Autumn Night
Huang Jingren (1749-1783 Qing Dynasty)
Empty, empty is the cassia hall,
where the water clock becomes stagnant,
and we, separated, know
the same autumn heart and bosom.
Oh, how happy you are, heavenly lovers,
Able to meet once a year, but for whom
do I stand alone, deep into the dewy night?
My heart is a lotus seed,
growing a bitter core,
my sorrow, a spring silkworm
wrapped in unbreakable threads.
The secluded orchid flowers have withered
before I could give up, and in this life
no way have we to ease the ache for love.
秋夕
[清] 黄景仁
桂堂寂寂漏声迟，
一种秋怀两地知。
羡儿女牛逢隔岁，
为谁风露立多时？
心如莲子常含苦，
愁似春蚕未断丝。
判逐幽兰共颓化，
此生无分了相思。
Pronunciation:
秋qiu1夕xi1
[清] 黄景仁
桂gui4 堂tang2 寂ji4 寂ji4 漏lou4 声sheng1 迟chi2
一yi1 种zhong3 秋qiu1 怀huai2 两liang3 地di4 知zhi1
羡xian4 儿er3 女nv3 牛niu2 逢feng2 隔ge2 岁sui4
为wei4 谁shei2 风feng1 露lu4 立li4 多duo1 时shi2
心xin1 如ru2 莲lian2 子zi3 常chang2 含han2 苦ku3
愁chou2 似si4 春chun1 蚕can2 未wei4 断duan4 丝si1
判pin1 逐zhu2 幽you1 兰lan2 共gong1 颓tui2 化hua4
此ci3 生sheng1 无wu2 分fen4 了liao3 相xiang1 思si1
Word-by-word exegesis
秋autumn夕night
[清] 黄Huang景仁Jingren
桂cassia堂hall寂寂empty, silent漏water clock声sound迟stagnant, slow
一one种kind秋autumn怀bosom, heart两two地place知know
羡admire儿you女maiden, Vega牛cowherd, Altair逢meet隔separate岁year
为for谁whom风wind露dew立stand多how时long？
心heart如alike莲lotus子seed常often含contain苦bitter
愁sorrow似comparable春spring蚕silkworm未not断break丝thread
判give up逐pursue幽secluded兰orchid共together 颓wither化dissolve
此this生life无no分share, part了satisfy相思lovesickness, mutual thoughts
Allusions:
The allusion of “cassia hall” is from one of Li Shangyin’s untitled poem, which reads “Last night’s star, last night’s wind, west of the painted pavilion, east of the cassia hall.”
The allusion of “spring silkworm” is from another of Li Shangyin’s untitled poem, which reads “The spring silkworm’s thread will only end when death comes; the candle will dry its tears until it turns to ashes.”
The word “lotus seed” is pronounced the same as “dote on you,” which becomes popular since the Music Bureau. And the lotus seed is then a metaphor for the bitterness in a heart.
桂堂：用典自李商隐《无题》：“昨夜星辰昨夜风，花楼西畔桂堂东”。
春蚕：用典自李商隐《无题》：“春蚕到死丝方尽，蜡炬成灰泪始干”。
莲子：自南朝乐府开始便常谐音“怜子”，以莲心喻人心之苦。
判：同“拼”，指舍弃、不顾惜。
About the author:
Huang Jingren (1749-1783), with a style name of Zhongze, was a resident of Wujin, Jiangsu. Huang Jingren said that his family were descendants from the great poet calligrapher Huang Tingjian (1045-1105) in Song Dynasty. He was orphaned at 4, and had reportedly written a couplet “one night rain in the river, fifth watch coldness on the pavilion” at nine. He took the lowest imperial examination at 16 and was the first among 3000 examinee. At 19 he married a girl from Zhao family, and from then he travelled to various parts of China to seek offices in order to support his family. At 28, in the 41st year of Qianlong Reign (1776), he was judged as the second for the nationwide competition, and then he was granted a low rank office in the capital in Beijing. However, when the family joined him, he found the salary was too meager. Four years later, he had to send his family back to the hometown. In 1783, he tried to join Shannxi Provincial governor in Xi’an, but fell ill in Yuncheng Shanxi. He died a premature death at 35.
黄景仁（1749-1783），字仲则，江苏常州武进人，自称是黄庭坚后人，祖籍江西，南渡后安家武进。四岁丧父，九岁写出“江头一夜雨，楼上五更寒”的佳句。十六岁童子试，三千人中名列第一。十九岁娶赵氏。其后为了养家，坎坷颠沛一生。二十三岁本可随安徽学政朱筠去京，但因母老未能同行；二十八岁，乾隆四十一年（1776），遂各省士子去天津献诗，考取二等，获授小官，随接家眷到北京。无奈俸禄太低，无法养家，三十二岁将家眷送回南方。三十五岁，想投靠陕西巡抚，体弱多病的他却在运城病故，随身衣物典当一尽，只有零篇断章狼藉几案。
Back-translation into Contemporary Chinese回译成现代汉语：
秋夜
空寂，空寂的桂堂中，
水漏变得迟滞，
相隔两地，我们体会的是
同一种秋怀秋心。
啊，你们多么幸福啊，天上的情侣，
一年还能得以一见，但是又是为谁
我独自伫立，在含露的深夜？
我的心是一粒莲子，
长了一颗苦心，
我的悲愁是春蚕一只，
裹缠着难以割断的丝线。
那幽隐的兰花已经凋谢
在我放弃之前，可这一生
我们有何能耐抚慰爱情之痛。
Huang Jingren (1749-1783 Qing Dynasty)
Empty, empty is the cassia hall,
where the water clock becomes stagnant,
and we, separated, know
the same autumn heart and bosom.
Oh, how happy you are, heavenly lovers,
Able to meet once a year, but for whom
do I stand alone, deep into the dewy night?
My heart is a lotus seed,
growing a bitter core,
my sorrow, a spring silkworm
wrapped in unbreakable threads.
The secluded orchid flowers have withered
before I could give up, and in this life
no way have we to ease the ache for love.
秋夕
[清] 黄景仁
桂堂寂寂漏声迟，
一种秋怀两地知。
羡儿女牛逢隔岁，
为谁风露立多时？
心如莲子常含苦，
愁似春蚕未断丝。
判逐幽兰共颓化，
此生无分了相思。
Pronunciation:
秋qiu1夕xi1
[清] 黄景仁
桂gui4 堂tang2 寂ji4 寂ji4 漏lou4 声sheng1 迟chi2
一yi1 种zhong3 秋qiu1 怀huai2 两liang3 地di4 知zhi1
羡xian4 儿er3 女nv3 牛niu2 逢feng2 隔ge2 岁sui4
为wei4 谁shei2 风feng1 露lu4 立li4 多duo1 时shi2
心xin1 如ru2 莲lian2 子zi3 常chang2 含han2 苦ku3
愁chou2 似si4 春chun1 蚕can2 未wei4 断duan4 丝si1
判pin1 逐zhu2 幽you1 兰lan2 共gong1 颓tui2 化hua4
此ci3 生sheng1 无wu2 分fen4 了liao3 相xiang1 思si1
Word-by-word exegesis
秋autumn夕night
[清] 黄Huang景仁Jingren
桂cassia堂hall寂寂empty, silent漏water clock声sound迟stagnant, slow
一one种kind秋autumn怀bosom, heart两two地place知know
羡admire儿you女maiden, Vega牛cowherd, Altair逢meet隔separate岁year
为for谁whom风wind露dew立stand多how时long？
心heart如alike莲lotus子seed常often含contain苦bitter
愁sorrow似comparable春spring蚕silkworm未not断break丝thread
判give up逐pursue幽secluded兰orchid共together 颓wither化dissolve
此this生life无no分share, part了satisfy相思lovesickness, mutual thoughts
Allusions:
The allusion of “cassia hall” is from one of Li Shangyin’s untitled poem, which reads “Last night’s star, last night’s wind, west of the painted pavilion, east of the cassia hall.”
The allusion of “spring silkworm” is from another of Li Shangyin’s untitled poem, which reads “The spring silkworm’s thread will only end when death comes; the candle will dry its tears until it turns to ashes.”
The word “lotus seed” is pronounced the same as “dote on you,” which becomes popular since the Music Bureau. And the lotus seed is then a metaphor for the bitterness in a heart.
桂堂：用典自李商隐《无题》：“昨夜星辰昨夜风，花楼西畔桂堂东”。
春蚕：用典自李商隐《无题》：“春蚕到死丝方尽，蜡炬成灰泪始干”。
莲子：自南朝乐府开始便常谐音“怜子”，以莲心喻人心之苦。
判：同“拼”，指舍弃、不顾惜。
About the author:
Huang Jingren (1749-1783), with a style name of Zhongze, was a resident of Wujin, Jiangsu. Huang Jingren said that his family were descendants from the great poet calligrapher Huang Tingjian (1045-1105) in Song Dynasty. He was orphaned at 4, and had reportedly written a couplet “one night rain in the river, fifth watch coldness on the pavilion” at nine. He took the lowest imperial examination at 16 and was the first among 3000 examinee. At 19 he married a girl from Zhao family, and from then he travelled to various parts of China to seek offices in order to support his family. At 28, in the 41st year of Qianlong Reign (1776), he was judged as the second for the nationwide competition, and then he was granted a low rank office in the capital in Beijing. However, when the family joined him, he found the salary was too meager. Four years later, he had to send his family back to the hometown. In 1783, he tried to join Shannxi Provincial governor in Xi’an, but fell ill in Yuncheng Shanxi. He died a premature death at 35.
黄景仁（1749-1783），字仲则，江苏常州武进人，自称是黄庭坚后人，祖籍江西，南渡后安家武进。四岁丧父，九岁写出“江头一夜雨，楼上五更寒”的佳句。十六岁童子试，三千人中名列第一。十九岁娶赵氏。其后为了养家，坎坷颠沛一生。二十三岁本可随安徽学政朱筠去京，但因母老未能同行；二十八岁，乾隆四十一年（1776），遂各省士子去天津献诗，考取二等，获授小官，随接家眷到北京。无奈俸禄太低，无法养家，三十二岁将家眷送回南方。三十五岁，想投靠陕西巡抚，体弱多病的他却在运城病故，随身衣物典当一尽，只有零篇断章狼藉几案。
Back-translation into Contemporary Chinese回译成现代汉语：
秋夜
空寂，空寂的桂堂中，
水漏变得迟滞，
相隔两地，我们体会的是
同一种秋怀秋心。
啊，你们多么幸福啊，天上的情侣，
一年还能得以一见，但是又是为谁
我独自伫立，在含露的深夜？
我的心是一粒莲子，
长了一颗苦心，
我的悲愁是春蚕一只，
裹缠着难以割断的丝线。
那幽隐的兰花已经凋谢
在我放弃之前，可这一生
我们有何能耐抚慰爱情之痛。
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