English Rendering
Dust raised by cabs on grassy lane caresses my face;
No flower-admirers but follow the cabs' trace.
Thousands of peach trees in the Taoist temple's place
Are all planted after I fell into disgrace.
The Flower-admirers
- Poetry of Liu Yuxi
《元和十年自朗州召至京师戏赠看花诸君子》
Original Text (中文原文)
紫陌红尘拂面来，无人不道看花回。
玄都观里桃千树，尽是刘郎去后栽。
Analysis & Context
This poem was written in 815 (the tenth year of the Yuanhe era) after Liu Yuxi, who had been exiled due to the failure of the Yongzhen Reform, was briefly recalled to Chang'an. However, his short return to office did little to improve his situation. Faced with the opulence of Chang'an and the ostentatious display of the wealthy elite, Liu Yuxi used this poem to express his dissatisfaction, subtly criticizing the opportunism and power-hungry nature of the new aristocrats. The poem’s sharp language angered the powerful, leading to Liu’s second exile to Lianzhou.
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.
- Gazing at Lake Dongting
- Waves Sifting Sand I
- Willow Branch Song
- Willow Branch Song I
- The Taoist Temple Revisited
- The Flower-admirers
- 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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