All flowers in late spring have fallen far and wide,
But peach blossoms are full-blown on this mountainside.
I oft regret spring's gone without leaving its trace;
I do not know it's come up to adorn this place.
Original Poem:
「大林寺桃花」
白居易
人间四月芳菲尽，山寺桃花始盛开。
长恨春归无觅处，不知转入此中来。
Interpretation:
This poem is a poem about traveling, which was written in Jiangzhou in the early summer of 817 AD. The poet came to Dalin Temple in the early summer, and it was already springtime under the mountain in April, but unexpectedly, he met an unexpected peach blossom in the ancient temple in the mountains.
The first two lines: April, it is the time when the spring on the flat land is finished, but the peach blossom in the ancient temple in the high mountains has just bloomed.
The poet had been resentful, annoyed and disappointed by the haste of the spring light before his visit. Therefore, when this unanticipated piece of spring scenery rushed into the eyes, it is to make a person feel how surprised and delighted, by a kind of sadness full of sighs of passing feelings, suddenly changed to surprised, delighted, to the heart of the blossom of joy.
The last two sentences: I often for the passing of spring, for its nowhere to find and sadness, this time re-encountered the spring scenery, joyful, awakened: I did not expect the spring back in this deep temple.
It is in this feeling triggered, the wings of the poet's imagination soared up. The poet thought, he had because of the spring, love spring, and even resent the spring of the relentless, but who knows is the wrong spring, the original spring did not return, only like a child with people like hide-and-seek, secretly hide to this place.
In this short poem, the natural world of spring is described so vividly and specifically, innocent and lovely, vivid, if there is no infinite attachment to spring, love. The good thing about this poem is that it is novel in its intention and deft in its conception, while the playful language is elegant and interesting, and then rekindles people's thoughts and endears them to others.
Poem translator:
Xu Yuan-chong (许渊冲)
About the poet:
Bai Juyi (白居易), 772-846 AD, was originally from Taiyuan, then moved to Weinan in Shaanxi. Bai Juyi was the most prolific poet of the Tang Dynasty, with poems in the categories of satirical oracles, idleness, sentimentality, and miscellaneous rhythms, and the most influential poet after Li Bai Du Fu.
