绕池闲步看鱼游
I stroll beside the pond and watch fish swim,
正值儿童弄钓舟
Just as children tend a fishing boat.
一种爱鱼心各异
We all like fish, yet our wishes differ:
我来施食尔垂钩
I offer food; you lower a hook.
What the poem means
Walking beside a pond, the poet notices children fishing. Both he and the children like fish, but he feeds them while they try to catch them. The same word can hide different intentions.
Meet the poet
Bai Juyi was a Tang poet whose clear language often explores everyday life and human feeling.
Bai Juyi · More poems →