离离原上草
Grass grows thick across the plain,
一岁一枯荣
Each year it withers and grows again.
野火烧不尽
Wildfire cannot burn it all away;
春风吹又生
The spring breeze brings new life.
What the poem means
Grass covers the plain, withering and growing again each year. Fire cannot end its life; spring brings new growth. This lesson uses the opening four lines of a longer farewell poem.
Meet the poet
Bai Juyi was a Tang poet whose clear language often explores everyday life and human feeling.
Bai Juyi · More poems →