Tender orchid-leaves in spring And cinnamon- blossoms bright in autumn Are as self- contained as life is, Which conforms them to the seasons. Yet why will you think that a forest-hermit, Allured by sweet winds and contented with beauty, Would no more ask to-be transplanted THan Would any other natural flower?
Original Poem:
「感遇 · 其一」
张九龄
兰叶春葳蕤，桂花秋皎洁。
欣欣此生意，自尔为佳节。
谁知林栖者，闻风坐相悦。
草木有本心，何求美人折。
Interpretation:
The poem “Looking at the Moon and Missing Far Away” is a poem about missing a distant person on a moonlit night, written by the author when he was away from his hometown, looking at the moon and thinking of his distant relatives.
In the 21st year of Emperor Xuanzong’s reign (733), Zhang Jiuling was the prime minister of the Tang Dynasty. After being slandered and ostracized by the treacherous minister Li Linfu, he was dismissed from the post in the 24th year of Emperor Kaiyuan (736). The poem “Looking at the Moon and Reminiscing about the Faraway Land” was written after Zhang Jiuling was relegated to the post of governor of Jingzhou in the 24th year of the reign of Emperor Kaiyuan.
Poem translator:
Kiang Kanghu
About the poet:
Zhang Jiuling (张九龄), 678-740 AD, was a native of Shaoguan, Guangdong. He was the last prime minister of the “Rule of Kaiyuan”, and was upright and upright. In 736 A.D., he was ostracized from the court and relegated to the post of Assassin of Jingzhou. He amused himself with literature and history, and wrote a lot of poems that were light, melancholy, and far-reaching.
