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Yóu Zǐ YínSong of the Wandering Son 游子吟
Meng Jiao's tribute to his mother, China's best-loved poem about mothers.
Original Chinese text with pinyin
慈母手中线
cí mǔ shǒu zhōng xiàn
游子身上衣
yóu zǐ shēn shàng yī
临行密密缝
lín xíng mì mì féng
意恐迟迟归
yì kǒng chí chí guī
谁言寸草心
shuí yán cùn cǎo xīn
报得三春晖
bào dé sān chūn huī
Simplified characters; traditional title: 遊子吟.
English translation
From the threads a mother's hand weaves,
A gown for parting son is made,
Sewn stitch by stitch before he leaves,
For fear his return be delayed.
Such kindness as young grass receives
From the warm sun can't be repaid.
Original translation by Poetune — literal but poetic, written for this site.
Line by line
Meaning and imagery
The opening joins thread and clothes, mother and son, in a single image. The third and fourth lines show a mother's love through action: sewing tightly because she fears he will be gone long. The final couplet compares the child's love to a small blade of grass and the mother's to the warm spring sun. No grass can repay the sun.
Background
Written around 800 when Meng Jiao, at about fifty, finally received an official post and brought his mother to live with him.
Key words
- 游子 yóu zǐ
- a son far from home
- 密密缝 mì mì féng
- to sew tightly
- 寸草心 cùn cǎo xīn
- the heart of an inch of grass
- 三春晖 sān chūn huī
- the sunshine of spring
About the poet: Meng Jiao
Meng Jiao passed the examinations only in his forties and lived in poverty. A friend of Han Yu, he wrote stark, intense poems; his tribute to his mother is one of the best loved in China.
Lifetime: 751–814. Other famous works: Song of the Wandering Son (游子吟); After Passing the Exam (登科后).