What does it mean to watch chrysanthemums turn yellow on a cold autumn night?

When the cold dew comes, you are surprised to find that it is late autumn; I saw chrysanthemum turn yellow for the second time in the morning.

This poem is from Twenty-four Qi Cold Dew September Festival Poetry, which is a poem about the cold dew of solar terms created by Yuan Zhen, a poet in the Tang Dynasty.

This poem was found in Dunhuang documents and has two manuscripts. Its content is exactly the same, but the name is, one is Lu Xianggong's poem "Twenty-four Wonders" and the other is Yuan Xianggong's poem. Without the collation and excavation of Dunhuang documents, this group of atmospheric solar terms poems would have missed us.

This cold dew poem is magnificent, solemn and stirring, describing the unique beauty of the scenery in the cold dew season and giving people a high artistic enjoyment.

The whole poem and its translation are as follows:

The cold dew scares the autumn night, and the chrysanthemums turn yellow at first sight.

The cold dew came, and I was surprised to find that it was late autumn; I saw chrysanthemum turn yellow for the second time in the morning.

Thousands of winds sweep the fallen leaves, and Wan Li geese follow the sun.

In front of thousands of families, the wind seems to sweep the fallen leaves, and on the clear Wan Li, geese seem to fly south with the sun.

Turn clams into sad birds, and harvest fields to fear the first frost.

Become an oyster, poor bird; Harvesting farmland is afraid of early frost.

Because I know that pine and cypress are gray in winter and summer.

Therefore, we know that the ambition of pine and cypress is gloomy whether it is cold winter or hot summer.

Refer to the above content: Baidu Encyclopedia-Twenty-four Poems Qi Hanlu September Festival