
“(Su).” 姑苏 refers to the city of Suzhou.
城
“wall, city.” 城外 “outside the city walls.”
外
“outside, beyond.” 城外 “outside the city.”
寒
“cold.” 寒山寺 “Cold Mountain Temple” (Hanshan).
山
“mountain.” Element of the name 寒山寺.
寺
“temple (Buddhist).” 寒山寺 “Hanshan Temple.”
夜
“night.” 夜半 “midnight.”
半
“half.” 夜半 “midnight.”
钟
“bell.” 钟声 “the sound of the bell.”
声
“sound, voice.” 钟声 “the tolling.”
到
“to arrive, reach.” 到客船 “reaches the traveler’s boat.”
客
“guest, traveler.” 客船 “the traveler’s boat.”
船
“boat, ship.” 客船 “the foreigner’s boat.”
Literal Translation
The moon sets, the crow caws, frost fills the sky;
The river’s maples and the fishermen’s lights face my sorrowful sleep.
Outside the walls of Gusu, at Cold Mountain Temple,
The midnight bell’s toll reaches the traveler’s boat.
Historical and Biographical Context
This poem, 枫桥夜泊 (), “Night Mooring by Maple Bridge,” evokes a night of sleeplessness on a boat near Suzhou; it made famous the Hanshan Temple (寒山寺).
Literary Analysis
Structure and Form
A quatrain of seven characters. The first couplet accumulates nocturnal sensations; the second introduces, from afar, the sound of the bell that closes the poem.
Imagery and Symbolism
Setting moon, crow’s cry, frost, fishing lights: an atmosphere of cold and solitude, where every detail nourishes the traveler’s melancholy.
Movement and Gesture
The only “movement” in the second couplet is sound: the midnight bell crossing space and reaching the boat, breaking the silence.
Language and Tone
Dense and evocative language; the tone is one of quiet sorrow, where the distant sound of the bell soothes as much as it deepens the solitude.
Main Themes
The Traveler’s Solitude
Far from home, the poet stays awake, alone, in the middle of the night.
Nocturnal Melancholy
The night, the cold, and scattered sounds compose an inner landscape of restrained grief.
Sound and Silence
The midnight bell, emerging from afar, gives depth to the silence.
