poetry

A Pentatonic Moon: 5 poems from the Tang Dynasty

translated by C.L. Jiang & Emily Jiang, with music by Emily Jiang

I.  Moon by Xue Tao

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A small shape of a hook,

follows a fan of the Han.

The shadow of the moon is round,

which all of humankind can see.

 

 

II.  Moonlight, text from “Night Thoughts” by Li Bai

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Before my bed I see moonlight so white

I think it is frost on the ground.

I raise my head to look at the moon so bright

I bow my head, yearning for my hometown.

 

 

III.  Pavilion, excerpted from “The Yinwu Pavilion” by Yu Xuanji

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Spring flowers, autumn moon,

can be written into poems.

 

 

IV.  Lodge, text from “Bamboo Lodge” by Wang Wei

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Alone, I sit hidden in the bamboo grove.

As I strum my lyre, I whistle.

No one knows I am here deep in the woods.

Only the bright moon comes to shine on me.

 

 

V.  Full Moon by Du Fu

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A lonely moon illuminates the tower.

On the cold river flowing through the night,

the moon scatters restless gold across the waves

and shines on mats, colors enriched by moonlight.

 

Empty peaks, silence. Yet the landscape is whole

while the moon hangs high above sparse stars.

In my old garden, pine and cinnamon blossom.

Near or far, the moonlight reaches all.

EmilyJiangphotoEmily Jiang holds a B.A. in English from Rice University and an MFA in Creative Writing from Saint Mary’s College of California. She composes music anyway. She is the author of Summoning the Phoenix, an illustrated collection of poetry and prose about modern-day children playing traditional Chinese musical instruments.