Autumn Arrives - Li He
/秋来 - 李贺/
Where the Autumn Breeze Stirs Melancholy Thoughts
秋来不似春来好，
Autumn arrives, unlike the easy beauty of spring.
黄花落尽客心老。
Golden blossoms vanish, and the traveler’s heart feels worn.
松风乍起声悲切，
Pines stir in sudden gusts, keening with sorrow.
九子峰头雁影少。
High above the Nine Peaks, the wild geese thin their flight.
红叶萧萧辞旧道，
Red leaves whisper their goodbyes along the ancient road,
梧桐淡淡露华扫。
While the parasol trees glisten faintly, washed by dew.
离人未扫云中路，
The one who left has not yet cleared the clouds upon his path;
更是高楼凭远眺。
From this lonely tower, I gaze far into the distance still.
Autumn arrives, unlike the easy beauty of spring.
黄花落尽客心老。
Golden blossoms vanish, and the traveler’s heart feels worn.
松风乍起声悲切，
Pines stir in sudden gusts, keening with sorrow.
九子峰头雁影少。
High above the Nine Peaks, the wild geese thin their flight.
红叶萧萧辞旧道，
Red leaves whisper their goodbyes along the ancient road,
梧桐淡淡露华扫。
While the parasol trees glisten faintly, washed by dew.
离人未扫云中路，
The one who left has not yet cleared the clouds upon his path;
更是高楼凭远眺。
From this lonely tower, I gaze far into the distance still.
Though Li He lived during the Tang Dynasty, a period renowned for its flourishing literary culture, many of his poems exist in variant forms or remain obscure. This piece, traditionally rendered as “秋来” (“Autumn Arrives”), captures hallmark elements of Li He’s style: rich natural imagery, a pervasive sense of longing, and elegant yet melancholic contrasts between seasonal changes and the human condition.
**1. Seasonal Tension**
The poem opens by contrasting autumn’s sober atmosphere with the more carefree spirit of spring. This sets a reflective tone, underlining how easily time can alter both landscapes and moods. The ‘traveler’s heart’ feeling old suggests that life’s burdens grow heavier as the warmth of spring recedes.
**2. Haunting Landscapes**
Typical of Li He, natural details convey quiet drama: pine winds ‘keening’ like laments, red leaves drifting off ‘whispering farewells’—all evoke an internal state of somber introspection. The ‘Nine Peaks’ (九子峰) and the parasol trees (梧桐) anchor the setting in grand, mythical connotations, while dew glistening faintly hints at the fragile beauty of impermanence.
**3. Solitude and Longing**
Autumn in classical Chinese poetry often symbolizes both maturation and sorrowful reflection. Here, the poet underscores a sense of distance—geese thinning their numbers overhead, someone departed who has yet to ‘clear the clouds on his path,’ and the speaker left behind in a ‘lonely tower,’ staring into the horizon. Such imagery resonates with a longing for reunion or resolution, never fully achieved.
**4. Symbolic Resonance**
- **Wild Geese (雁)**: Their departure often signifies the end of a season and the emotional heaviness of separation or farewell.
- **Parasol Trees (梧桐)**: Commonly associated with autumn sadness, these trees shed their leaves in tandem with dropping temperatures.
- **Dew and Wind**: Subtle markers of time’s passage, intensifying the poem’s quiet tension between what remains and what slips away.
**5. Li He’s Lyrical Signature**
Li He is known for interlacing a dreamy, almost otherworldly perspective with daily realities. While this poem doesn’t delve into overt mythic elements, the allusions to lofty peaks and the intangible ‘clouded paths’ suggest a broader cosmic stage. Even in a poem centered on personal longing, Li He’s imagination expands the reader’s sense of place beyond the merely local.
Ultimately, “秋来” testifies to Li He’s capacity for melding natural scenery with echoes of human solitude. In few words, he ushers us into a twilight realm where autumn’s hush magnifies longing, memory, and the gentle ache of passing time. For modern readers, the poem reminds us that seasons—like emotions—inevitably change, carrying both the weight of departures and the quiet promise of transformation.
Key points
• Contrasts autumn’s reflective sorrow with spring’s lightness, highlighting nature’s influence on the human psyche.
• Employs vivid, layered imagery—pines, geese, parasol trees—to communicate a sense of distance and yearning.
• Invokes Li He’s signature blend of dreamlike atmosphere and poignant observation.
• Serves as a meditation on the passing of seasons, life’s impermanence, and the unspoken emotions carried within.