[updated September 2022]
Stay Overnight in the Official’s Residence
宿 府
清 秋 幕 府 井 梧 寒
独 宿 江 城 蜡 炬 残。
永 夜 角 声 悲 自 语
中 天 月 色 好 谁 看？
风 尘 荏 苒 音 书 绝
关 塞 萧 条 行 路 难。
已 忍 伶 俜 十 年 事
强 移 栖 息 一 枝 安。
Su Fu
Qing qiu mu fu jing wu han
Du su jiang cheng la ju can
Yong ye Jiao sheng bei zi yu
Zhong tian yue se hao shei kan?
Feng chen cha ran yin shu jue
Guan sai xiao tiao xing lu nan.
Yi ren ling ping shi nian shi
Jiang yi qi xi yi zhi an.
Stay Overnight in the Official’s Residence
Clear autumn, outside my a room a cold well and a Chinese parasol tree
In Chengdu, staying overnight by myself, given just the stub
of a wax candle.
All night long, melancholy bugle sounds are a natural non-verbal communication
Who notices the wonderful colors of a moon in the center of the sky?
Travel fatigue, for a long time no letter from my family
Desolate and bleak strategic border strongholds, mountain passes make
highway travels difficult.
I have already had to endure ten years of lonely assignments
Changes demanding, trying to find a perch on one calm branch.
Notes:
Chinese parasol tree: Deciduous, ornamental, and fragrant tree native to Asia. The wood is used in several Chinese musical instruments, including the guqin and guzheng.
Chengdu: Ancient city and current capital of Sichuan Province.