Moonlight over the Lotus Pond

　　Zhu Ziqing

　　It has been rather disquieting these (lays. Tonight, when 1 Was sitting in the yard enjoying the cool, it occurred to me that the Lotus Pond, which I pass by every day, must assume quite a different look in such moonlit night. A full moon was rising high in the sky; the laughter of children playing outside had died away; in the morn, my wife was patting the son, Run-er, sleepily humming a cradle song. Shrugging on an overcoat, quietly, 1 made my way out, closing the door behind me.

　　Alongside the Lotus Pond nuns a small cinder footpath. It is peaceful and secluded here, a place not frequented by pedestrians even in the daytime; now at night, it looks mare solitary, in a lush, shady ambience of trees all around the pond. On the side where the path is, there are willows, interlaced with some others whose names I do not know. The foliage, which, in a moonless night, would loom somewhat frighteningly dark, looks very nice tonight, although the moonlight is not more than a thin, grayish veil.

　　I am on my own, strolling, hands behind my back. This bit of the universe seems in my possession now; and I myself seem to have been uplifted from my ordinary self into another world. 1 like a serene and peaceful life, as much as a busy and active one; I like being in solitude, as much as in company. As it is tonight, basking in a misty moonshine all by myself, I feel I am a free man, free to think of anything, or of nothing. All that one is obliged to do, or to say, in the daytime, can be very well cast aside now. That is the beauty of being alone. For the moment, just let me indulge in this profusion of moonlight and lotus fragrance.

　　荷塘月色

　　朱自清

　　這幾天心里頗不寧睜。今晚在院子里坐著乘涼，忽然想起日日走過(guò)的荷塘，在這滿月的光里，總該另有一番樣子吧。月亮漸漸地升高了，墻外馬路上孩子們的歡笑，已經(jīng)聽(tīng)不見(jiàn)了;妻在屋里拍著閏兒，迷迷糊糊地哼著眠歌。我悄悄地披了大衫，帶上門(mén)出去。

　　沿著荷塘.是一條曲折的小煤屑路。這是一條幽僻的路;白天也少人走，夜晚更加寂寞。荷塘四面，長(zhǎng)著許多樹(shù)，翁翁郁郁的。路的一旁，是些楊柳，和一些不知道名字的樹(shù)。沒(méi)有月光的晚上，這路上陰森森的，有些怕人。今晚卻很好，雖然月光也還是淡淡的。

　　路上只我一個(gè)人，背著手踱著。這一片天地好像是我的;我也像超出了平常的自己，到了另一世界里。我愛(ài)熱鬧，也愛(ài)冷靜;愛(ài)群居，也愛(ài)獨(dú)處。像今晚上，一個(gè)人在這蒼茫的月下，什么都可以想，什么都可以不想，便覺(jué)是個(gè)自由的人。白天里一定要做的事，一定要說(shuō)的話，現(xiàn)在都可不理。這是獨(dú)處的妙處;我且受用這無(wú)邊的荷香月色好了。