It's when mountain flowers riot most alive,
Thick and thin, yet none droop or strive.
Yingshan red and Zhaoting purple hue,
Detain the passerby with a gift anew.
Original Poem
「雨后田间杂纪 · 其二」
杨万里
正是山花最闹时，浓浓淡淡未离披。
映山红与昭亭紫，挽住行人赠一枝。
Interpretation
Written in the later years of Southern Song poet Yang Wanli. His pastoral poetry often arose from daily walks and observations, revealing genuine emotion through simplicity and vitality in minute details. This poem depicts mountain wildflowers after rain, capturing the lively energy of spring fields with a fresh touch—both meticulous in natural description and playful in personification.
First Couplet: "正是山花最闹时，浓浓淡淡未离披。"
Zhèng shì shān huā zuì nào shí, nóng nóng dàn dàn wèi lí pī.
It’s the time when mountain flowers are most boisterous;
Some deep-hued, some pale, not yet fully unfolded.
The poet animates blooming flowers with "most boisterous" (最闹 zuì nào), evoking a bustling crowd. "Deep-hued, some pale" (浓浓淡淡 nóng nóng dàn dàn) not only depicts color gradations but also suggests varying stages of bloom, adding dimensionality. The crafting is ingenious: capturing both the overall atmosphere and subtle details, as if one can scent the rain-freshened blossoms.
Second Couplet: "映山红与昭亭紫，挽住行人赠一枝。"
Yìngshān hóng yǔ zhāotíng zǐ, wǎn zhù xíngrén zèng yī zhī.
Crimson "Reflecting-Mountain" and purple "Zhaoting"
Seem to detain passersby, offering a branch.
This couplet employs personification, endowing flowers with human emotion. Red and purple blossoms stretch their branches as if warmly stopping travelers to share spring’s beauty. This approach brims with life’s whimsy, reflecting the poet’s affinity for nature and joyful mood.
Holistic Appreciation
The poem seizes the peak post-rain blooming season, portraying lush mountain flowers in dazzling colors and evocative fragrance. The first couplet sets the broad scene; the second adds detail with personified touches—moving from color and state to spirited animation. The imagery unfolds in layers: first the "boisterous" atmosphere, then accents of red and purple, finally culminating in the tender "offering a branch," akin to dialogue between nature and the human heart.
The poem’s artistic value lies in its dual revelation: the authentic beauty of natural scenes and the poet’s leisurely joy in life. Without intense exclamation or discourse, it radiates life’s exuberance.
Artistic Merits
- Personification enlivens with charm: "Detain passersby, offering a branch" (挽住行人赠一枝 wǎn zhù xíngrén zèng yī zhī) lends emotional warmth to nature, bridging human and natural realms with dynamic whimsy.
- Vivid color depiction: "Deep-hued, some pale" (浓浓淡淡), "crimson Reflecting-Mountain" (映山红 Yìngshān hóng), and "purple Zhaoting" (昭亭紫 zhāotíng zǐ) are not mere color listings but demonstrations of the poet’s skill in using visual language to build atmosphere, painting a bright spring tableau.
- Dynamic-static interplay with clear layers: "Most boisterous" (最闹时) conveys motion; "not yet fully unfolded" (未离披 wèi lí pī) describes stillness—each enhancing the other. The whole and the parts, color and mood, form a progressive relationship, adding depth to the scene.
- Fresh, natural language: The poem’s plain, unadorned diction effortlessly evokes spring’s exuberance, consistent with Yang’s signature style of "expressing depth through simplicity."
Insights
This poem teaches that poetry need not be sought in grand vistas—every flower and leaf in daily fields can inspire verse. With keen observation and attentive appreciation, commonplace sights transform into artistic vitality. In just over twenty characters, Yang Wanli conveys the warmth and fervor of mountain flowers after rain, reminding us to cherish nature’s gifts and discover beauty in ordinary life.
About the Poet
Yang Wanli (杨万里 1127 - 1206), a native of Jishui in Jiangxi, was a renowned poet of the Southern Song Dynasty, celebrated as one of the "Four Great Masters of the Restoration" alongside Lu You, Fan Chengda, and You Mao. He attained the jinshi degree in 1154 and rose to the position of Academician of the Baomo Pavilion. Breaking free from the constraints of the Jiangxi School of Poetry, he pioneered the lively and natural "Chengzhai Style," advocating for learning from nature and employing plain yet profound language. His poetry, often drawing inspiration from everyday life, profoundly influenced later schools of lyrical expression, particularly the Xingling (Spirit and Sensibility) School.
