On the occasion of the Mid-Autumn Festival (aka time to gorge on Mooncakes), I share with you 靜夜思 ("Quiet Night Thought"), a 1,300 year-old poem:
md
床前明月光
疑是地上霜
舉頭望明月
低頭思故鄉
The AABA rhyme scheme is accessible enough that generations of Chinese parents teach it to toddlers, giving hope to Chinese grandparents that their offspring are/will be geniuses.
md
Before my bed there's a pool of light
I wonder if it's frost on the ground
Looking up, I find the moon bright
Then bowing my head, I drown in homesickness
md
Moon shining bright front of my Bed
I think there is frost upon the ground.
I raise my head and gaze at the bright moon,
I bow my head and reminisce about my hometown.
md
Bright moonlight before my bed;
I suppose it is frost on the ground.
I raise my head to view the bright moon,
then lower it, thinking of my home village.
[quiet] [night] [think]
[bed] [front] [bright] [moon] [light]
[suspect] [is] [ground] [on] [frost]
[raise...
