Mid-Autumn Night was written by Li Qiao, a poet of the Tang Dynasty.

1. Original text

"Mid-Autumn Night" by Li Qiao of the Tang Dynasty

The round soul is in the cold sky, and it is said that the whole world is the same. How do you know that there is no rain or wind thousands of miles away?

2. Translation

A bright moon rises in the night sky. They say that the moonlight is the same everywhere. How do you know that there are no violent storms thousands of miles away?

3. Notes

1. Yuanpo: refers to the full moon of the Mid-Autumn Festival.

2. An Zhi: How do you know?

4. Appreciation

1. This poem uses the moon of the Mid-Autumn Festival to show that everything in the world cannot be exactly the same, and there are huge differences.

2. This five-character quatrain writes that there is moonlight here and wind and rain there. The intention is for wind and rain, not for admiring the moon. Li Qiao had served as prime minister three times and was naturally very sensitive to the changes in the political arena. A bright moon high in the sky shines on the earth, and everyone says that the moonlight is equally bright everywhere tonight; but who can know that thousands of miles away, there will be no rain or violent wind?

3. This poem is titled Ode to the Moon, which reveals a truth: things in the world are very different and ever-changing, and they cannot all be the same. Just like the Mid-Autumn Festival night, the bright moon is in the sky here, but it is windy and rainy elsewhere.

5. Introduction to the author

Li Qiao (644-713), a poet of the Tang Dynasty. The word is Jushan. A native of Zanhuang, Zhaozhou (now in Hebei Province). Li Qiao had a certain role and influence on the development of rhymed poetry and songs in the Tang Dynasty. He was connected with Wang Bo and Yang Jiong, and was also known as the "Four Friends of Articles" together with Du Shenyan, Cui Rong, and Su Weiwei.