The eastern garden trees
Burst with green leaves again;
In new attire they please
My heart with might and main.
It is said time and tide,
Sun and moon wait for none.
Could we talk side by side
About what we have done?
Original Poem
「停云 · 其三」
陶渊明
东园之树，枝条载荣。
竞用新好，以怡余情。
人亦有言：日月于征。
安得促席，说彼平生。
Interpretation
This poem was composed in the spring of 404 AD during the reign of Emperor An of Jin, when Tao Yuanming lived in leisure in his hometown of Xunyang Chaisang (present-day Jiujiang, Jiangxi). Previously, Huan Xuan had usurped the throne of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, triggering turmoil, and Liu Yu soon raised an army to counterattack, plunging various regions into instability. Against this backdrop, the poet was separated from his friends due to the chaos of war. Filled with longing yet unable to meet due to blocked roads, he could only express his inner solitude and melancholy through lyrical descriptions of nature.
First Couplet: “东园之树，枝条载荣。”
Dōng yuán zhī shù, zhī tiáo zài róng.
The trees in the eastern garden flourish with lush branches.
By depicting the vibrant growth of trees in spring, the poet showcases nature's exuberant vitality while also conveying a sense of hopeful yearning. However, this imagery contrasts with the poet's inner world, making his loneliness all the more palpable.
Second Couplet: “竞用新好，以怡余情。”
Jìng yòng xīn hǎo, yǐ yí yú qíng.
They vie to display fresh beauty, as if to soothe my heart.
Here, personification endows the trees with emotion, as if their luxuriant growth serves to comfort the poet's solitude. This is, in fact, the poet's self-consolation, revealing his psychological state of seeking solace amid loneliness.
Third Couplet: “人亦有言：日月于征。”
Rén yì yǒu yán: rì yuè yú zhēng.
As the saying goes: the sun and moon march ever onward.
This referenced adage expresses the helplessness toward time's relentless passage. The poet reflects that while the sun and moon ceaselessly move forward, he remains stagnant in solitude, unable to meet his friends, deepening his melancholy.
Fourth Couplet: “安得促席，说彼平生。”
Ān dé cù xí, shuō bǐ píng shēng.
How I long to sit knee-to-knee and speak of bygone days!
The poet sighs deeply, expressing his profound longing for old friends. He yearns to sit together as before and converse freely, yet reality leaves him powerless. The stronger this desire, the more cruel the separation seems, filling the poem with poignant sorrow.
Overall Appreciation
Through springtime imagery, this poem conveys the poet's longing for friends and his yearning for better times. Though the thriving trees of the eastern garden should bring joy, the poet's isolation amid turbulent times intensifies his loneliness. He attempts to find solace in nature but ultimately cannot dispel his melancholy, left only to lament time's passage and the unreachability of his friends.
The poem employs the bixing (comparison-evocation) technique, using natural scenes to draw out the poet's emotions, creating rich layers of meaning. With concise language and harmonious rhythm, the poem is deeply lyrical. This subtle yet profound mode of expression elevates it beyond mere friendship nostalgia, embedding within it the poet's reflections on time's flow and life's impermanence.
Writing Characteristics
- Lyricism Through Scenery, Blending Emotion and Setting: The opening lines depict lush spring trees, using nature's vitality to contrast the poet's solitude. This juxtaposition heightens the emotional impact, deepening the poetic meaning.
- Bixing Technique, Subtle and Profound: Following the Classic of Poetry tradition, the poem uses comparison-evocation to link trees' cycles and celestial movements to human experience, yielding profound allegory and lingering resonance.
- Concise Language, Balanced Structure: As a four-character-line poem, its phrasing is succinct and rhythmic, with a musical quality. Parallel couplets (e.g., "The trees in the eastern garden" paired with "They vie to display fresh beauty") enhance its formal beauty and fluidity.
- Genuine Emotion, Deep Friendship: Centering on friendship, the poem progresses from observing thriving trees to sighing over time's passage, culminating in the desire for heartfelt conversation. This layered approach renders the poet's longing and resignation palpable and moving.
Insights
This poem reminds us that life inevitably brings meetings and partings, sometimes beyond our control. When faced with unavoidable separation, we might follow the poet's example: channeling longing into nature's imagery to express and console ourselves. Simultaneously, it urges us to cherish present companions, treasuring moments together to prevent future regrets.
Moreover, the poet's response to helplessness—neither drowning in sorrow nor abandoning hope, but articulating emotions through poetry—offers a model. In modern life, when encountering similar emotional challenges, we too might turn to writing, art, or music to release inner feelings, facing life's changes with greater poise.
Poem translator
Xu Yuan-chong (许渊冲)
About the poet
Tao Yuanming(陶渊明), 365–427 CE, was a poet, literary figure, fu writer, and essayist active during the late Eastern Jin and early Liu Song dynasties. Born in Chaisang (near present-day Jiujiang, Jiangxi Province), he pioneered a new genre of pastoral-themed literature, expressing profound philosophical insights through simple language. His poetic style became an enduring aesthetic standard in classical Chinese poetry.
