The Moon

AnonymousJinzhang Book Company (Jinzhang Shuju) · ChinaJul 2024

2.4

Word count: 3.6K words
Chapters: 49

Summary

Brief glances—how can they come true? Let the slow light not startle us yet. Orioles can sing "Ziye"; butterflies know how to dance over the palace city. Willows marvel that their brows are both too pale; peaches suspect their powder is too light. The years have their own moods and forms—why should I dread my whole life?

Editor's review

This anonymous poem titled "The Moon" opens with moonlight but turns its brush to spring images—oriole song, butterfly dance, willow brows, peach powder. Between brief glances and slow light, it reveals a composed regard for the passing of the years. The lines "Willows marvel that their brows are both too pale; peaches suspect their powder is too light" personify willow and peach, giving natural scenery awareness and feeling; the language is light yet ingenious. The closing couplet, "The years have their own moods and forms—why should I dread my whole life?", moves from scene to person, distilling reflection on time into an attitude that neither avoids nor fears life. The poem is short with dense imagery, suited to repeated recitation in quiet moments, to appreciate its turn from scene to feeling. Since the author is anonymous and background material limited, readers need not insist on identifying the occasion; they may enjoy it as an independent lyric short piece. For readers who love classical poetic imagery and restrained emotional expression, this poem offers space for close reading; those expecting narrative or clear historical background may find the information insufficient.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who love classical lyric short poems and enjoy savoring imagery
Enthusiasts who want light classical poetry reading in fragmented time
Students interested in personified landscape description and restrained emotional expression
Chinese-language teaching or recitation users who need short classical poem materials

Not a good fit for

Readers who prefer long narrative or clear historical background
Researchers who need detailed author biography and compositional context
Beginner readers expecting modern vernacular interpretation and extensive annotations

Reading tips

First read it aloud twice to feel the rhythm and rhyme, then appreciate the connections between images line by line.
Focus on the personification in "willows marvel" and "peaches suspect," and consider why the poet chose "marvel" and "suspect."
Compare the final line, "why should I dread my whole life?", with the spring scene before it, and feel the turn from scene to feeling.
Do not insist on identifying the author's occasion; treat it as an independent short poem, recite it repeatedly, and record personal responses.

About the publisher

Jinzhang Book Company (Jinzhang Shuju) China · Founded in 1901

Jinzhang Book Company (Jinzhang Shuju) was a private publishing and distribution house in Shanghai during the late Qing and early Republican periods, issuing traditional works by lithographic printing. Judging from the 1,194 titles in the collection, its publishing focused on classical poetry, Eastern philosophy, historical reading, traditional Chinese medical texts, and canonical works, along with books on literary appreciation. Representative titles include the poetry and prose collections of Du Fu and Ouyang Xiu; historical works such as the Book of Han and Zizhi Tongjian; classical texts such as the Book of Documents and Mencius; and specialized and literary classics such as Treatise on Cold Damage and Li Sao. Its author resources cover major figures across the ages, including Du Fu, Ban Gu, Sima Guang, Zhang Zhongjing, Qu Yuan, Ouyang Xiu, and Tang Shenwei, reflecting the house's characteristic reliance on traditional scholarship and medical literature while serving general readers. Public information on its early history and operational details is limited, so no conjecture is offered here.

版权信息
卷540_177【俳谐】李商隐
卷540_178【细雨】李商隐
卷540_179【商於新开路】李商隐
卷540_180【题郑大有隐居】李商隐
卷540_181【夜饮】李商隐
卷540_182【江上】李商隐
卷540_183【凉思】李商隐
卷540_184【鸾凤】李商隐
卷540_185【李卫公（德裕）】李商隐
卷540_186【韦蟾（一作寄怀韦蟾）】李商隐
卷540_187【自贶】李商隐
卷540_188【蝶】李商隐
卷540_189【夜意】李商隐
卷540_190【因书】李商隐
卷540_191【奉寄安国大师兼简子蒙】李商隐
卷540_192【闲游】李商隐
卷540_193【县中恼饮席】李商隐
卷540_194【题李上谟壁】李商隐
卷540_195【江村题壁】李商隐
卷540_196【即日】李商隐
卷540_197【漫成五章】李商隐
卷540_198【射鱼曲】李商隐
卷540_199【日高】李商隐
卷540_200【宫中曲】李商隐
卷540_201【海上谣】李商隐
卷540_202【李夫人三首】李商隐
卷540_203【景阳宫井双桐】李商隐
卷540_204【秋日晚思】李商隐
卷540_205【春宵自遣】李商隐
卷540_206【七夕偶题】李商隐
卷540_207【灵仙阁晚眺寄郓州韦评事】李商隐
卷540_208【幽居冬暮】李商隐
卷540_209【过姚孝子庐偶书】李商隐
卷540_210【赋得月照冰池】李商隐
卷540_211【永乐县所居一草一木无非自栽今春悉已芳茂因书即事一章】李商隐
卷540_212【南潭上亭宴集以疾后至因而抒情】李商隐
卷540_213【寒食行次冷泉驿】李商隐
卷540_214【寄华岳孙逸人】李商隐
卷540_215【戏题赠稷山驿吏王全】李商隐
卷540_216【和韦潘前辈七月十二日夜泊池州城下先寄上李使君】李商隐
卷540_217【花下醉】李商隐
卷540_218【所居永乐县久旱，县宰祈祷得雨，因赋诗】李商隐
卷五百四十一
卷541_1【正月十五夜闻京有灯，恨不得观】李商隐
卷541_2【赠赵协律皙】李商隐
卷541_3【摇落】李商隐
卷541_4【滞雨】李商隐
卷541_5【偶题二首】李商隐

FAQ

Who wrote this poem, and is there clear background?

The material lists the author as anonymous, with no reliable information on life or compositional background. When reading, you can appreciate it as an independent classical lyric short poem; there is no need to insist on verifying the author's identity or specific occasion. Focus on the expression of imagery and emotion.

How should one understand "Willows marvel that their brows are both too pale; peaches suspect their powder is too light"?

These two lines use personification to write of willow and peach: the willow seems surprised that its brow color is too pale, the peach as if suspecting its powder is too light. The poet gives natural scenery awareness and feeling, depicting the spring scene while revealing light ingenuity; these are the most crafted lines in the whole piece.

How is this short poem best read?

It suits slow reading and recitation: first feel the rhythm and imagery, then appreciate the emotional turn from spring scene to "the years have their own moods and forms." The piece is short and can be read aloud repeatedly; there is no need to seek depth all at once—the point is to savor the layers of language and emotion.

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About the author

Anonymous Author

Anonymous is not a real personal name but a general Chinese designation for authors whose names are unknown, lost, or unsigned. Neither nationality nor dates of birth and death can be verified, and available public information is limited, so the works attributed to this name are the only basis for description. The collection holds 2,078 works under Anonymous, spanning medicine, classics, historical readings, ancient poetry, classical literature, and philosophy. Representative works include The Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon: Lingshu, Mencius, The Book of Documents, Nineteen Old Poems, Complete Song Ci, and The Peacock Flies Southeast. Most of these works took shape through long transmission and editing, emerging either from collective folk creation or from authors whose names were lost over time. In ancient China, the Book of Songs, the Great Learning, and many popular storybooks and plays were signed Anonymous because their authors could not be traced. Anonymous works cross the classics, histories, philosophical writings, medical texts, and poetry; their subjects are broad, and their styles vary from archaic simplicity to clear naturalness, making them important and influential sources for understanding ancient Chinese thought, medicine, and literature.