Longing
Red beans grow in the southern land;
How many branches sprout when spring arrives?
I hope you will gather many of them,
For these beans best recall those we miss.
Notes
Red beans are an image associated with remembering someone far away. “Southern land” refers broadly to the south; “you” addresses the person being remembered. Other transmitted versions differ, including an autumn line and a different request about gathering the beans.
Meaning
The speaker imagines red beans growing in the south and asks someone far away to gather them as a token of remembrance.
Appreciation
The poem gathers a feeling of distance into the image of a small red bean.
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Its opening moves from a place in the south to a question about new branches, suggesting attention to a life far away.
The closing request connects gathering the beans with remembrance. The poem does not specify the relationship, so friendship is one possible reading.
Different versions change the tone. Readers can consider a small object that reminds them of a friend or family member.
About the poet
Wang Wei (c. 701–761), courtesy name Mojie, was a Tang poet, painter and official whose family originated near present-day Qixian, Shanxi.
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He served in government and spent time at Wangchuan; poems exchanged with Pei Di are well known.
His works also include Deer Enclosure and Seeing Yuan Er Off to Anxi.