–Du Fu
The sheep and cattle come to rest,
All thatched gates closed east and west.
The gentle breeze and the moon bright
Remind me of homeland at night.
Among rocks flow fountains unseen;
Autumn drips dewdrops on grass green.
The candle brightens white-haired head.
Why should its flame blaze up so red?
日暮
–杜甫
牛羊下来久，
各已闭柴门。
风月自清夜，
江山非故园。
石泉流暗壁，
草露滴秋根。
头白灯明里，
何须花烬繁。
Note
The Poem “After Sunset” , by Du Fu, is a five-character regulated verse that depicts the scene of a mountain village at dusk. Through delicate descriptions, the poem reveals the poet’s loneliness and his longing for home.
“Flocks of cattle and sheep have long returned from the fields, and every household has closed its thatched gate. The wind is clear and the moon bright—truly an enchanting night, yet these graceful mountains and rivers are not my homeland. Spring water gurgles down the stone walls, and dewdrops of autumn cling to the roots of grass. My grizzled hair glows in the bright lamplight—why should the flower-shaped wick splash with colorful sparks to announce some good news?”
This poem was composed in the autumn of the second year of the Dali era of Emperor Daizong of the Tang Dynasty (767 AD), during Du Fu’s later years when he wandered in the southwest of China. At that time, the poet resided in Kuizhou, living in hardship and poor health. Having witnessed the fall of the country, the destruction of his family, and the decline of people’s livelihoods after the An Lushan Rebellion, Du Fu was filled with sorrow and homesickness. As dusk fell, he wandered alone in the mountains, seeing cattle and sheep returning to their pens and firewood gates tightly closed. Moved by the scene, he wrote this poem.
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