Quiet Night Thought
Quiet Night Thought is a famous poem written by the Tang dynasty poet Li Bai.
Text
The text below is a Qing-dynasty version, with Mandarin pronunciation. It is taught to children in both Taiwanese and Chinese schools.| 《靜夜思》 | 《静夜思》 | "Jìng yè sī" | "Quiet Night Thoughts" |
疑是地上霜 舉頭望明月 低頭思故鄉 | 床前明月光 疑是地上霜 举头望明月 低头思故乡 | Yí shì dìshang shuāng Jǔtóu wàng míngyuè Dītóu sī gùxiāng | My casement veils glowing pools of moonbeams, Perhaps on the ground is simply frost it seems; Lifting my head I gaze up at the gleaming moon, Bowing my head I ponder my homesick dreams. |
Variants
There are other versions of this poem that replace "the bright moonlight" with "I see the moonlight" and/or "gazing at the bright moon" with "gazing at the mountain and the moon". The insertion of the character into poetry was common practice during the Ming dynasty, whose Chinese name features this character. For a 17th-century edition of the poem, see the example, with notes, in.List of variants
Background and evaluation
Li drew inspiration for the poem through personal experiences as a Confucian scholar detached from his hometown. In the times of Imperial China, scholars and artisans affiliated with the court were often detached from their hometowns for extended periods of times as part of their duties and loyalties as courtiers or worthy subjects to the Emperor of China. While it was expected in traditional Confucian ritual to remain a loyal subject to the Emperor and abide by the Emperor's wishes, filial piety also formed one of the foundations of Confucian thought, and emphasised upon the importance of embracing and honouring one's ancestry and roots. However, the Emperor was also considered the "Father" of all his subjects, and so his courtiers were also required to express their filial duties to the Emperor. Through the poem, Li Bai fulfils responsibilities of filial piety to both Emperor and his ascendants as he expresses his yearning for his hometown, in accordance with Confucian values, as well as obedience towards the sad obligation of remaining loyal to imperial edict, again in accordance to Confucian values of filial piety. Indeed, the poem alludes to the August moon and therefore the Mid-Autumn Festival. The Mid-Autumn Festival serves as a highly important festival in Chinese culture for its adherence to Chinese family values, and is traditionally associated with family reunion. Li is therefore lamenting over the impossibility of family reunion due to the importance of the imperial edict, yet stresses the importance of valuing one's origin even amidst the impossibility of reunion.The poem is one of Li's shi poems, structured as a single quatrain in five-character regulated verse with a simple AABA rhyme scheme. It is short and direct in accordance with the guidelines for shi poetry, and cannot be conceived as purely a personal poem, but as a poem relatable to all those detached from their hometowns out of obligation. Hence, in contrast to Li Bai's longer, more free-form gushi, "Quiet Night Thought" is vague, yet expresses solemnity and yearning through a combination of its night-time imagery and its spare form.
Quiet Night Thought has often been in talks in relation to Tang-dynasty scholars who served away from their native regions, where a disconnect from their families’ ancestral homes was a common experience. In Confucian culture, filial piety highlighted attachment to one’s origins, while loyalty to imperial service required great emotional restraint. The poem’s moon imagery, traditionally associated with memory and reunion in Chinese literature, situates the work within a broader cultural tradition rather than a purely personal reflection.