The white sun sinks into the western river;
The pale moon rises over the eastern ridge.
For ten thousand miles, its boundless radiance gleams;
Vast and clear, a brilliant expanse fills the sky.
The wind sweeps through the doors and windows;
In the dead of night, my pillow and mat grow cold.
Sensing the changing air, I realize the seasons shift;
Sleepless, I know the evening stretches on endlessly.
I wish to speak, but have no one to answer;
I raise my cup to urge on my solitary shadow.
The sun and moon cast men aside as they pass;
My ambitions remain unfulfilled, my spirit unbridled.
Reflecting on this, my heart is filled with sorrow;
Until daybreak, my mind cannot find peace.
Note
Historical Background: A Poet Facing Mortality
This poem is part of a twelve-poem series titled Miscellaneous Poems. The first eight poems share a consistent tone and are believed to have been written in the same year, around 418 CE (the fourteenth year of the Yixi era under Emperor An of Jin). Tao Yuanming was 54 years old at the time. In an era with a much shorter average lifespan, this was a time of deep reflection on aging and mortality.
The Vast Moonlight as a Mirror of the Soul
The poem opens with a breathtaking cosmic panorama: the setting sun and the rising moon illuminating ten thousand miles of the earth. This “boundless radiance” is not merely a description of nature; it is a projection of the poet’s own noble, broad-minded spirit. The vast, clear sky mirrors his own uncorrupted, luminous inner world.
The Solitary Shadow and the Cup
When the poet wishes to speak but finds no one to answer, he raises his cup to his “solitary shadow.” This is a classic trope in Chinese poetry representing profound loneliness and intellectual isolation. It echoes the famous lines of the later Tang poet Li Bai (“Raising my cup, I invite the moon, and my shadow makes us three”). For Tao, this gesture highlights the tragic gap between his vast inner world and his physical isolation.
The Cruelty of Time and Unfulfilled Ambitions
The core tragedy of this poem lies in the personification of time. The sun and moon do not just pass; they “cast men aside”, highlighting human powerlessness against the relentless march of time. “Unfulfilled ambitions” reveals that Tao was not entirely detached from worldly desires. Beneath his serene, pastoral exterior lay the lingering grief of a scholar whose ideals for a better society were never realized.
The Universal Significance of Melancholy
This poem is celebrated because it fuses the majestic, cosmic beauty of the moonlit sky with the deeply personal grief of unfulfilled potential. This combination of a noble, “light and clear” spirit with the anxiety of unachieved life goals creates a timeless resonance. It speaks to the universal human condition: the poignant awareness of our fleeting existence and the eternal yearning to leave a meaningful mark on the world. This profound philosophical depth is why the poem continues to inspire readers across generations.
杂诗十二首·其二
陶渊明〔魏晋〕
白日沦西河，素月出东岭。
遥遥万里晖，荡荡空中景。
风来入房户，夜中枕席冷。
气变悟时易，不眠知夕永。
欲言无予和，挥杯劝孤影。
日月掷人去，有志不获骋。
念此怀悲凄，终晓不能静。
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