The Most Beautiful Chinese Poetry About the Moon | Language
Despite his power and uncompromising nature, Cao Cao (曹操), the famous warlord who paved the way for the founding of the State of Wei in the Three Kingdoms period (220 - 280), was utterly resigned on one matter. As he wrote in a poem:
It took another 1,700 years before mankind finally made that giant leap and ended Cao Cao’s sorrow on July 16, 1969. Today, several countries in the world, including China, have lunar exploration programs. At the time of writing, China’s Jade Rabbit-2 lunar rover has stayed on the far side of the moon for over 950 days. In 2020, China also launched its Chang’e-5 probe, which brought back rock samples from the moon. The PRC expects to send astronauts to the moon around 2030.
Looking back, ancient Chinese poets developed a strong attachment to the celestial, a common theme in their works. Besides human curiosity, these romantic ideas and emotional attachment to the heavens have inspired mankind’s exploration of outer space: China’s Mars probe is named Tianwen-1, after one of poet-official Qu Yuan’s (屈原) famous works, “Heavenly Questions (《天问》)”.
Cao Cao was not alone in wondering about reaching out to the moon, with lunar themes found in many Chinese poems. The greatest romantic poet in Chinese history, Li Bai (李白), also had the same idea.
Why is it impossible to climb to the bright moon,
People today haven’t seen the moon in ancient times,
but the moon today has shone over the ancient people.
Past or present, people are like water ever-flowing,
but the moon they share remains unchanged.
今人不见古时月，
今月曾经照古人。
古人今人若流水，
共看明月皆如此。
Echoing his ideas was poet Zhang Ruoxu (张若虚), who lived a few decades before Li Bai, and whose poem “A Moonlit Night on the Spring River (《春江花月夜》)” was widely regarded as one of the best works of the Tang dynasty (618 – 907). In this 252-word poem, Zhang used the character “yue” (月, moon) 27 times, for example:
Of course, when the famously wine-loving poet Li Bai was drunk, the task of reaching out to the moon seemed a lot less daunting:
and we are about to fly into the sky and pull the moon into our arms.
The moon is frequently depicted in ancient Chinese poetry and prose, and used to reflect the writer's emotions. A crescent moon or a waning moon represents sorrow:
寂寞梧桐深院锁清秋。
Thinking of you, I am like the moon at the full,
Men have sorrow and joy; they part or meet again;
The moon is bright or dim and she may wax or wane.
There has been nothing perfect since the olden days.
So let us wish that man will live long as he can！
Though miles apart, we’ll share the beauty she displays.
但愿人长久，千里共婵娟。
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