wǎn晚qíng晴

This poem is usually dated to early summer 848. Li Shangyin was then in Guilin, working as an aide to Zheng Ya, the regional governor, helping him with his papers. He had been pushed aside at court and so had come far south. One evening, after a long spell of rain, the sky suddenly cleared. Seeing the grass, the sunset and the birds flying home, he felt his heart lift and wrote this poem.

一般认为，这首诗写于唐宣宗大中二年（848年）初夏。那时李商隐在桂林，给桂管观察使郑亚做幕僚，也就是帮地方长官处理文书的助手。他在朝廷里受到排挤，才远到南方来。一个下了很久雨的傍晚，天忽然放晴，他看到小草、夕阳和归鸟，心里一亮，写下了这首诗。

Li Shangyin (about 813 to about 858) was a great poet of the late Tang, named together with Du Mu as the Little Li and Du. Caught between two rival groups of officials at court, he never got ahead and spent his life working as an aide for others. Most of his poems are tender, subtle and sad. This one, unusually, shines with brightness and joy.

李商隐（约813—约858），晚唐大诗人，和杜牧并称“小李杜”。他夹在朝廷里两派官员的争斗中间，一辈子不得志，到处给人做幕僚。他的诗大多深情含蓄，带着忧伤。这首《晚晴》却难得地透出明亮和欣喜。

This poem catches the moment when the sky suddenly clears on an evening after rain. Its two most famous lines say that heaven pities the grass in the shade and people treasure the late clear sky. Grass in a dark corner seldom sees the sun, yet heaven gives it a little light at evening, as if it loves it most. The poet is like that grass: living in a humble place after much unfair treatment, so he treasures this late sunshine all the more. Later readers use these lines to mean treasuring the good years of old age, or being grateful for good luck that comes late. Then he shows the far view from the tower and the bright little window. At the end, the nests are dry and the birds fly home feeling lighter. That lightness is the poet's own heart.

这首诗写的是雨后傍晚忽然放晴的那一刻。“天意怜幽草，人间重晚晴”是全诗最有名的两句。长在暗处的小草，平时晒不到太阳，老天却在傍晚给了它一点阳光，好像特别疼爱它。诗人自己也像这棵小草，在不起眼的地方，受过很多委屈，所以他格外珍惜这来得晚的晴天。后来人们常用这两句，比喻珍惜晚年的美好时光，或者感激迟来的好运。后面写高楼望远、小窗明亮，最后写鸟窝干了，鸟儿飞回去身子更轻，其实也是诗人自己心情变轻松了。