Winter Solstice

Winter Solstice, a poem by the Chinese poet Du Fu. Dongzhi, a traditional winter holiday in China. The winter solstice, December 21st or 22nd, the shortest day, the longest night of the year, when the North Pole tilts the furthest away from the sun, and much of the Northern Hemisphere is thrown into perpetual darkness. It was the winter of 755, the Tang dynasty was in turmoil, the capital of Chang’an had fallen to rebel forces. The emperor had fled. It was the darkest day of the Tang dynasty.

冬至
Dōngzhì
Winter Solstice

年年至日长为客，忽忽穷愁泥杀人。
Nian nian zhi ri chang wei ke, Hu hu qiong chou ni sha ren.
Years passing, and now on the Winter Solstice I’m a guest in a foreign land,
Time passing, poverty and worry are killing me.

江上形容吾独老，天边风俗自相亲。
Jiang shang xing rong wu du lao, Tianbian feng su zi xiang qin

Here on the river old and alone,
At the end of the earth, missing my family so much.

杖藜雪后临丹壑，鸣玉朝来散紫宸。
Zhang li xue hou lin dan he, Ming yu zhao lai san zi chen.

With my staff in the snow,
Remembering the palace and the glorious days.

杖藜雪后临丹壑，鸣玉朝来散紫宸。
Zhang li xue hou lin dan he, Ming yu zhao lai san zi chen.

With my staff in the snow,
Remembering the palace and the glorious days.

心折此时无一寸，路迷何处见三秦。
Xin she ci shi wu yi cun, Lu mi he chu jian Sanqin.

I won’t let my heart break even one inch, knowing Shaanxi is lost.

Du Fu, Winter Solstice, ca. 755-759

Sanqin another name for Shaanxi province, a reference to Chang’an, the Tang capital in Shaanxi.

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