English Rendering
To build one pond, a thousand homes you raze;
Forgo the useful trees for roses’ vain parades.
But autumn comes, the rose its glory sheds,
And all the court with thorny ruin spreads.
On the Gardens at Xinghua Temple
- Poetry of Jia Dao
《题兴化寺园亭》Original Text (中文原文)
破却千家作一池，不栽桃李种蔷薇。
蔷薇花落秋风起，荆棘满庭君始知。
Meaning & Analysis
This poem was composed by the Tang Dynasty poet Jia Dao, most likely during the Taihe era (827-835) of Emperor Wenzong's reign. Jia Dao's life was marked by official frustration; he became a monk in his youth and, though he later returned to secular life, repeatedly failed the imperial examinations. He lived in hardship in Chang'an for a long time, giving him direct observation and deep insight into the arrogance and extravagance of the powerful and the suffering of the common people.
Reader's Companion
The Essence of the Verse
Classical Chinese poetry thrives on Concision and Ambiguity. Without tense or number, the words create a timeless space where the reader becomes the co-creator of the poem's meaning.
Reading Between the Lines
Look for Contrasts: light and shadow, movement and stillness. Don't just translate the words; feel the Yijing (artistic conception) that lingers long after the last character.
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- At Li Ning’s Quiet Dwelling
- A Letter Sent
- After Finishing a Poem
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- A Note Left for an Absent Ecluse
- The Summit Temple
- <Prelude to Water Melody> Sent to Ziyou on Mid-autumn Festival
- Invitation to Wine
- Question and Answer in the Mountains
- Cold sheet
- Coming Home ( Returning Home )
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