Plum Blossoms
Song dynasty・Wang Anshi
Classical Chinese-style Ballad
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A few plum branches in a corner by the wall bloom alone, defying the cold.
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- 无事小狗仙
- 2026-02-06 18:37
- 105 reads
A few plum branches by the corner of the wall bloom alone, defying the cold.
Even from afar I know it is not snow, for a subtle fragrance reaches me.
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Translation
A few plum branches bloom alone against the cold in a corner by the wall. Even from afar, I know they are not accumulated snow, for a faint fragrance drifts toward me.
Annotations
数枝: a few branches. 凌寒: braving bitter cold. 独自: alone; emphasizes flowering in the cold before many other flowers.
遥知: to know even from afar. 为（wèi）有: because there is. 暗香: a faint, unobtrusive fragrance.
Introduction
Reading guide: Wang Anshi describes plum blossoms in a five-character quatrain: first establishing their location and the conditions in which they bloom, then moving from uncertainty at a distance to recognition through fragrance. The language is accessible, and the emphasis lies on the blossoms retaining their own character in a cold, secluded place.
Commentary
The corner by the wall is no bustling place for admiring flowers, and “凌寒” (“defying the cold”) further indicates difficult growing conditions. With a few strokes, the poem captures the plum blossom’s ability to flourish without a splendid setting.
The final two lines shift from sight to smell. Plum blossoms and snow are similar in color, but their scents cannot be confused; “暗香” (“subtle fragrance”) both provides the means of recognition and reveals the plum’s character through a delicate, enduring presence.
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Hidden Fragrance Defying the Cold
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Fiction inspired by poetry
A Branch of Silk Plum Blossoms
Gu Qing’s silk plum blossoms look real, but have no fragrance. She wants to rent the roofed stall in the western market, while the old plum tree beside the wall, her grandmother’s companion for years, is to be uprooted because the old house has changed hands. She arrives with a branch of imitation blossoms and discovers that both the tree’s fate and the price of her craft are harder to negotiate than she expected.
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