Seeking Cool Air in a Summer Night

Author: Yang Wanli (1127-1206)

Heat waves stay as high at night as at noon.

I’ve walked out of my door to cool off under the bright moon.

From the deep bamboo groves and lush trees where insects sing

Comes subtly cool air, which is not a wind but a boon.

You must feel hot in summer days. However, if you calm down, slow down, sit on the summer night, maybe you’ll find some cool air sway your face softly. Are you curious about the summer night of the Chinese poet? Just read this one. If you want to know more about the poet, you can continue to read below.

Yang Wanli was a federal government official of the Southern Song Dynasty (1127—1279) for most of his life, with a strong wish for the Southern Song Dynasty to recover its lost northern territory from the Jin Dynasty. But the emperor he served, Gao Zong, actually preferred the status quo for an ulterior motive.

Gao Zong became emperor only after Jin troops captured his father and older brother. He knew his father or older brother would probably take the throne back if Southern Song defeated Jin. So, he secretly hoped to make peace with Jin in order to remain emperor in the territory south of the Yangtze River. That led him to favor the officials in charge of peace talks with Jin. Those eager to fight Jin, including Yang, were never able to win the emperor’s trust. Disappointed with the politics, Yang resigned, and lived in agony for the rest of his life. His last words included “There is no way for me to serve my country.”

Copyright: A Poetic Portal To Chinese Culture, China Pictorial Press

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