The Story and Legend of Agrimony: Latest Roundup
Agrimony (Agrimonia pilosa) is a perennial herbaceous plant of the genus Agrimonia in the Rosaceae family, often growing by streams, roadsides, grasslands, thickets, forest edges and open woodlands, and is a traditional excellent hemostatic medicine, while Yellow Crane Tower is a famous scenic spot in Jiangnan known at home and abroad; the two seem unrelated, but one story and legend reveals the close relationship between them. Let us take a look at the story and legend of agrimony together below!
Long ago, there was a small islet in the Yangtze River called Parrot Islet, and not far from the islet stood a tower, in which lived a white-haired old man. The old man knew medicine; he practiced medicine as a volunteer while cultivating his character and conducting himself, and was deeply respected by the surrounding villages. One late autumn day, a yellow crane flew in from somewhere, fluttered down in front of the tower, and let out a mournful cry. The villagers gathered around and saw that the yellow crane was covered in blood, and they discussed it one after another: some said the yellow crane wanted to fly back to its homeland, lost its way, and fell down; some said the yellow crane was injured and deliberately landed here, hoping someone would save it, and so on.
Hearing the sound, the old man came out of the tower, looked at the bleeding yellow crane, and went into the mountain forest behind the tower; after a while, he picked a handful of wild grass with feather-like leaves and blooming white flowers, and sprinkled and applied it to the yellow crane's wound, and before long the bleeding stopped. After that, the old man carefully fed the yellow crane, and the yellow crane quickly recovered.
After some more time, one early morning, after taking leave of the villagers, the old man rode the crane up into the sky. The villagers guessed that the old man had become an immortal, and that the yellow crane had been sent by the immortal realm to welcome the old man, but none of them knew where the old man had actually gone. Later, the villagers called the tower the old man had lived in “Yellow Crane Tower”, and called the wild grass the old man used to treat the yellow crane's wound “agrimony”.
Many years later, in the Tang Dynasty, a poet named Cui Hao traveled to Yellow Crane Tower, heard this legend, and his poetic inspiration surged, leaving behind the timeless poem “Yellow Crane Tower”: “The old one has ridden the yellow crane away, here only Yellow Crane Tower remains. Once the yellow crane is gone it never returns, for a thousand years the white clouds drift in vain. Clear river distinct Hanyang trees, fragrant grass lush Parrot Islet. At dusk where is my hometown pass? The misty waves on the river make one sad.” Later still, the great poet Li Bai also came to Yellow Crane Tower, and his poetic inspiration also surged, but after reading Cui Hao's poem, he did not dare write much. Of course, these are all later matters.