Home › Poems › Apricot Blossom by the North Pond
Běi Bēi Xìng HuāApricot Blossom by the North Pond 北陂杏花
Wang Anshi: apricot blossom would rather fall on water than be ground to dust.
Original Chinese text with pinyin
一陂春水绕花身
yī bēi chūn shuǐ rào huā shēn
花影妖娆各占春
huā yǐng yāo ráo gè zhàn chūn
纵被春风吹作雪
zòng bèi chūn fēng chuī zuò xuě
绝胜南陌碾成尘
jué shèng nán mò niǎn chéng chén
Simplified characters; traditional title: 北陂杏花.
English translation
A pond of spring water circles the blossoms;
each flower's shadow, so lovely, claims its share of spring.
Even if the spring wind blows them away like snow,
far better that than being ground to dust on the southern road.
Original translation by Poetune — literal but poetic, written for this site.
Line by line
Meaning and imagery
Wang Anshi: apricot blossom would rather fall on water than be ground to dust. The scene stays with you.
Background
Wang Anshi: apricot blossom would rather fall on water than be ground to dust.
Key words
- 一陂 yī bēi
- a single pond or embankment
- 妖娆 yāo ráo
- enchanting; alluring
- 南陌 nán mò
- the southern lane or path
About the poet: Wang Anshi
Wang Anshi was a chief minister of the Northern Song who pushed through the sweeping "New Policies" reforms. Out of office he retired to Nanjing and wrote compact, finely polished quatrains. He is one of the "Eight Great Prose Masters of the Tang and Song."
Lifetime: 1021–1086. Other famous works: Mooring at Guazhou (泊船瓜洲); Plum Blossoms (梅花); Climbing Feilai Peak (登飞来峰); New Year's Day (元日); Apricot Blossom by the North Pond (北陂杏花); Written on the Wall of Mr Huyin (书湖阴先生壁); Early Summer (初夏即事); At Zhongshan (钟山即事); Night Duty (夜直).
More by Wang Anshi
- Climbing Feilai Peak登飞来峰
- Mooring at Guazhou泊船瓜洲
- Plum Blossoms梅花
- New Year's Day元日
- Written on the Wall of Mr Huyin书湖阴先生壁
- Early Summer初夏即事
- At Zhongshan钟山即事
- Night Duty夜直