<p>《望月有怀》- Have some thoughts while watching the moon</p>
<p>清泉映疏松, - clear stream reflects sparse pines</p>
<p>不知几千古。 - I don't know (it has been like this for) how many thousands of years</p>
<p>寒月摇清波, - the cold moon (reflection) swaying on the clear water</p>
<p>流光入窗户。 - flowing (gentle) light enters the window</p>
<p>对此空长吟, - facing all these I can only sigh (空 =have no choice/ can only)</p>
<p>思君意何深。 - (Can't describe) how deeply I think of you</p>
<p>无因见安道, - No chance to see 安道 (his friend's name) (for a long time or ever again)</p>
<p>兴尽愁人心。 - Sadness filled my heart after the joy ended (they were joyously keeping each other company before they parted)</p>
<p>According to <a href="https://www.gushiwen.cn/shiwenv_f6fcec5856ad.aspx" rel="nofollow noreferrer">古诗文网</a></p>
<blockquote>
<p><strong>安道</strong>：即<strong>戴安道</strong>，作者与其为好友。</p>
</blockquote>
<p>&quot;<strong>Andao</strong>&quot; here refers to &quot;<strong>Dai Andao</strong>&quot;, he was the author's good friend</p>
<blockquote>
<p>So... my doubt is: may be 李白 quoting that reference?</p>
</blockquote>
<p>It refers to 王子猷雪夜访戴安道事 the event of Wang Ziyu visiting Dai Andao on a snowy night.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-11-08T14:44:54.197Z
Thanks so much for your explanation (upvoted)! Especially for the clarification about "安道" in the 7th line!
Starnuto di topo
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-11-08T13:23:04.817Z
2024-11-09T13:38:11.910Z
2024-11-09T13:38:11.910Z
Tang Ho
<p>My <em>very</em> amateurish attempt.</p>
<p>As an overly direct translation may not capture the essence, as I see it, of the poem, I therefore opt for minimal paraphrasing as I see fit. Any mistranslation is of course my own.</p>
<p>《<strong>望月有怀</strong>》- (<strong>Yearning in the Moonlight</strong>)</p>
<p>清泉映疏松，- Spring waters reflect slender pines,</p>
<p>不知几千古。- For some thousand years untold.</p>
<p>寒月摇清波，- Frigid moon moves the tide,</p>
<p>流光入窗户。- Light beams through the windows.</p>
<p>对此空长吟，- Chanting is all in vain,</p>
<p>思君意何深。- So deep is my yearning.</p>
<p>无因见安道，- Met not dear An Dao,</p>
<p>兴尽愁人心。- Heart full of sorrow now.</p>
<p><strong>Note on Edict:-</strong></p>
<p>That 安道 is a person seems to make a lot of sense in the context as I too have struggled long and hard on this, especially reconciling it with the following line. The &quot;dear&quot; is added to make clear that An Dao <em><strong>is</strong></em> a person.</p>
<p>As for &quot;appreciating&quot; the poem, it is, in my view, a poem well within the standard genre of Li Bai's many &quot;romantic&quot; poems of bringing up a wellspring of nostalgic emotions, and of yearning for long lost companionships he used to enjoy, (but now just memories), whenever he gazed at the moon, and also the part played by Nature in enhancing, echoing, those emotions.</p>
<p>Hence, besides the ever present nightly Moon, there is the clear spring waters reflecting ancient pines, cold light beaming through windows, etcetera , and the hopeless despair of &quot;chanting&quot;, of repeatedly wishing, &quot;praying&quot; for the impossible return of the unattainable past.</p>
<p>And therefore the deeper is the yearning, the greater will be the sorrows felt.</p>
<p>The poem is, I suppose, an advice to not dwell on the distant past, however difficult it may be whenever we see the Moon, but to live in the happy present and a hopeful future.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-11-08T15:13:41.690Z
2024-11-09T04:33:01.093Z
2024-11-09T04:33:01.093Z
Wayne Cheah
<p>Here's my attempt to translate 《望月有怀》, by 李白:</p>
<blockquote>
<p><strong>《望月有怀》</strong></p>
<p>清泉映疏松,</p>
<p>不知几千古。</p>
<p>寒月摇清波,</p>
<p>流光入窗户。</p>
<p>对此空长吟,</p>
<p>思君意何深。</p>
<p>无因见安道,</p>
<p>兴尽愁人心。</p>
</blockquote>
<p><strong>&quot;Meditation under the full moon&quot; (there's a full moon and I think)</strong></p>
<p>Clear springs (清泉) mirror (映) sparse pines (疏松),</p>
<p>many thousands years old (不知, don't know, 几 how many, 千 thousand, 古 old).</p>
<p>A cold (寒) moon (月) touches (摇) the pure (清) waves (波);</p>
<p>sparkling (流), rays of light (光) come (入) through the window (窗户).</p>
<p>I have a long (长) moan (吟) toward this sky (对此空):</p>
<p>How deeply (深) I miss you!</p>
<p>It is nonsense (无因) to watch (见) the calm (安) road (道),</p>
<p>I lost any interest (兴尽) in worring about (愁) the feelings of people (人心).</p>
<hr />
<p>I apologize for my poor understanding. Any hint in translation would be helpful.</p>
<p>Also, can some comment be provided, to help me appreciate the poem?</p>
<p><strong>Update:</strong></p>
<p>I have some issues about line 7:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>无因见安道,</p>
</blockquote>
<p>in particular with &quot;安道&quot;.</p>
<p>Among the answers, <a href="https://chinese.stackexchange.com/a/59296/11269">this</a> translates it to:
&quot;No chance to see 安道&quot;, while <a href="https://chinese.stackexchange.com/a/59297/11269">this</a> (edited afterwards) to: &quot;Give up the peaceful way ahead&quot; .</p>
<p>In <a href="https://poezia.ru/authors/alelnik/works" rel="nofollow noreferrer">another site</a>, Алёна Алексеева reports this reference:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Когда Ван Цзы-ю жил в Шаньине, [однажды] ночью пошел сильный снег. [Ван] проснулся, отворил дверь, велел принести вина — а кругом сияющая белизна. Тогда [Ван] встал и отправился бродить, читая вслух стихи Цзо Сы «Призывание сокрывшегося от мира». Вдруг подумал [он] о Дай Ань-дао, а Дай в ту пору жил в Янь, и [Ван] ночью сел в маленькую лодку и поплыл к нему. Добрался только к утру, подошел к дверям [дома Дая], но входить не стал, а повернул назад. [Вана] спросили: отчего? Ван отвечал: — Я сел в лодку, будучи в радости, но радость прошла, и [я] отправился назад — к чему [теперь] мне видеться с Даем! (из сборника Лю Ицина «Новое изложение рассказов, в свете ходящих» пер. И.А. Алимова)</p>
</blockquote>
<p>that says, more or less:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>When Wang Ziyu was living in Shanyin, one night it snowed heavily. Wang awoke, opened the door, asked for wine — all around him was radiant whiteness. Then he set out for a walk, reciting aloud the verses of 左思 (Zuo Si)'s &quot;招隐&quot;. Suddenly, he thought of Dai Andao, who was then living in Shàn. That night, Wang got into a small boat and rowed to visit him. He arrived only by morning, approached Dai’s door, but did not go in; instead, he turned back. When asked why, Wang answered: “I set out in joy, but the joy faded, and I turned back — what use would it be to meet with Dai now!” (from Liu Yiqing's New Account of Tales of the World, translated by I.A. Alimov)&quot;</p>
</blockquote>
<p>So... my doubt is: may be 李白 quoting that reference?</p>

<translation><poetry>
Need help to translate and understand《望月有怀》, by 李白
# Need help to translate and understand《望月有怀》, by 李白

(Asked by: username_0 on 2024-11-08)

Here's my attempt to translate 《望月有怀》, by 李白:

> **《望月有怀》**
>
> 清泉映疏松,
>
> 不知几千古。
>
> 寒月摇清波,
>
> 流光入窗户。
>
> 对此空长吟,
>
> 思君意何深。
>
> 无因见安道,
>
> 兴尽愁人心。

**"Meditation under the full moon" (there's a full moon and I think)**

Clear springs (清泉) mirror (映) sparse pines (疏松),

many thousands years old (不知, don't know, 几 how many, 千 thousand, 古 old).

A cold (寒) moon (月) touches (摇) the pure (清) waves (波);

sparkling (流), rays of light (光) come (入) through the window (窗户).

I have a long (长) moan (吟) toward this sky (对此空):

How deeply (深) I miss you!

It is nonsense (无因) to watch (见) the calm (安) road (道),

I lost any interest (兴尽) in worring about (愁) the feelings of people (人心).

---

I apologize for my poor understanding. Any hint in translation would be helpful.

Also, can some comment be provided, to help me appreciate the poem?

**Update:**

I have some issues about line 7:

> 无因见安道,

in particular with "安道".

Among the answers, [this](https://chinese.stackexchange.com/a/59296/11269) translates it to:
"No chance to see 安道", while [this](https://chinese.stackexchange.com/a/59297/11269) (edited afterwards) to: "Give up the peaceful way ahead" .

In [another site](https://poezia.ru/authors/alelnik/works), Алёна Алексеева reports this reference:

> Когда Ван Цзы-ю жил в Шаньине, [однажды] ночью пошел сильный снег. [Ван] проснулся, отворил дверь, велел принести вина — а кругом сияющая белизна. Тогда [Ван] встал и отправился бродить, читая вслух стихи Цзо Сы «Призывание сокрывшегося от мира». Вдруг подумал [он] о Дай Ань-дао, а Дай в ту пору жил в Янь, и [Ван] ночью сел в маленькую лодку и поплыл к нему. Добрался только к утру, подошел к дверям [дома Дая], но входить не стал, а повернул назад. [Вана] спросили: отчего? Ван отвечал: — Я сел в лодку, будучи в радости, но радость прошла, и [я] отправился назад — к чему [теперь] мне видеться с Даем! (из сборника Лю Ицина «Новое изложение рассказов, в свете ходящих» пер. И.А. Алимова)

that says, more or less:

> When Wang Ziyu was living in Shanyin, one night it snowed heavily. Wang awoke, opened the door, asked for wine — all around him was radiant whiteness. Then he set out for a walk, reciting aloud the verses of 左思 (Zuo Si)'s "招隐". Suddenly, he thought of Dai Andao, who was then living in Shàn. That night, Wang got into a small boat and rowed to visit him. He arrived only by morning, approached Dai’s door, but did not go in; instead, he turned back. When asked why, Wang answered: “I set out in joy, but the joy faded, and I turned back — what use would it be to meet with Dai now!” (from Liu Yiqing's New Account of Tales of the World, translated by I.A. Alimov)"

So... my doubt is: may be 李白 quoting that reference?

**Tags:** translation, poetry


---

## 2 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2024-11-08. Score: 3 | Accepted answer

《望月有怀》- Have some thoughts while watching the moon

清泉映疏松, - clear stream reflects sparse pines

不知几千古。 - I don't know (it has been like this for) how many thousands of years

寒月摇清波, - the cold moon (reflection) swaying on the clear water

流光入窗户。 - flowing (gentle) light enters the window

对此空长吟, - facing all these I can only sigh (空 =have no choice/ can only)

思君意何深。 - (Can't describe) how deeply I think of you

无因见安道, - No chance to see 安道 (his friend's name) (for a long time or ever again)

兴尽愁人心。 - Sadness filled my heart after the joy ended (they were joyously keeping each other company before they parted)

According to [古诗文网](https://www.gushiwen.cn/shiwenv_f6fcec5856ad.aspx)

> **安道**：即**戴安道**，作者与其为好友。

"**Andao**" here refers to "**Dai Andao**", he was the author's good friend

> So... my doubt is: may be 李白 quoting that reference?

It refers to 王子猷雪夜访戴安道事 the event of Wang Ziyu visiting Dai Andao on a snowy night.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Thanks so much for your explanation (upvoted)! Especially for the clarification about "安道" in the 7th line!  

---

### Answer by username_2 on 2024-11-08. Score: 2

My *very* amateurish attempt.

As an overly direct translation may not capture the essence, as I see it, of the poem, I therefore opt for minimal paraphrasing as I see fit. Any mistranslation is of course my own.

《**望月有怀**》- (**Yearning in the Moonlight**)

清泉映疏松，- Spring waters reflect slender pines,

不知几千古。- For some thousand years untold.

寒月摇清波，- Frigid moon moves the tide,

流光入窗户。- Light beams through the windows.

对此空长吟，- Chanting is all in vain,

思君意何深。- So deep is my yearning.

无因见安道，- Met not dear An Dao,

兴尽愁人心。- Heart full of sorrow now.

**Note on Edict:-**

That 安道 is a person seems to make a lot of sense in the context as I too have struggled long and hard on this, especially reconciling it with the following line. The "dear" is added to make clear that An Dao ***is*** a person.

As for "appreciating" the poem, it is, in my view, a poem well within the standard genre of Li Bai's many "romantic" poems of bringing up a wellspring of nostalgic emotions, and of yearning for long lost companionships he used to enjoy, (but now just memories), whenever he gazed at the moon, and also the part played by Nature in enhancing, echoing, those emotions.

Hence, besides the ever present nightly Moon, there is the clear spring waters reflecting ancient pines, cold light beaming through windows, etcetera , and the hopeless despair of "chanting", of repeatedly wishing, "praying" for the impossible return of the unattainable past.

And therefore the deeper is the yearning, the greater will be the sorrows felt.

The poem is, I suppose, an advice to not dwell on the distant past, however difficult it may be whenever we see the Moon, but to live in the happy present and a hopeful future.


---

