Peach Blossom at Dalin Temple
- Poetry of Bai Juyi

《大林寺桃花》

English Rendering

Across the world this June, the petals all have fallen,

But the mountain temple's peach blossom has just begun to bloom.

I regretted so much that spring had gone without a trace,

I didn't know that it had only moved up here.

Peach Blossom at Dalin Temple by Bai Juyi

Original Text (中文原文)

人间四月芳菲尽，山寺桃花始盛开。

长恨春归无觅处，不知转入此中来。

Analysis & Context

In this famous piece, Bai Juyi takes a natural occurrence and transforms it into a mystical phenomenon.

Due to differing altitudes and temperatures, flowers on the Dalin Temple mountain would bloom later than the flowers on lower altitudes; however, Bai instead views this through the lens of a poet with a playful spirit, treating these peach blossom flowers as a form of hide-and-seek with the flirting spring. The poet expresses the magical aura surrounding the temple itself, making a stark difference between 人间 (the human realm) and 山寺 (the temple on the mountain) — already, readers sense that the temple will carry something special to the poet.

In the latter half of the poem, Bai portrays spring’s flowers as dying on the earth, only to spring up and flourish on this mystical mountain. In a way, he associates spring with peace and quiet, a time for reflection on the top of a mountain devoted to religion.

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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