应怜屐齿印苍苔
Perhaps he treasures the moss my wooden clogs would mark;
小扣柴扉久不开
I tap the wooden gate, but it stays closed.
春色满园关不住
A garden full of spring cannot be shut away:
一枝红杏出墙来
One red apricot branch reaches over the wall.
What the poem means
The visitor taps the gate, but no one opens it. A flowering branch over the wall hints at the spring garden within. The visitor guesses that its owner may treasure the moss; the reason remains uncertain.
Meet the poet
Ye Shaoweng was a Song poet. One branch hints at the spring hidden in a garden.
Ye Shaoweng · More poems →