The Aphid Herd

Calla Lilly

Elijah

A Reverie in a Summer-House - A Poem by Meng Haoran

A Reverie in a Summer-House

The daylight fades behind the Western Mountains,

And in the east is seen the rising moon,

Which faintly mirrored in the garden fountains

Foretells that night and dreams are coming soon.

With window open-hair unloosed and flowing

I lie in restful ease upon my bed:

The evening breeze across the lilies blowing

With fragrant coolness falls upon my head.

And in the solemn stillness—all prevailing,

The fall of dewdrops from the tall bamboos—

Which grow in graceful rows along the railing—

Sounds through the silence soft as dove’s faint coos.

On such an eve as this I would be singing,

And playing plaintive tunes upon the lute,

And thus to mind old friends and pleasures bringing;

But none are here to join with harp and flute!

So in a pleasant stillness I lie dreaming

Of bygone days and trusty friends of old,

Among whom Sin-tze’s happy face is beaming;

I would my thoughts could now to him be told.

Meng Haoran - Well-known Idyllist of the Tang Dynasty

Meng Haoran, a native of Xiangyang in Xiangzhou (today's Xiangfan of Hubei Province), was a well-known idyllist of the Tang Dynasty.
Meng Haoran spent his first half of life attending his parents and reading books for self-ease. Later he lived in recluse in the Lumen Mountain for some time. At forty he traveled to the capital and took the imperial exam, which resulted in failure and he returned to Xiangyang. Thereafter, he traveled around the Wu and Yue region, viewing the beautiful landscape and dispelling the depression caused by failed political career.
Men Haoran's works are mostly five-word short poems. The subject matter is quite narrow, mainly focused on the description of landscapes, pastorals, reclusive or travel life, etc.