— Li Shangyin
No cicadas trill when I first hear wild geese cry;
The high tower overlooks water blending with the sky.
The Moon Goddess and her Maid of Frost are cold-proof;
They vie in beauty in moonlight over frosty roof.
Note
Li Shangyin (c. 813–858) was a leading poet of the late Tang Dynasty, celebrated for his richly imaginative, allusive, and often enigmatic verse that blends myth, emotion, and philosophical reflection. His poetry frequently explores themes of solitude, beauty, and the tension between the mortal and the celestial.
His poem “Frost and Moon” captures the crisp clarity of early winter with ethereal elegance. The season has turned: the cicadas have fallen silent, and the first cry of migrating geese signals autumn’s end. From a lofty tower – “a hundred feet high” – the poet gazes out where river and sky seem to merge into one vast expanse.
Then, in a bold leap of imagination, he invokes two mythical goddesses: Qing Nü, the Frost Spirit, and Su E (Chang’e), the Moon Goddess. Both are unbothered by the cold; instead, they “vie in beauty” amid frost and moonlight – radiant, untouchable, and eternal. Their silent contest is not one of conflict, but of serene, luminous grace.
Through this celestial vision, Li Shangyin transforms a seasonal moment into a meditation on transcendent beauty, resilience in solitude, and the quiet majesty of the natural-cosmic order – hallmarks of his poetic genius.
霜月
— 李商隐
初闻征雁已无蝉，
百尺楼高水接天。
青女素娥俱耐冷，
月中霜里斗婵娟。
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