Birthday poem · August 17Start of Autumn, the 13th solar term: autumn begins in the traditional calendar.

Birthday poem card for August 17: “Autumn Evening in the Mountains” by Wang Wei. Birth character 泉, spring, fountain.

Birth character

泉 quán · spring, fountain

泉 is a picture of water coming out from rock; it means a spring.

清泉石上流
“Clear spring water runs over the stones.” — Wang Wei, ‘Autumn Evening in the Mountains’

Other dates with this poem: October 17

The poem

“Autumn Evening in the Mountains” 山居秋暝

  1. 空山新雨後kōng shān xīn yǔ hòuIn empty hills after a new rain,
  2. 天氣晚來秋tiān qì wǎn lái qiūThe air of evening turns to autumn.
  3. 明月松間照míng yuè sōng jiān zhàoBright moon shines through the pines;
  4. 清泉石上流qīng quán shí shàng liúClear spring water runs over the stones.
  5. 竹喧歸浣女zhú xuān guī huàn nǚBamboo stirs—washerwomen coming home;
  6. 蓮動下漁舟lián dòng xià yú zhōuLotus moves—a fishing boat goes down.
  7. 隨意春芳歇suí yì chūn fāng xiēLet spring fragrance fade as it will;
  8. 王孫自可留wáng sūn zì kě liúA noble guest may still remain.

Wang Wei 王維 · Tang dynasty · 701–761 · five-character verse

English translation by Poetune.

Read “Autumn Evening in the Mountains” in full, with notes →

Why this poem

Wang Wei in the hills after autumn rain: moonlight in the pines, a spring over stones.

This day in the Chinese calendar

Solar term: Start of Autumn.

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