Tang Dynasty
Song of the Evening River
Bai Juyi
一道残阳铺水中，半江瑟瑟半江红。
可怜九月初三夜，露似真珠月似弓。
Translation
A streak of fading sunlight spreads across the river; half the water gleams blue-green, half glows red. How lovely is the night of the third day of the ninth month: the dew is like pearls, and the moon is like a bow.
Analysis
"Song of the Evening River" is a short seven-character quatrain by Bai Juyi. In only four lines, it moves from sunset on the river to the first clear signs of autumn night: dew and a slender new moon. The first line presents the fading sunlight as something spread across the water. The verb "spreads" is crucial. The light does not merely shine; it lies across the surface like a band of silk, giving the river a calm, flat radiance. The second line is the poem's strongest color image. One half of the river appears blue-green, while the other half is red with sunset light. The contrast is simple but precise. At dusk, angled light can divide the river surface into different zones of color. The third line shifts the scene from evening to night. "How lovely" is the right sense of the Chinese phrase here; it means beautiful, delightful, or lovable, not pitiful. The date, the third night of the ninth lunar month, explains the thin new moon and the autumn dew. The final line gives two exact comparisons: dew like pearls, moon like a bow. The dew is low, round, and bright; the moon is high, narrow, and curved. Together they create a complete autumn-night image. The poem's beauty lies in its clarity. Bai Juyi uses ordinary words and direct images, but the observation is exact: sunset color, river surface, autumn dew, and the young crescent moon. There is no heavy emotion or philosophical argument. The poem simply preserves a brief transformation of light.
About the Author
Bai Juyi was one of the major poets of the Tang dynasty. His courtesy name was Letian, and he was also known as Xiangshan Jushi. He is famous for clear, accessible language and a strong concern with social reality. Together with Yuan Zhen, he promoted the New Yuefu movement, emphasizing poetry's relationship to public life and contemporary affairs. His works include social criticism, narrative poems, reflective leisure poems, and landscape pieces. Major works include "Song of Everlasting Regret," "The Pipa Player," "The Charcoal Seller," and "Spring Outing at Qiantang Lake."