Moonlight's Plain White Platter

[Intro]

[Verse 1]

I cannot reach the next town before dark

I seek a night’s shelter at the foot of Mount Wusong

The old woman opened the door

Lamplight falls across her face

There are no extra words inside the room

Loneliness fills the space before the window

[Pre-Chorus]

The autumn harvest has just ended, yet the fields are still busy

Whose household has an easy life?

[Chorus]

Wild rice is served on a plain-colored plate

Moonlight shines on it, lending it a little warmth

The neighbor's daughter pounds rice until midnight

Every pounding stroke is cold

Kneeling, she brings this bowl of rice in both hands

我三谢不能餐 — Three times I offer thanks, yet cannot eat

[Verse 2]

A sound knocks me awake at midnight

The sound of pounding rice keeps company with the endless night

Her hands are red from the cold

White breath drifts from her lips

So cold so weary

She uttered not even half a sigh

[Pre-Chorus]

The old mother rises and slips on her clothes

The hearth is lit again and cooking smoke rises

[Chorus]

Wild rice is served on a plain-colored plate

Moonlight shines on it, lending it a little warmth

The neighbor's daughter pounds rice until midnight

Every pounding stroke is cold

Kneeling, she brings this bowl of rice in both hands

我三谢不能餐 — Three times I offer thanks, yet cannot eat

[Instrumental]

[Verse 3]

A coarse porcelain bowl sits before me

Moonlight falls just upon the rim

This is the most ordinary meal

Yet worth more than every lavish feast

I travel through mountains, waters, and the world's splendor

I have never held a bowl this heavy

[Bridge]

Once there was an old washerwoman

Share the meal with a down-and-out young man

Later he was made a marquis and appointed a general

Even a fortune in repayment would not be enough

And my hands are empty

Only poetry is worth scarcely a few coins

What can I offer to thank you

After three bows, tears have soaked my clothes

[Verse 4]

The old mother says to eat while it is hot

Letting it go cold would let autumn down

I bow my head and eat this bowl

I swallow the feeling very slowly

Tomorrow I must travel on

I will remember the sweetness of this night

[Final Chorus]

Wild rice is served on a plain-colored plate

Moonlight shines on it, lending it a little warmth

The neighbor's daughter pounds rice until midnight

Every pounding stroke is cold

Kneeling, she brings this bowl of rice in both hands

我三谢不能餐 — Three times I offer thanks, yet cannot eat

[Outro]

The moon over Wusong Mountain

Shines all the way into my heart