From China — Summary

Standing before a palace at night, the speaker watches moonlight fall across the many steps. Then comes a quieter realization: that same moon is shining on the chequered rice fields of their native land. The palace steps may be grand, but they are not home, and the thought lands with a sudden ache. As the speaker cries, the tears become white rice grains at their feet. That image ties sorrow directly to the place they miss, as if grief itself could be gathered like a harvest. The mood is still and spare, with a deep homesickness beneath the calm surface. Everything is held in those few clear pictures: moonlight, rice fields, tears, distance.