Translation
Mao Zedong | 毛澤東 |
A Plum Blossom Song (in the Bu Suanzi form) | 蔔算子·詠梅 |
Wind and rain—returning spring is sent away; | 風雨送春歸 |
Flying snow—a welcome for spring’s arrival. | 飛雪迎春到 |
Icy spikes hang for thousands of feet from the precipice— | 已是懸崖百丈冰 |
But still, the pretty plum flower stays on her branch. | 猶有花枝俏 |
Pretty, she does not compete, like spring itself, | 俏也不爭春 |
And grasps only for the signs of spring. | 隻把春來報 |
Waiting in the mountain, this brightly colored flower, | 待到山花爛漫時 |
She stays in the thickets until it’s time to spread her smile. | 她在叢中笑 |
Commentary
Mao is praising the beauty and character of plum blossoms in this poem. Spring is slow in coming, pushed off by the elements—the wind, rain, snow, and ice. Yet the plum flower does not fight the hardships of the elements and therefore survives the icy coldness, unlike other flowers. Personified as a woman, she is intelligent, grasping for nothing, just waiting for spring to come. When spring does come and the time is right she spreads her smile into a bloom. The poem is romantic in its imagery but could be also be read as political symbolism—for people to endure the harshness of the times and wait for future prosperity.
“Bu Suanzi” is a poetic form in Chinese poetry. It was originally one of the pen names used by Luo Binwang, the famous Tang Dynasty poet. It has eight verses, consisting of five characters each, except for the third and seventh verses, which are seven characters. Every other line rhymes. Additionally, there are rules regarding the tonal pattern within each verse.
Original Chinese
Traditional | Simplified | Pronunciation |
毛澤東 | 毛泽东 | Máo Zédōng |
蔔算子·詠梅 | 卜算子·咏梅 | Bǔ suàn zǐ · yǒng méi |
風雨送春歸， | 风雨送春归， | Fēng yǔ sòng chūn guī， |
飛雪迎春到。 | 飞雪迎春到。 | Fēi xuě yíng chūn dào。 |
已是懸崖百丈冰， | 已是悬崖百丈冰， | Yǐ shì xuán yá bǎi zhàng bīng， |
猶有花枝俏。 | 犹有花枝俏。 | Yóu yǒu huā zhī qiào。 |
俏也不爭春， | 俏也不争春， | Qiào yě bù zhēng chūn， |
隻把春來報。 | 只把春来报。 | Zhī bǎ chūn lái bào。 |
待到山花爛漫時， | 待到山花烂漫时， | Dài dào shān huā làn màn shí， |
她在叢中笑。 | 她在丛中笑。 | Tā zài cóng zhōng xiào。 |
Translation Notes
毛澤東 | Fur Marsh Eastern [Mao Zedong (1893-1976)] |
蔔算子·詠梅 | Bu/divine/prophesy/root Suan/count Zi/seed-of/offspring · Sing Plums [Bu Suanzi is one of the pen names of Tang Dynasty poet Luo Binwang (640-684). “Count seed-of” means “operator.” Together, the pen name means to make a living telling fortunes. This later became the name of a poetic form.] |
風雨送春歸， | Wind rain send-off spring returns [Wind rain = elements, trials and hardships], [spring can symbolize youth, love, lust, joy, etc.] |
飛雪迎春到。 | Fly snow welcome spring arrive |
已是懸崖百丈冰， | Stops/already this hanging cliff hundreds 3.3-meters-length ice [hanging cliff = precipice] |
猶有花枝俏。 | Like/as-if have flowers/blossoms branches similar/smart [flowers branches = flowering branch, fig. a beautiful woman] |
俏也不爭春， | Similar/smart also not fight/contend spring [not fight = incontestable, widely known, undeniable, not strive for] |
隻把春來報。 | Only/just/but hold/grasp spring comes announce/report. |
待到山花爛漫時， | Wait/stay arrive mountain flowers withered/decayed spreading time [withered spreading = brightly colored] |
她在叢中笑。 | She is-at/rests bush/thicket/cluster midst smile/laugh |
Year:
2012
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