There is such a bright winter moon out tonight, just a bare sliver of a crescent, but so incredibly bright and cold, that I was inspired to find a translation of one of my favorite Han Dynasty poems.
N0.17
First Month of Winter: Cold Air Comes
First month of winter: cold air comes,
north winds sharp and cruel.
I have many sorrows, I know how long the night is,
looking up to watch the teeming ranks of stars.
Night of the fifteenth: a bright moon full;
twentieth night: toad and hare wane.*
A traveler came from far away,
put a letter into my hand;
at the top it spoke of “undying remembrance,”
at the bottom, of “parting long endured.”
I tucked it away inside my robe;
three years — not a word has dimmed.
With whole heart I offer my poor love,
fearful you may not see its worth.
* The dark and light areas on the surface of the moon were interpreted as the outlines of a toad and a hare who inhabit the moon.
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