On the Love of the Lotus ( 爱莲说 )
Written by Zhou Dunyi (1017–1073), a founding father of Neo-Confucianism, "Ode to the Lotus" (爱莲说) is far m…
Read Translation & Analysis →Many flowers of grasses and trees in the water and on the land
Are worthy of admiration.
Tao Yuan Ming of Jin dynasty only loved the chrysanthemum;
Since Tang Dynasty, all people have deeply loved the peonies.
But I only love the lotus, which came out of mud yet is not contaminated,
Washed by ripples yet is not voluptuous,
Its straight stem is hollow inside,
It does not grow into branches or vines,
Its clean fragrance diffuses a far distance,
It stands there perfectly upright and clean,
It shall only be admired from afar instead of being played in people’s hands.
I think the chrysanthemum is the recluse of the flowers;
Peony is the nobility of great wealth;
Lotus is the gentleman of the flowers.
Alas!
The love of chrysanthemum is seldom seen after Tao Yuan Ming,
Who else share the same love of Lotus that I have?
The love of peonies is of course widespread everywhere.
