Yuan Dynasty
平湖乐 · 尧庙秋社
王恽
社坛烟淡散林鸦，
把酒观多稼。
霹雳弦声斗高下，
笑喧哗，
壤歌亭外山如画。
朝来致有，
西山爽气，
不羡日夕佳。
Translation
The smoke at the altar has thinned, and crows scatter from the woods. Holding wine, I look out over the abundant crops. Thunderous strings compete in high and low tones; laughter rises in noisy delight. Outside the Rangge Pavilion, the mountains are like a painting. Since morning there has been the fresh clarity of the western hills; I do not envy the evening beauty praised by Tao Yuanming.
Analysis
"Pinghu Tune · Autumn Community Festival at Yao Temple" depicts a harvest celebration at the Yao Temple. Autumn she was a seasonal rite honoring the earth god and giving thanks for the harvest. Wang Yun combines ritual, agriculture, music, public joy, and mountain scenery into a single image of local peace. The opening shows the aftermath of sacrifice. Smoke at the altar has faded, and crows disperse from the woods. The solemn ritual is ending, but its atmosphere remains. "Holding wine, I look out over the abundant crops" places the speaker within the scene. The crops matter more than scenery alone. For a literati official, a good harvest means security and well-being for the people. The thunderous music and loud laughter show that this is not a cold ritual, but a living festival. The people are not merely performing ceremony; they are celebrating. The mention of Rangge Pavilion carries a classical resonance. It recalls the ancient legend of people singing in contentment during the age of Emperor Yao. Since the setting is Yao Temple, the allusion links the local harvest celebration to an ideal of peaceful government and self-sufficient common life. The ending refers to Tao Yuanming's famous line about mountain air being beautiful at evening. Wang Yun says he does not envy that evening beauty. The morning freshness of the western hills, combined with harvest and public happiness, is enough. The song's real subject is not just landscape. It is landscape grounded in livelihood. Mountains are beautiful, but the deeper beauty lies in abundant crops, communal joy, and a sense that ordinary people are secure enough to celebrate.
About the Author
Wang Yun, courtesy name Zhongmou and literary name Qiujian, was a Yuan dynasty writer and statesman from Jixian in Weizhou. He served during the reigns of Kublai Khan and later Yuan rulers, holding posts such as Hanlin compiler, censor, and Hanlin academician. Known for upright character, administrative diligence, and literary learning, he authored Qiujian Xiansheng Daquan Wenji. Wang Yun wrote poetry, prose, ci, and sanqu, and was an important literati sanqu writer of the early Yuan. His songs combine refined literary sensibility with the natural rhythm of Yuan song, often blending scenery with historical feeling, public life, and personal reflection.