Long Song
Green mallows grow in the garden,
Morning dew awaits the drying sun.
Spring spreads its generous warmth,
And all things shine with life.
Yet I fear the autumn season will arrive,
And leaves and flowers will turn yellow and fade.
A hundred rivers flow east to the sea;
When will they ever return west?
If the young do not make an effort,
In old age they will have only sorrow.
Notes
Kuí is a garden plant; xī means to dry in the sun. Dézé suggests spring’s life-giving generosity. Kūnhuáng describes yellowing plants; huá here means flowers. Bǎichuān refers to many rivers; tú means in vain.
Meaning
The garden flourishes in spring, yet plants will fade in autumn. Rivers flow to the sea and do not turn back. The poem asks readers to value their time and make an effort while young.
Appreciation
The song begins with spring growth, turns toward autumn and then uses flowing rivers to reflect on time.
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The garden and morning dew make the season visible. Yellowing leaves remind us that seasons change.
The question about rivers returning west makes the passage of time tangible. The ending turns this observation into direct advice.
Read together by noticing a plant through the seasons and choosing one small thing to try today.
About the poet
Long Song belongs to the Han yuefu poetic tradition; no individual author is reliably known. Yuefu originally referred to an office concerned with music and came to name related songs and poems.
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The tradition includes songs with varied subjects and works composed or preserved by later writers.
Sources
Poem and reading reference: Shicile · Poet biography reference · poems-db
Translation and explanations by Poetry Buds; review ongoing.