Wild Geese Flying under the Full Moon

Wild Geese Flying under the Full Moon

Utagawa Hiroshige

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The full moon on the eighth month of the lunar calendar, the peak of autumn, has always been special to East Asian poets. Both the poem and image here capture the moment when wild geese are seen flying across the full moon: こむな夜が 又も有うか　月に雁 Konna yo ga mata mo arō ka tsuki ni kari Will there ever again be such a marvelous night! Wild geese against the moon. —Trans. John T. Carpenter

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Wild Geese Flying under the Full MoonWild Geese Flying under the Full MoonWild Geese Flying under the Full MoonWild Geese Flying under the Full MoonWild Geese Flying under the Full Moon

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world. Each of the many civilizations of Asia is represented by outstanding works, providing an unrivaled experience of the artistic traditions of nearly half the world.