To My Sons
- Poetry of Chen Jiru

《闲居书付儿辈》

English Rendering

Life is complete

With children at your feet;

Just a handful of hay hides your cot.

If land is sterile,

A young calf will surely help a lot.

Teach thy sons to read, too, in spare hours,

Not for fame nor for Mandarin collars.

Brew your wine, plant bamboos, water flowers,

Thus a house for generations of scholars.

To My Sons by Chen Jiru
To My Sons by Chen Jiru

Original Text (中文原文)

有儿事足,一把茅遮屋。

若使薄田耕不熟,添个新生黄犊。


闲来也教儿孙,读书不为功名。

种竹,浇花,酿酒;世家闭户先生。

Analysis & Context

By Chen Jiru

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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