"Mooring at Maple Bridge at Night" is a poem written by Chinese poet Zhang Ji. The following is the full text, translation, related background and author's introduction:

Full text:

The moon is setting, the crows are crying, the sky is full of frost, the river maples are fishing and the fire is facing melancholy.

At Hanshan Temple outside Gusu City, the bell rang at midnight to reach the passenger ship.

Translation:

The moon has set, the crows are crowing, and the night frost covers the entire sky. Melancholy is intertwined among the maple trees and fishing boats on the riverside.

In the middle of the night, the bells of Hanshan Temple outside Suzhou City reached the passenger ship.

Source:

"Mooring at Maple Bridge at Night" comes from the famous work "Pastoral Miscellany in Four Seasons" by Zhang Ji, a writer and calligrapher in the Northern Song Dynasty. Zhang Ji lived in the Jiangnan area during the Northern Song Dynasty. He was good at describing natural scenery and pastoral life. This poem was created when he was describing the night scenery of Jiangnan.

Creative background:

The creative background of this poem is said to be what Zhang Ji saw and felt during a night voyage. He took a boat and moored by the Maple Bridge at night, and saw the scene of the moon setting, the crows crowing, and Jiang Feng fishing fire, and he felt deeply lonely and melancholy. At the same time, he also heard the bells of Hanshan Temple in the distance. This lonely sound further added to his inner loneliness and nostalgia.

Use environment:

This poem describes the night scenery of Jiangnan and people's living conditions. Through the depiction of natural and cultural landscapes, it expresses the poet's inner melancholy and nostalgia. This unique landscape description technique and emotional expression make "Mooring at Maple Bridge at Night" a classic in ancient Chinese poetry.

About the author:

Zhang Ji (1085-1145), courtesy name Bochun, was born in Shijiu Mountain and was known as Zhang Shigong in the world. A writer and calligrapher from the Jiangnan region in the Northern Song Dynasty. His works depict natural scenery and pastoral life as themes, with fresh and simple forms and profound artistic conceptions. In his works, he focuses on expressing his thoughts and perceptions about life through the description of natural scenery. His representative works include "Two Poems on the Autumn Night When Dawn is Coming Out of the Fence Gate to Welcome the Coolness" and "Village Residence". Zhang Ji's poems had an important influence on later generations, and he is regarded as one of the representatives of the Jiangnan Poetry School.