English Rendering
The winding stream knots each flower tight,
All shadows vie for spring's sovereign right.
Rather be wind-blown snowflakes born—
Than roadside dust by cartwheels torn.
Northern Slope Apricot Blossoms
- Poetry of Wang Anshi
《北陂杏花》
Original Text (中文原文)
一陂春水绕花身，花影妖娆各占春。
纵被春风吹作雪，绝胜南陌碾成尘。
Analysis & Context
This poem was composed during Wang Anshi's retirement at Dinglin Mountain in Jiangning after his dismissal as chancellor. Appointed twice as prime minister from 1070 (Xining era) and dismissed twice, he ultimately withdrew to a life of quietude in the mountains. Yet though physically removed from court, his convictions remained unshaken. During his Jiangning years, he often expressed his unyielding character and political stance through poetry. This work, born from a state of serene detachment, uses mountain spring blossoms as a metaphor for his refusal to conform to vulgar trends, revealing his transcendent attitude toward political setbacks and his resolute character.
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.
- Ascending the Flying Peak
- On the River
- Spring Lament: Rain on Southern Trees
- Northern Slope Apricot Blossoms
- The Courier Station at Ge Creek
- The Northern Hills
- 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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