Miscellaneous Poem: Rain Near Cold Food
Near Cold Food, rain leaves the grasses lush;
Wind brushes the young wheat, and willows line the bank.
Why is it that I have a home yet cannot return?
Cuckoo, do not cry beside my ear.
Notes
Cold Food is a traditional festival near Qingming. Zhuo means to touch or brush; lush grass and young wheat set a spring scene. The cuckoo often evokes longing for home. The opening character has variants; this page follows the catalogue reading.
Meaning
Spring scenery near the Cold Food Festival contrasts with a traveller’s inability to return home and the cry of a cuckoo.
Appreciation
Rain, grass, wind, wheat and willows establish a spring landscape.
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The poem turns to a traveller who cannot return home and addresses the cuckoo.
The bird’s cry conveys feeling without explaining why the journey home is impossible.
The opening character varies across editions; the catalogue’s reading is used here.
About the poet
Anonymous means that the author’s name is not known.
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No reliable author name is attached to this poem. Its generic title is distinguished here by the opening line; the author’s dates and origin are unknown.