Du Mu: Late Autumn, Early Morning in Xin Ding

 

[updated October 2022]

 

Late Autumn, Early Morning in Xin Ding

 

秋 晚 早 发 新 定
解 印 书 千 轴
重 阳 酒 白 缸。
凉 风 满 红 树
晓 月 下 秋 江。
岩 壑 会 归 去
尘 埃 终 不 降。
悬 缨 未 敢 濯
严 濑 碧 淙 淙。
Qiu Wan Zao Fa Xin Ding

Jie yin shu qian zhou
Chong ri jiu bai gang.
Liang feng man hong shu
Xiao yue xia qiu jiang.

Yan he hui gui qu
Chen ai zhong bu jiang.
Xuan ying wei gan zhuo
Yan lai bi cong cong.

 

Late Autumn, Early Morning in Xin Ding

Time to change government seals, and write a thousand scrolls and books
Double Ninth days with a hundred jars of wine.
Cool breezes through trees full of red leaves
Upon the autumn river like the daybreak moon.

Someday I should return here with rock cliffs rising above big pools
Not bothered by the lack of this world’s dirt and dust.
Suspended tassel people cannot freely wash their feet
The Yan rapids with it’s bluish-green babbling.

 

Notes:

[In 848 AD, Du Mu was on his way from the capital to his next assignment.  Thus the time to change government seals.]

Double Ninth Days:  Major Chinese festival and tradition celebrated on the ninth day of the ninth month of the lunar calendar.  More commonly known as the Mid-Autumn Festival.