Quiet Night Thoughts

The first poem I can remember anyone speaking in Chinese is Li Bai's "Quiet Night Thoughts." It was late in the evening, and we were resting in bed looking at the moon. It is still one of my favorites.

Before my bed, the bright moonlight
I mistake it for frost on the ground
Raising my head, I stare at the bright moon;
Lowering my head, I think of home.

The poet is awakened by brightness streaming in the window, and he misinterprets its origin. The moon up above seems to be the reflection of frost down below. The second couplet ties the images of moon and frost to the poet's homesickness and thereby make them significant.