Little Pond
The quiet spring seems to cherish its gentle flow.
Tree shadows rest on the water, as if enjoying the gentle sunshine.
A young lotus leaf has just shown its pointed tip,
And already a dragonfly is perched on top.
Notes
A spring’s source is the place where its water emerges; a fine stream is a small flow of water. ‘Gentle sunshine’ evokes a soft scene on a clear day. The ‘little lotus’ is a new leaf whose pointed tip has not yet opened.
Appreciation
Little Pond draws attention to a small waterside scene: a spring, tree shade, a new lotus leaf and a dragonfly. These modest details together make a quiet scene full of life.
In the first two lines, words such as ‘cherish’ and ‘enjoy’ give the spring and the shade a human-like quality. This is a poetic way of describing the scene, not a claim that water and trees literally think.
The final lines focus on a young lotus leaf just showing its point. The dragonfly has already landed before the leaf has opened; ‘just’ and ‘already’ bring two brief moments close together and show careful observation.
With a child, look for the water, shade, lotus leaf and dragonfly, and imagine where each belongs. The Wikisource text uses the character 纔, while the simplified text here uses 才; in this line they convey the same sense of ‘just’.
Poem text reference: Wikisource
Meaning
A quiet spring, tree shade and a new lotus leaf form a small pond scene. A dragonfly has already landed on its tip.
About the poet
Yang Wanli was a Song poet who found lively details in plants, birds and small changes in nature.