Chinese poem illustration: 月夜忆舍弟 and 月夜/ Thinking of My Brothers in the Full Moon’s Night and Full Moon‘s Night by Du Fu
Full video also available at Bilibili: 月夜忆舍弟 & 月夜
This video explored two poems of Du Fu written in two consecutive Mid-Autumn Festival(中秋节), the exact year and date are pin pointed to Sept. 2nd, 757 C.E. and Sept. 13th, 756 C.E. respectively. It is a festival in August 15th lunar calender, or in Oct. 1st, 2020.
Full moon’s day in classic literature is almost identcial to Mid-Autumn Festival especially when the context is about thinking of famliy, hometown or friends. By comparing this two poems, we can see how fundamentally Du Fu was changed by war(安史之乱) just in a year: family and frendship were the last few things he could rely on, while he lost all the connections with them, he even dare not dream about a reunion in lifetime .
月夜忆舍弟
杜甫
戍鼓断人行，
边秋一雁声。
露从今夜白，
月是故乡明。
有弟皆分散，
无家问死生。
寄书长不达，
况乃未休兵。
月夜
杜甫
今夜鄜州月，
闺中只独看。
遥怜小儿女，
未解忆长安。
香雾云鬟湿，
清辉玉臂寒。
何时倚虚幌，
双照泪痕干。
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