English Rendering
In half of the wide courtyard only mosses grow;
Peach blossoms all fallen, only rape-flowers blow.
Where is the Taoist planting peach trees in this place?
I come after I fell again into disgrace.
The Taoist Temple Revisited
- Poetry of Liu Yuxi
《再游玄都观》
Original Text (中文原文)
百亩庭中半是苔，桃花净尽菜花开。
种桃道士归何处，前度刘郎今又来。
Analysis & Context
This poem was composed in the second year of the Dahe era (828) during Emperor Wenzong's reign, as a continuation of Liu Yuxi’s earlier work dedicated to his friends who appreciated flowers. Previously, Liu Yuxi had been demoted for his satirical poem "Peach Blossoms at the Xuandu Temple," which targeted those in power. After fourteen years of exile, he was recalled to the capital and revisited the Xuandu Temple, only to find its former grandeur replaced by desolation. This poem reflects his profound feelings on the passage of time and his continued defiance of the powerful individuals who once oppressed him.
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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