Welcome Rain on a Spring Night
Good rain knows the season;
It comes when spring begins.
It slips into the night with the wind,
Nourishing all things softly, without a sound.
Clouds darken every country path;
Only a boat’s light shines on the river.
At dawn, see the places wet and red:
Flowers weigh down the City of Brocade.
Notes
Nǎi means “then.” Qián suggests a quiet, almost unnoticed arrival. Yějìng is a country path; xiǎo is dawn. The “red, wet places” are rain-soaked flowers. Brocade City is a name for Chengdu.
Meaning
The rain arrives in spring and quietly nourishes growing things. In the darkness a boat light shines; the speaker imagines Chengdu’s rain-heavy flowers at dawn.
Appreciation
The title names the poet’s delight, which emerges through close attention to a gentle spring rain.
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The rain seems to know when to arrive. It enters quietly and helps living things grow without a sound.
Dark clouds and paths make the boat light stand out. The final couplet imagines the flowers that morning will reveal.
Listen to the rain together and imagine what a garden might look like the next morning.
About the poet
Du Fu (712–770), courtesy name Zimei, was a Tang poet born in the area of present-day Gongyi, Henan. War and official work took him through many places, including Chengdu.
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His surviving poems include Spring View and a number of quatrains, as well as works about everyday life and war.
Sources
Poem and reading reference: Shicile · Poet biography reference · poems-db
Translation and explanations by Poetry Buds; review ongoing.