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Táo YāoThe Peach Tree Is Young 桃夭
The Book of Songs "Peach Tree", a wedding song for a bride.
Original Chinese text with pinyin
桃之夭夭
táo zhī yāo yāo
灼灼其华
zhuó zhuó qí huá
之子于归
zhī zi yú guī
宜其室家
yí qí shì jiā
Simplified characters; traditional title: 桃夭. This is a long poem; only the best-known lines are shown, and “……” marks omitted passages.
Note on the text: This page presents a well-known excerpt; the full poem is longer in the traditional corpus.
English translation
The peach tree is young and lovely,
its blossoms bright and blazing.
This girl is going to her new home;
she will bring harmony to her house.
Original translation by Poetune — literal but poetic, written for this site.
Line by line
Meaning and imagery
The Book of Songs "Peach Tree", a wedding song for a bride. The scene stays with you.
Background
The Book of Songs "Peach Tree", a wedding song for a bride.
Key words
- 夭夭 yāo yāo
- tender and thriving (peach blossoms)
- 灼灼 zhuó zhuó
- brilliantly bright (peach blossoms)
About the poet: Book of Songs
The Book of Songs (Shijing) is the oldest anthology of Chinese poetry, compiling ritual hymns and folk songs from the Zhou dynasty.
Lifetime: c. 11th–6th c. BCE. Other famous works: The Quince (木瓜); The Ospreys Cry (关雎); Reeds (蒹葭); The Banks of the Qi (淇奥); On the South Hill (南山有台); The Deer Cry (鹿鸣); Heaven Protects You (天保); The Peach Tree Is Young (桃夭).
More by Book of Songs
- The Quince木瓜
- The Ospreys Cry关雎
- Reeds蒹葭
- The Banks of the Qi淇奥
- On the South Hill南山有台
- The Deer Cry鹿鸣
- Heaven Protects You天保