Meng Haoran’s “Feeling Autumn in the Midst of Qin” (300 Tang Poems #129)

Meng Haoran (689-740)

孟浩然

Feeling Autumn in the Midst of Qin:

A Poem for Monk Yuan

秦中感秋

寄遠上人

I desire

a lonely hill to rest in,

一丘

常欲臥

With but three paths to friends,

yet it is hardship without wealth.

三徑

苦無資

I desire not

this Northern Capital:

北土

非吾願

It is you, my teacher, I miss,

at the Temple of the Eastern Forest.

東林

懷我師

I feed on gold

and burn cinnamon for warmth,

黃金

燃桂盡

Ambition weakening

year-by-year.

壯志

逐年衰

Day and night

the cold wind blows;

日夕

涼風至

I hear cicadas,

becoming still more sad.

聞蟬

但益悲

Traditional

Simplified

Pronunciation

孟浩然

孟浩然

Mèng hào rán

秦中感秋寄遠上人

秦中感秋寄远上人

Qín zhōng gǎn qiū jì yuǎn shàng rén

一丘常欲臥，

一丘常欲卧，

Yī qiū cháng yù wò，

三徑苦無資。

三径苦无资。

Sān jìng kǔ wú zī。

北土非吾願，

北土非吾愿，

Běi tǔ fēi wú yuàn，

東林懷我師。

东林怀我师。

Dōng lín huái wǒ shī。

黃金燃桂盡，

黄金燃桂尽，

Huáng jīn rán guì jìn，

壯志逐年衰。

壮志逐年衰。

Zhuàng zhì zhú nián shuāi。

日夕涼風至，

日夕凉风至，

Rì xī liáng fēng zhì，

聞蟬但益悲。

闻蝉但益悲。

Wén chán dàn yì bēi。

秦中感秋寄遠上人

Qin-province/Qin-Dynasty midst/middle/among feel/perceive
autumn/fall send/transmit/bestow Yuan/distant Above Man/person

[Feudal-state-of-Qin = Chang’an,
known as Xi’an city in the Shanxi province today. Chang’an was the capital of
Tang Dynasty. As it was located in the State of Qin, the poet used “Qin
middle” as a substitute], [Yuan Above Man = Yuan is the
name, “Above Man” is an honorific title for a Buddhist monk]

一丘常欲臥，

A/one hill/knoll frequent/often desire/want/long-for
lie-down/rest

[Note: this sentence means that the poet wanted to withdraw from society and live in solitude. A hill is
an allusion of the place where a recluse lives. This allusion stems from the Book Of Han. According to this book, Ban Si has said that even the whole world
could not replace the pleasure of reclusion in a knoll. Then people start to
use a knoll as an allusion of recluse residence.]

三徑苦無資。

Three footpaths/narrow-path hardship/bitter/suffering no
wealth/property

[Note: this sentence means that although the poet wanted
to live in seclusion, he didn’t have enough money to maintain a livelihood. “Three footpaths” involves a story in Han Dynasty.
Jiang Xu resigned his official position and returned to his hometown. His
residence was surrounded by weeds. He opened up three footpaths leading to his
recluse friends, Qiu Zhong and Yang Zhong, and one other. He only kept in
contacts with these friends.  Then the recluse poet Tao Yuanming (Jin Dynasty) used “three
footpaths” in his famous essay Homeward
Bound I Go. Afterwards, “three footpaths” became an allusion to recluse
living.]

北土非吾願，

Northern soil/earth/land not I desire/want/wish/ambition

[Northern Soil = refers to Qin, namely Chang’an,
because Chang’an was in the northwest of Tang Dynasty.], [願= desire. It is not the poet’s desire to stay in Chang’an;
i.e., he had no government ambitions]

東林懷我師。

Eastern Forest/grove miss/carry-in-bosom my teacher/master

[Eastern Forest = Donglin = the Donglin Temple. The
Donglin Temple is a Buddhist monastery located on Mount Lu in Jiangxi
Province. According to Biographies of
Eminent Monks, Hui Yuan, an eminent monk had
preached in Xilin Temple (literally “West Wood Temple”). Because
too many people came to visit him. The prefectural governor ordered construction
of a new temple in the east of Mount Lu, namely Donglin Temple. In this poem,
Donglin represents the place where eminent monks live.], [My teacher=
Buddhist monk Yuan]

黃金燃桂盡，

Yellow gold/money burn cinnamon/cassia use-up/deplete/run-out

[Note: According to Intrigues
of the Warring States, Su Qin told the king of Chu that in the Chu
Kingdom food was more expensive than jade and the firewood was more expensive
than cinnamon; seeing a visitor was as hard as seeing a
ghost, and seeing a king was as hard as seeing a god. Afterwards, feeding on
jade and burning cinnamon becomes an expression to indicate the hardship of
living. This line means that the poet could barely maintain a livelihood.]

壯志逐年衰。

Big/large/robust purpose/will one-by-one/chase year
decrease/weaken

[Big purpose = ambition], [one-by-one year = year-by-year]

日夕涼風至，

Day night/evening cold/cool wind/air reaches/arrives

[According to the Book of
Rites, “In July, the cool breeze comes, the white dew comes, and the
cicadas sing”.]

聞蟬但益悲。

Hear/listens cicadas still/yet/only/but/however more sad/sorrow/grief