Complete Collection of Plum Blossom Poems: Classic Ancient Poems Describing Plum Blossoms
The plum blossom is a small tree of the genus Armeniaca in the Rosaceae family, and ranks first among China's top ten famous flowers. Along with the orchid, bamboo and chrysanthemum, it is listed among the Four Gentlemen, and together with the pine and bamboo it is known as one of the "Three Friends of Winter." In traditional Chinese culture, its noble, strong and modest character inspires people to strive with determination. It blooms before all other flowers in the bitter cold, bringing spring to the world alone. Let us now take a look at which poems describe plum blossoms!
Poems Describing Plum Blossoms from the Northern and Southern Dynasties
"To Fan Ye"
Northern Wei · Lu Kai
I break off a plum branch and meet a courier, to send it to the man at Longtou.
South of the Yangtze there is nothing to give, so I send you a branch of spring.
"Early Plum"
Southern Dynasties · Xie Xie
To welcome spring it blooms early, facing the cold alone without doubt.
Fearing to fall behind the other flowers, with no one giving it a second glance.
Poems Describing Plum Blossoms from the Tang Dynasty
"Little Plum in the Mountain Garden"
Tang · Lin Hejing
When all other flowers have fallen, it alone blooms in radiant beauty, claiming all the charm before the little garden.
Sparse shadows slant across the shallow clear water, a hidden fragrance floats in the dusk moonlight.
The frosty bird, about to descend, first steals a glance; the white butterfly, if it knew, would surely lose its soul.
Fortunately, a soft chant can keep it company; no need for clappers and golden goblets.
"Remembering the Plum"
Tang · Li Shangyin
Fixed and still, dwelling at the edge of the sky, lingeringly facing the splendor of things.
The cold plum is most to be resented, forever blooming as last year's flower.
"Seeing Plum Blossoms at the Fufeng Border in Mid-Eleventh Month"
Tang · Li Shangyin
Along the road it stands tall and fair, blooming out of season with slender fragrance. The white maiden only shares the moon, the blue maiden does not spare the frost.
Gifting to a distant friend, the hand is filled in vain; grieving at parting, it breaks the heart. For whom does it bloom so early? It does not wait to be the flower of the year.
"River Plum"
Tang · Du Fu
Plum buds burst before the twelfth month, plum blossoms abound after the new year. Well do I know how lovely spring feels, but what can be done about a traveler's sorrow?
Snow-covered trees are all one color, and the river wind stirs up its own waves. My old garden I cannot see; the Wu peaks loom dark and towering.
"Early Plum"
Tang · Qi Ji
Ten thousand trees are frozen to the point of breaking, yet one lone root alone returns to warmth. In the deep snow of the village ahead, last night a single branch bloomed.
The wind carries its hidden fragrance out; birds peek at its pure beauty. Next year, if it follows the season, it will bloom first, reflecting on the spring terrace.
"Miscellaneous Poem"
Tang · Wang Wei
You come from our hometown; you must know the affairs of our hometown.
On the day you left, leaning before the window, was the cold plum in bloom?
"Miscellaneous Chant"
Tang · Wang Wei
I have already seen the cold plum bloom, and again I hear the crying of birds.
With all my heart I watch the spring grass, fearing it will grow before the jade steps.
"Plum on the River"
Tang · Wang Shi
Suddenly I see a cold plum tree, its flowers blooming on the bank of the Han River.
Not knowing spring has come early, I mistake it for one playing with pearls.
"Ode to the Courtyard Plum Sent to a Friend"
Tang · Liu Yuxi
Early flowers always brave the cold, and abundant fruit is always bitter and sour. Why is it that on a fine spring day, its fragrance is left to fade?
The tender peach will surely laugh at it; would a wandering courtesan care to look back! If you ask about tuning the golden cauldron, then you will know the true flavor is hard to achieve.
"Plum Blossom"
Tang · Cui Daorong
Several calyxes first hold the snow; its lone bearing is hard to paint. Within its fragrance lies a special charm; pure to the extreme, it knows no cold.
Listening to the flute with sorrow, viewing the slanting branch as if ill. If the headwind understands its meaning, let it not easily destroy it.
"Plum Blossom"
Tang · Yu Xin
That year at mid-twelfth month, I already felt the plum blossoms were late. Not believing this spring is late, we all come to look among the snow.
The tree shakes and hanging ice falls; the branches are high and the hand reaches out cold. Had I known I would not find it, I would truly regret wearing thin clothes.
"Seeking Plum Blossoms in the Snow"
Tang · Xiao Gang
Greatly surprised the plum blossoms are late, we vie to peek among the snow. The lower branches are low and visible; the high places are far and hard to know.
All are shy, reluctant to bare their wrists; yielding to one another, they say their waists are weak. Surely one must still cut and pick, learning to make two or three branches.
"Plum Blossom"
Tang · Jiang Weihan
Before the white jade hall stands a tree of plum, and this morning suddenly I see several flowers bloom.
How many doors and households are shut tight layer upon layer; how then can spring colors enter?
"Early Plum"
Tang · Liu Zongyuan
The early plum blooms on a tall tree, reflecting back the blue of the Chu sky. The north wind carries its night fragrance; heavy frost nourishes its morning white.
I wish to send it ten thousand li, but far, far away mountains and rivers separate us. The cold blossom will wither and fall; what use is it to comfort a distant guest?
"Newly Planted Plum"
Tang · Bai Juyi
By the pond I have newly planted seven plum trees, and when the flowering time comes I will come to inspect them.
Do not fear the envy of the peach and pear of Changzhou; this year it is well that they bloom for you, my lord.
"Early Plum"
Tang · Zhang Wei
A tree of cold plum with branches of white jade, standing far off by the village beside the stream bridge.
Not knowing the flowers bloom before entering the water, I mistake it for winter snow not yet melted.
"Miscellaneous Poems, No. 1"
Tang · Wang Wei
You come from our hometown; you must know the affairs of our hometown.
On the day you left, leaning before the window, was the cold plum in bloom?
"First Seeing Plum Blossoms"
Five Dynasties · Lu Zhuan
North of the river is not as warm as the south; south of the Yangtze it well breaks a northerner's heart.
Rouge peach cheeks and pear-flower powder together make one face of cold plum adornment.
"Qingping Yue"
Southern Tang · Li Yu
Since we parted, spring is half gone; all that meets the eye breaks the tender heart. Beneath the steps fallen plum blossoms scatter like snow; I brush them off, yet my whole body is covered again.
The wild geese come but bring no letter; the road is far and the dream of return is hard to fulfill. The grief of parting is just like spring grass, growing again however far one walks.
Poems Describing Plum Blossoms from the Song Dynasty
"Cold Night"
Song · Du Lei
On a cold night a guest comes, and tea serves as wine; the bamboo stove's water boils as the fire first glows red.
The moon before the window is the same as always, but only with plum blossoms is it different.
"Plum"
Song · Wang Qi
It suffers not the slightest invasion of dust, and is content with a bamboo fence and thatched hut.
Only because it mistakenly knew Lin Hejing has it made poets talk of it to this day.
"Plum"
Song · Wang Anshi
At the corner of the wall several branches of plum, braving the cold, bloom alone.
From afar I know it is not snow, for a hidden fragrance comes drifting over.
"A Poem Lost to Xue Zhaoming at Plum-Blossom Poetry Chess"
Song · Wang Anshi
With graying hair I seek spring and joy to see the plum; one tree by the road is doubly piled with snow.
The southern path by the Phoenix City I will recall in other years; its fragrance is too faint to follow the courier here.
"Plum Blossom Quatrains, No. 1"
Song · Lu You
I hear the plum blossoms break in the morning wind, and snow piles fill all four mountains.
How can I transform my body into a thousand billion, so that each plum tree has one Fangweng?
"Plum Blossom Quatrains, No. 2"
Song · Lu You
How can the secluded valley bear the northern branches, year after year resigned to blooming late.
Do you know its lofty standard and transcendent charm? It is precisely when ice lies in layers and snow has piled.
"Plum Blossom Quatrains, No. 3"
Song · Lu You
The more the snow rages and the wind howls, the more stern it stands; among flowers its spirit and integrity are the highest and firmest.
In time it will of its own accord drift and fall; it would be ashamed to beg pity from the Lord of Spring.
"Plum Blossom"
Song dynasty · Chen Liang
Sparse branches stretch like thin jade, small calyxes dot with pearly light. One blossom suddenly opens first, and all other flowers follow in spring.
Aspiring to messenger the news of spring, it fears not being buried in snow. Let the jade flute cease its three rounds; the Lord of Spring is in command.
"Miscellaneous Reflections on a Winter Day"
Song dynasty · Zhang Lei
In empty mountains the body longs to rest, as the departing year and twelfth month return once more. Year after year the willows bring anxious dread, and everywhere the plum blossoms break the heart.
Green vegetables are picked with short sprouts, red wax candles light as flowers bloom. How can ice and snow persist, when the east wind returns day and night?
"Again Matching Yang Gongji's Plum Blossom"
Song dynasty · Su Shi
Do not resent the frosty dawn for not yet blooming; white-haired, morning and evening, one consumes oneself.
A freshly opened blossom holds wind and dew, just like one waiting for the moon by the western chamber.
"To the Plum on the Ridge"
Song dynasty · Su Shi
The plum blossoms finish blooming, then white flowers open; all the travelers have passed, yet you do not come.
Not for green plums will I taste the warmed wine; I want to see fine rain ripen the yellow plums.
"Ink Plum"
Song dynasty · Zhu Xi
In dreams, the clear river and the fragrance of drunken ink; the pistils are cold, the branches thin, shivering in ice and frost.
Now white and black are all confused; let it serve as the world's fashionable adornment.
"Inscribed on Yang Buzhi's Painting"
Song dynasty · Lou Yue
Plum blossoms have often appeared with a brush like a spirit's; how could pine and bamboo know they are even more lifelike?
A hundred herbs and a thousand flowers are all superficial friends; in the cold of the year, only these three are seen.
"Snow and Plum"
Song dynasty · Lu Meipo
With plum but no snow, there is no spirit; with snow but no plum, the world grows common.
At dusk the poem is finished, and the sky snows again; together with the plum it makes a perfect fragrance.
"Snow and Plum"
Song dynasty · Lu Meipo
Plum and snow contend for spring, neither willing to yield; the poet puts down his brush, hard-pressed to judge.
The plum must yield to the snow three parts in whiteness; the snow loses to the plum a length of fragrance.
"Begging Winter Plum from Zhang Zhongmou"
Song dynasty · Huang Tingjian
I hear wild plums have bloomed behind your temple, dyed by fragrant honey into a palace-style yellow.
I do not plan to break one off to screen these old eyes; I want to know spring's colors have reached the pond.
"Drowsing on the Snow-Fishing Boat"
Song dynasty · Yang Wanli
A small pavilion, bright windows, the door half closed; reading a book, feeling sleepy, drowsy and dim.
For no reason I am troubled by the plum blossom, which purposely blows its fragrance to break my dream soul.
"Cold Night"
Song dynasty · Du Lei
On a cold night a guest comes; tea serves as wine; the bamboo stove's water boils, the fire first glows red.
The moon before the window is the same as always, yet once the plum blossoms appear, it is altogether different.
"Old Plum"
Song dynasty · Xiao Dezao
Like the Xiang River goddess standing perilously on a frozen dragon's back, like a sea moon coldly hung on coral branches.
Grotesque and startling, yet able to charm; only the cold of dawn knows its heartbreak.
"Plum in a Vase"
Song dynasty · Zhang Daoqia
A vase of cold water holds a few branches of spring; its clear fragrance is no less than by the small stream.
Slanting beneath the bamboo where no one sees, let it not be known to the faint clouds and pale moon.
"Red Plum"
Song dynasty · Su Dongpo
Year after year the fragrant message betrays the red plum; by the riverbank it droops, about to bloom again.
Cherish the deep affection of Magistrate Yi; straight from the root it is pulled up to send spring hither.
"Matching the Rhyme of Zhongyu's Early Plum"
Song dynasty · Huang Tingjian
Breaking off the cold fragrance without revealing the trick, in the small window's slanting sun, two or three branches.
Behind gauze curtains and green leaves deeply tended, it has already been known by the wandering bees.
"The Second of Two Poems on the Rear Courtyard Flowers Blooming After the Eleventh Month"
Song dynasty · Cai Xiang
The sun is warm, the fragrance rich, already in full bloom; when it blooms it has reached a thousand hundred times.
How could the spring wind be so full of tender feeling? Accompanying the flowers, it goes and comes again.
"Ink Plum"
Song dynasty · Zhang Nie
By the mountain, in the deep valley, by the water, at the village, sparse flowers once broke a traveler's soul.
Still I resent the east wind's indifference, blowing mist and rain to darken the dusk.
"Bu Suan Zi · Ode to Plum"
Song dynasty · Lu You
Beyond the post station, by the broken bridge, lonely it blooms with no master. Already at dusk, sorrowing alone, and further battered by wind and rain.
With no mind to strive for spring, it lets all the fragrant flowers envy. Scattered and fallen, ground into dust, only its fragrance remains as before.
"Lin Jiang Xian · Plum"
Song dynasty · Li Qingzhao
The courtyard is deep, deep, how deep? Cloud windows and mist pavilions, spring comes late; for whom has it pined and marred its fair form? Last night's clear dream was good; it should be blooming on the southern branch.
Jade-thin and sandalwood-light, with boundless grief; let the Qiang flute on the southern tower cease to blow. When the rich fragrance is blown away, who will know? In warm wind and lingering sun, do not wait until the apricot blossoms grow fat.
"Ti Ren Jiao · Moved by the Plum Blossoms in the Rear Pavilion"
Song dynasty · Li Qingzhao
Jade-thin and richly fragrant, sandalwood deep, snow scattered; this year I regret again that I sought the plum too late. River towers, Chu pavilions, clouds between, waters far.
The clear day is long; leaning on the railing, the green curtain rolled low. Guests arrive at the seat, the cup before them full of wine, singing voices with the flowing water and broken clouds.
The southern branch can be planted; moreover it must be trimmed often; do not wait at the western tower for several notes of the Qiang flute.
"The Lonely Swan"
Song dynasty · Li Qingzhao
When people of the world write plum poems, the moment they set brush to paper it turns common. I tried composing one piece, and then knew my earlier words were not idle.
Rising from morning sleep on the rattan bed and paper curtain, there is no end to it, no good thoughts. The incense smoke has ceased, the jade censer cold, accompanying me with feelings like water.
The flute plays three rounds; the plum blossom's heart is startled awake, how much spring feeling and meaning. A small wind, sparse rain, rustling everywhere, urging down a thousand lines of tears.
The flute player has gone, the jade tower empty; heartbroken, with whom can I lean? A branch is broken off, in the human world and in heaven, there is no one to send it to.
"Yu Lou Chun · Red Plum"
Song dynasty · Li Qingzhao
The red delicate one, will it let its jade bud break open? I search the southern branch, has it bloomed all over yet? I do not know how long it has been brewing, but I see it holds boundless meaning.
The Daoist, gaunt, at the bottom of the spring window, sullen and worn, too sorrowful to lean on the railing. If you want to come and take a small look, then come and be done; not necessarily will the wind not rise tomorrow morning.
"Yu Jia Ao"
Song dynasty · Li Qingzhao
In the snow one already knows spring's message has arrived; the cold plum adorns the jade branches, smooth and fair; its fragrant face half open, charming and graceful; there in the courtyard, like a jade beauty fresh from the bath, newly washed and dressed.
Perhaps the Creator is partial on purpose, so He makes the bright moon shine clear and exquisite. Together let us enjoy the golden cup, sinking the green ant wine; do not decline to be drunk, for this flower cannot be compared with other flowers.
"Mei Hua Yin · Snowbound at Jing Creek"
Song dynasty · Jiang Jie
The white gull asks me, moored in the lone boat, is it the body that stays, or the heart that stays? If the heart stays, why furrow the brows? The wind beats the small curtain, the lamp's halo dances; facing idle shadows, cold and clear, I recall old travels.
Old travels, old travels, do they still exist? The tower beyond the flowers, the boat beneath the willows. Dream it, dream it, yet I cannot dream it; the cold water flows in vain. Vast yellow clouds, soaking through the cotton-padded coat. Everyone says no one grieves like me; tonight's snow, and the plum blossom, grieve like me.
"Die Lian Hua"
Song dynasty · Ouyang Xiu
The east wind through the curtain, the cold is biting; in the snow the fragrant plum is first to announce that spring comes early. On the red wax branches, two small swallows; golden scissors cut colored silk, showing fine and delicate skill.
Then warm the golden censer to burn orchid and algae incense. Wine enters the wandering eyes, and weariness cannot withstand the vexation. Under the embroidered quilt, the fifth watch's spring sleep is good; in the silk bed-curtain one does not notice the gauze window's dawn.
"Lin Jiang Xian"
Song dynasty · Xin Qiji
Grown old, my heart for cherishing flowers has already grown lazy; yet loving plum, I still wander the river village. One branch is the first to break the jade stream's spring. It has no flower's manner, but all the spirit of snow.
I go on to feast on the fair colors in the empty mountains, and for it write fresh and clear lines; bamboo roots and flowing water carry the stream's clouds. Drunk, I remember nothing at all; on the homeward road, the moon at dusk.
"Ink Plum"
Jin dynasty · Zhao Bingwen
The painter does not paint a powdered and rouged face, yet fears that others will dislike my bluntness.
When we meet, do not say you do not know me; Xia Fu was always a carver of jade.
Yuan dynasty poems describing plum blossoms
"White Plum"
Yuan dynasty · Wang Mian
In the forest of ice and snow it places this body, not mingling its fragrant dust with peach and plum.
Suddenly one night its clear fragrance bursts forth, scattering into spring across ten thousand li of heaven and earth.
"Ink Plum"
Yuan dynasty · Wang Mian
The tree by my inkstone-washing pool, each blossom opening with faint ink traces.
I do not want people to praise its fair colors; I only want to leave its clear spirit filling heaven and earth.
"Plum Blossom"
Yuan dynasty · Wang Mian
In March the east wind blows and the snow melts away; the hills of Hunan are green as if washed.
A single note of the Qiang flute, with no one to see; countless plum blossoms fall on the wild bridge.
"Enjoying Red Plum Blossoms on the First Day of Spring"
Yuan dynasty · Yuan Huai
Last night the east wind turned the Dipper's handle; by the path the willow snow had only just melted. At dawn a whole tree blooms like clustered apricot, opening toward a lonely village beyond a small bridge.
It must be that the Creator of Things thought powder too thin, and so lent color to make the flowers lovely. Green branches and green leaves need no distinguishing; among ten thousand blooms it seizes the champion's banner.
"Remembering Plum Blossom"
Yuan dynasty · Duan Keji
The immortal of Mount Gushé with skin of ice and snow, in years past kept me company toward West Lake.
Since we parted, how many times has the spring wind changed; is its bearing now as of old, or not?
"West Lake Plum Blossom"
Yuan dynasty · Feng Zizhen
By Su the Old's causeway lies a forest of jade; the wind and moon of the Six Bridges are its true friends.
Let the peach and plum vie for admiration; it does not change its pure heart for all that flourish.
"Mandarin Duck Plum Blossom"
Yuan dynasty · Feng Zizhen
Twin blossoms on joined stems, every flower in pairs; it best suits casting its reflection beside a cold pond.
I only fear the painted horn's startling blast will scatter them; divided shadows flying apart is the saddest thing of all.
"Inscribing a Painting of Ink Plum Blossom"
Yuan dynasty · Tao Zongyi
Bright moon over the recluse's home on Solitary Hill; the cold lake light soaks the slanting jade.
It seems to use the free brush of seal and Zhou script; iron wire coiled into each and every flower.
"On the Road in Yangshan"
Yuan dynasty · Monk Shanzhu
After the rain the spring torrent vies to divide; a pair of wild pheasants fly over the ancient grave.
I see a household dwelling deep in the cove; plum blossoms surround the house, and the door is not opened.
"Miscellaneous Impressions of Late Spring"
Yuan dynasty · Fang Hui
Fragrant grass so lush it buries the shoes deep; clear and mild weather moistens the garden.
Where the fine drizzle has just cleared, I quietly count green plums, standing in the tree's shade.
Ming dynasty verses describing plum blossom
"Lodging at Wutang, Written There"
Ming dynasty · Xia Wanchun
Meeting the flowers, I think instead of the plum of my old garden; snow covers the cold mountain, and the path will not open.
The bright moon and my sorrowing heart are alike; a single branch of pale shadow waits for someone to come.
"Inscribing a Painting of Plum Blossom"
Ming dynasty · Xu Wei
I have never seen a manual of plum blossom; painted freely by hand, it has spirit of itself.
If you do not believe it, just look at thousands and millions of trees; when the east wind blows on them, they become spring.
"Wang Yuanzhang's Painting of Plum Blossom with a Drooping Branch"
Ming dynasty · Xu Wei
Its bright bearing and solitary fragrance surpass common forms; how could one bear to paint again a branch that brushes the clouds.
All things have always disliked lofty style; do not wonder that the plum blossom hangs down to the ground.
"Inscribing a Painting"
Ming dynasty · Tang Yin
Snow presses the river village, the gusts make cold; the garden is all heaped with jade blossoms.
Quickly, one must buy wine to wash away the clear cold; there are also sparse plum blossoms calling the guest to look.
"Early Spring"
Ming dynasty · Chen Jiru
The spring wind has no strength, willow strands slant; new grass faintly divides a streak of sand.
I want to borrow a hoe from the host and plant it; sweeping away the leftover snow to plant plum blossom.
"Emperor Huizong of Song's Painting of a Half-Open Plum Blossom"
Ming dynasty · Zhao Youtong
The retired emperor, court dismissed, wine just at its height, painted a plum blossom with its stamens half contained.
Melancholy that after spring departed from the Bian palace, a single branch drifted down to Jiangnan.
"Painting Plum Blossom"
Ming dynasty · Fang Xiaoru
Light snow has just melted, moon on half the pond; beyond the fence I see two or three branches from afar.
Its clear fragrance conveys that the heart of Heaven remains; it does not speak of what ordinary grass and trees know.
"Painting Plum Blossom"
Ming dynasty · Chen Daofu
Beyond the bamboo fence the wild plum is fragrant; brought with snow, it enters the land of drunkenness.
On paper it sleeps alone, spring at ease; needlessly the carriage and horses toil, laughing at man's busyness.
"Painting Plum Blossom"
Ming dynasty · Chen Daofu
The plum blossom, triumphant, takes first place among all flowers; after the snow I seek it out, and it laughs at my haste.
I break off a branch and hang it on my bamboo staff; on the way home there is clear fragrance all along the road.
"Plum Blossom Falls"
Ming dynasty · Xue Xuan
Beyond the eaves, a pair of plum trees; in the courtyard, last night's wind.
I do not know from where the flute comes, rising together within a single note.
"Early Plum Blossom"
Ming dynasty · Tongrun
Ten thousand trees are cold and colorless; only the southern branch has flowers.
Its fragrance is smelled where the flowing water is; its shadow falls on the wild man's home.
"Painting Plum Blossom on the Third Day of the New Year, Dingmao Year"
Ming dynasty · Li Rihua
Sandalwood mouth and powdered ribs, holding back laughter and speech; the spring wind blows gently to open its heart.
A drinker who gets this adds wild delight; poetic lines pour down from the sky.
"Plum Blossoms in Full Bloom in Zhenshi Garden"
Ming dynasty · Wang Ao
Sitting a while among the flowers as the sunset lingers; fragrant snow on a thousand branches and ten thousand branches.
Since spring came I have had no good lines; leaning on my staff here, suddenly a poem is made.
Qing dynasty verses describing plum blossom
"Inscription on an Album Leaf of a Painting"
Qing dynasty · Puhe
With nothing to do I always seek the plum; having got the plum, I return home.
The snow is deep and spring still shallow; half of it will open by the time I reach home.
"After Snow in the Mountains"
Qing dynasty · Zheng Xie
Rising at dawn I open the door to snow all over the mountains; the snow clears, clouds are thin, the sunlight is cold.
The eaves' meltwater has not yet dripped, the plum blossom is frozen; a kind of clear solitude that is no common thing.
"Painting Plum Blossom"
Qing dynasty · Jin Nong
The older the old plum, the more spirit it has; by the waterside shop and mountain tower, as if someone were there.
Its purity reaches the utmost cold, filling the hand; as if one knew the bright moon was its former self.
"Inscribing Tang Jieyuan's Small Scene"
Qing dynasty · Yun Shouping
After the snow a light oar enters the green haze; the cold air of the flower stream rises onto spring clothing.
Crossing the bridge to the south bank to seek spring; having trodden all the plum blossoms, I return with the moon.
"Inscribing Plum Blossom"
Qing dynasty · Wang Shishen
In the small courtyard I plant one or two rows of plum; the sparse shadows painted on empty space fill my clothes.
Ice blossoms turn to snow, the moon adds whiteness; one day of east wind, one day of fragrance.
"Early Plum Blossom"
Qing dynasty · Ning Diaoyuan
Brilliant purples and reds would be ashamed to imitate it; alone in the last place it shows its spirit.
Deep in the stream and mountains, beneath the gray cliff, a few dots open without borrowing spring.
"Withered Plum Blossom"
Qing dynasty · Wu Qi
Strange fragrance and uncommon color crown the forest's edge; for a hundred and ten years it flourished, then suddenly declined.
It has gathered up all its essence and gone, leaving only its bone and frame for people to see.
"Inscribing a Painting of Plum Blossom"
Qing dynasty · Li Fangying
The plum blossom has not yet sprouted today; to turn heaven and earth around is the painter's task.
The spring wind from the brush tip cannot be wielded to the end; smeared east and west, it always blooms.
"Inscribing a Painting of Plum Blossom"
Qing dynasty · Li Fangying
The brush sweeps, the ink on paper fresh and new, a few dots of plum blossom most delightful.
I wish to borrow the heavenly wind to blow it far, so every household and lane becomes spring.
"Poem on Plum Blossom"
Qing Dynasty · Yu Yue's wife
Enduring the snow and frost of the human world, above all flowers you are first to fragrance.
The clear breeze has its own immortal bone, cold beauty suits the jade hall.
"Harmonizing with My Wife's Plum Blossom Poem"
Qing Dynasty · Yu Yue
The courtyard is dustless, frost at night, what is seen is no ordinary fragrance.
On the cold night we share the Luofu dream, far surpassing Su Dongpo in the Snow Hall.
"Seeking Plum Blossoms at Yuanmu in the Rain"
Qing Dynasty · Song Luo
Seeking plum blossoms in the rain, the mood still rises, on the stone path the staff rings loud. Cloud shadows and flower light suddenly swallow and release, pine waves and rock streams clamor and contend.
Its charm suits the Zen couch, appreciated in leisure, its seclusion loved where the garden gate is broken, one walks. Gazing afar, a vast sea of fragrant snow, on my own mountain's edge a fine place to inscribe a name.
"Fallen Plum Blossoms"
Qing Dynasty · Lü Ran
Gentle wind and rain dot the moss patterns, faint lingering fragrance heard in the quiet. What gathers beneath the trees is all snow, what flies off the ridge is half cloud.
No need for the horizontal flute to blow over the river town, most I regret the bare branches in the cold evening light. Looking back at the road below Solitary Hill, frost birds and white butterflies let them scatter.
"Visiting Miaoyu to Beg for Red Plum"
Qing Dynasty · Cao Xueqin
The wine cask not yet opened, the verse not yet cut, seeking spring and asking of the twelfth month, I come to Penglai. I do not seek the Bodhisattva's dew in her vase, but beg of Chang'e the plum beyond the threshold.
Entering the world, cold peach and red snow depart, leaving the dust, fragrant cutting of purple clouds arrives. Who pities the gnarled branches and the poet's thin shoulders, on whose clothes still cling the moss of the Buddhist court.
"Ode to Red Plum Blossom"
Qing Dynasty · Cao Xueqin
The peach not yet fragrant, the apricot not yet red, already laughing at the east wind through the cold. The soul flies to Yu Ridge, spring is hard to tell, rosy clouds bar Luofu, the dream has not yet reached.
Green sepals add adornment, melting precious torches, the white immortal, drunk, crosses the fading rainbow. See how it is no ordinary color, dense or light, let it be amid the ice and snow.
"Ode to Red Plum Blossom"
Qing Dynasty · Cao Xueqin
Too lazy to write of white plum, I write of red plum, flaunting its beauty, first to open to drunken eyes. Its frozen face bears marks that are all blood, its sour heart, though without hate, also turns to ash.
Mistakenly swallowing the elixir, it shifts its true bone, secretly descending from the Jade Pool, shedding its old form. North of the river and south, spring is brilliant, send word to bees and butterflies: do not idly doubt.
"Ode to Red Plum Blossom"
Qing Dynasty · Cao Xueqin
Sparse are the branches, brilliant is the blossom, spring-adorned young men and women vie in luxury. In the idle hall and winding railings no snow remains, in flowing water and empty mountains there is falling rosy cloud.
The hidden dream turns cold with the red-sleeved flute, the wandering immortal's fragrance floats on the crimson river raft. Its former life must have been planted on the jade terrace, no more doubting the difference in color and form.