To the Chrisanthemum
- Poetry of Huang Chao
《题菊花》
English Translation
In soughing western wind you blossom far and nigh;
Your fragrance is too cold to invite butterfly.
Some day if I as Lord of Spring come into power,
I'd order you to bloom together with peach flower.
Composed around 875 AD during Huang Chao's repeated failures in imperial examinations, this poem channels his simmering discontent with societal injustice. As a future leader of peasant uprisings, Huang often expressed rebellious ideals through poetry. While ostensibly praising chrysanthemums, the work symbolically equates the flowers with oppressed masses and his own unyielding ambition to transform destiny.
中文原文( Chinese )
讽讽西风满院栽，蕊寒香冷蝶难来。
他年我若为青帝，报与桃花一处开。
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- Why Chinese poems is so special?
- The most distinctive features of Chinese poetry are: concision- many poems are only four lines, and few are much longer than eight; ambiguity- number, tense and parts of speech are often undetermined, creating particularly rich interpretative possibilities; and structure- most poems follow quite strict formal patterns which have beauty in themselves as well as highlighting meaningful contrasts.
- How to read a Chinese poem?
- Like an English poem, but more so. Everything is there for a reason, so try to find that reason. Think about all the possible connotations, and be aware of the different possibilities of number and tense. Look for contrasts: within lines, between the lines of each couplet and between successive couplets. Above all, don't worry about what the poet meant- find your meaning.