Yuan Dynasty
人月圆 · 卜居外家东园（一）
元好问
重冈已隔红尘断，
村落更年丰。
移居要就，
窗中远岫，
舍后长松。
十年种木，
一年种谷，
都付儿童。
老夫惟有，
醒来明月，
醉后清风。
Translation
Layer upon layer of hills have already cut me off from the red dust of the world; the village, moreover, has entered another year of abundance. I moved here because I wished for this: distant peaks framed in the window, and tall pines behind the house. Trees that take ten years to grow, grain that ripens in a single year — let all of that be left to the children. As for this old man, I have only the bright moon when I wake, and the clear wind after I am drunk.
Analysis
This song describes Yuan Haowen's late-life choice of a quiet dwelling away from worldly affairs. The title "Choosing a Residence at the Eastern Garden of My Maternal Family" suggests not merely a change of house, but a decision about how to live after long experience of political turmoil and historical loss. The opening line places the speaker beyond the "red dust," a traditional phrase for the noise, ambition, and entanglement of worldly life. The hills do not simply form scenery; they act as a barrier between the speaker and the world he has left behind. The following line, about the village enjoying a good harvest, gives the place a sense of peace and sufficiency. The middle lines describe the ideal residence: distant mountains in the window and tall pines behind the house. This is not luxury. It is the literati ideal of clarity, quietness, and companionship with natural forms. "Trees that take ten years to grow" and "grain that ripens in a single year" represent practical life: long-term cultivation and yearly livelihood. The speaker says these may all be left to the children. This is a gesture of withdrawal, not irresponsibility. He is handing over worldly management to the next generation. The final three lines are the heart of the piece. The old man claims only the moon when awake and the wind after drinking. Moon and wind cannot be owned in the ordinary sense, yet they are precisely what he values. This is a vision of late-life freedom: few possessions, little ambition, but deep intimacy with the natural world. The poem is not bitter. It is quiet, restrained, and self-possessed. Yuan Haowen does not dramatically reject the world; he simply steps away from it and finds enough in moonlight and wind.
About the Author
Yuan Haowen, courtesy name Yuzhi and literary name Yishan, was a major writer and historian of the late Jin and early Yuan periods. Born in Xiurong, Taiyuan, he was one of the most important literary figures of the Jin dynasty, accomplished in poetry, ci, qu, and prose. After the fall of the Jin, he devoted much effort to preserving Jin literary culture and compiled the influential anthology Zhongzhou ji. His works often express historical sorrow, memory of the fallen state, and reflections on rise and decline, while some late pieces turn toward landscape, retreat, and quiet living. His style is profound, somber, and emotionally substantial.