Birthday poem · September 17The season of the Mid-Autumn moon, in the White Dew period.
Birth character
明 míng · bright
明 puts 日 "sun" beside 月 "moon"; it means bright.
明月松間照
“Bright moon shines through the pines” — Wang Wei, ‘Autumn Evening in the Mountains’
The poem
“Prelude to Water Melody (When Will the Moon Be Clear?)” 水調歌頭（明月幾時有）
- 明月幾時有míng yuè jǐ shí yǒuWhen did the bright moon first appear?
- 把酒問青天bǎ jiǔ wèn qīng tiānCup in hand, I ask the blue sky.
- 不知天上宮闕bù zhī tiān shàng gōng quèI do not know, in the palaces of heaven,
- 今夕是何年jīn xī shì hé niánwhat year it is tonight.
- ……(…)
- 人有悲歡離合rén yǒu bēi huān lí héPeople have sorrow and joy, parting and reunion;
- 月有陰晴圓缺yuè yǒu yīn qíng yuán quēthe moon is dim or bright, full or waning.
- 此事古難全cǐ shì gǔ nán quánSince ancient times, this has never been complete.
- 但願人長久dàn yuàn rén cháng jiǔI only wish that we may live long;
- 千里共嬋娟qiān lǐ gòng chán juānthough miles apart, we'll share the beauty she displays.
Why this poem
Su Shi at mid-autumn: may we live long and share the moon a thousand miles apart.
This day in the Chinese calendar
Solar term: White Dew. Near the season of the Mid-Autumn moon.