English Rendering
Where sunlight cannot penetrate,
There verdant spring at will may go.
The grain-like moss will imitate
The peony’s large flower and grow.
（许渊冲 译）
Moss
- Poetry of Yuan Mei
《苔》#Bloom
Original Text (中文原文)
白日不到处，青春恰自来。
苔花如米小，也学牡丹开。
Analysis & Context
This is a poem on objects written by Yuan Mei, a poet of the Qing Dynasty of China, in the form of a five-character quatrain. It praises the courage of moss flowers that bloom persistently despite growing in dark and damp places.
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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