Member Poem

Autumn Song

 
Liu Yuxi (772 – 842)
 
 
Since ancient times we’ve felt the autumn’s silent solitude
And yet for me the autumn sun outshines a springtime dawn;
In clear blue skies, a row of cranes between the clouds above—
At ease I’m pleased with poetry until the night is drawn.
 
 

Chinese	Pronunciation
秋詞	Qiū Cí
劉禹錫	Liú Yǔxī
自古逢秋悲寂寥	Zì gǔ féng qiū bēi jì liáo
我言秋日勝春朝	Wǒ yán qiū rì shèng chūn zhāo
晴空一鶴排雲上	Qíng kōng yī hè pái yún shàng
便引詩情到碧宵	Biàn yǐn shī qíng dào bì xiāo

 
 
Transliteration and Notes
 
Autumn Song
 
Since ancient-times come-across autumn sorrow quiet desolate
I say autumn sun better-than spring morning
Clear skies one crane row clouds above
Easy draw-out poetic feeling until jade-blue night
 
Although late autumn traditionally carries a melancholy connotation as the green life of nature falls away to reveal desolate trees, the author expresses his admiration for the time of year. Melancholy is a thread that runs throughout poetry, and in the barren branches of autumn, the sun shines through and the sky is more visible. The poet takes delight in a row of cranes flying among the clouds and stays in this mood until nightfall.
 
Liu Yuxi was descended from nomadic people, but by this time, his family was well established in the Chinese aristocracy. He became a government official, either serving or being banished, depending on who was in power. As a poet, he exceled at the 7-character form, exemplified here.