Ode to Lime
With countless blows, stone is taken from the mountains;
It meets the burning fire as though it were ordinary.
Ground and broken, it shows no fear;
It would leave its pure whiteness in the world.
Notes
Yín is a form of poetic title. “A thousand blows” suggests repeated quarrying. Ruò děngxián means as though something were ordinary. Qīngbái describes the lime’s whiteness and also suggests moral integrity.
Meaning
Stone is quarried from the mountains and burned, then broken down to make lime. The poem gives it a voice that values leaving purity in the world.
Appreciation
The poem gives quarried stone and lime a voice, turning their making into an image of endurance.
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The first lines describe the stone leaving the mountains and meeting fire. The phrase “as though ordinary” gives it a calm attitude toward difficulty.
The closing word qīngbái points both to whiteness and to integrity, connecting a physical material with a quality of character.
With a child, first trace the material’s change from stone to lime, then ask what “pure” or “honest” might mean in the poem.
About the poet
Yu Qian (1398–1457), courtesy name Tingyi, was a Ming official and poet from the area of present-day Hangzhou. He is remembered for his role in defending Beijing and for poems including Ode to Lime.
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Life: Yu Qian held regional government posts and helped organize Beijing’s defense around 1449.
Writing: His poems and other writings often use objects or historical events to express his aspirations.
Sources
Poem and reading reference: Shicile · Poet biography reference · poems-db
Translation and explanations by Poetry Buds; review ongoing.