王维《九月九日忆山东兄弟》 Wong Wei: On the Ninth Day of the Ninth Lunar Month Thinking of my Brothers in Shandong

昨天（阳历十月二十六日）是农历九月九日。每年这一天，全世界的华人都在庆祝传统的重阳节。在这个节日，人们喜欢登高，所以重阳节又叫登高节。

很久很久以前，王维 (701-761) 就在这一天写了一首诗《九月九日忆山东兄弟》，立刻成为经典之作而传播全中国。

王维被认为是唐朝三大诗人之一，与杜甫及李白同列。虽然他没有杜甫的人工精致，也没有李白般的天才，可是他有丰富的想象力。他的诗歌常常包含奇妙的玄学意味，显示他对佛学的长期经营。

在唐代，重阳节登高是一种流行的风俗。对许多人来说，这是冬季来临前最后的一次户外活动。这个风俗演变到目前的形式，人们把登高当着是一种运动，和欣赏秋天美景。

对王维而言，登高远眺，是希望能够看到住在远方的兄弟与亲友。但是，他看不到他们，所以兴叹：

独在异乡为异客，

每逢佳节倍思亲。

遥知兄弟登高处，

遍插茱萸少一人。

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Yesterday (26 Oct 09) was the 9th day of the 9th lunar month. Every year, Chinese all over the world celebrate the traditional Chongyang Festival on this day. People like to climb mountains on this festival, so Chongyang Festival is also called “Mountain-climbing Festival”.

It was also on this day a long, long time ago, Wang Wei (701-761) wrote a poem ‘On the Ninth Day of the Ninth Lunar Month Thinking of my Brothers in Shandong’ which became an instant classic and spread all over China.

Wang Wei is sometimes classed as one of the three greatest poets of the Tang dynasty, along with Du Fu and Li Bai. While he was neither as brilliant a craftsman as Du Fu nor as exuberant a genius as Li Bai, he excelled in imagery, and his poems often hold a subtle metaphysical flavour testifying to his long study of Buddhism.

Mountain climbing was a popular custom on Chongyang Festival during the Tang Dynasty. For many, it was the last outing of the year before the onset of winter. The custom evolved into its present form, when people go climbing to get some exercise as well as enjoy the autumn scenery.

For Wang Wei, it was his hope that by climbing to the mountain top and looking far into the distance, he could see his brothers and other relatives who lived far away. But he could not, therefore he sighed:

All alone as a stranger in a strange land,

I am twice as homesick on this day.

When brothers carry dogwood up the mountain,

Each of them a branch, and mine missing.