一树寒梅白玉条
A cold-season plum tree has jade-white branches;
迥临村路傍溪桥
Far away it stands by a village path and creek bridge.
不知近水花先发
Not knowing blossoms open early beside the water,
疑是经冬雪未销
I wonder if this is winter snow that has not melted.
What the poem means
A white plum tree stands beside a remote creek bridge. Its early blossoms look so much like snow that the viewer briefly mistakes them for winter's last remains.
Meet the poet
Zhang Wei was a Tang poet. White plum beside a creek bridge invites a moment of mistaken identity and discovery.
Zhang Wei · More poems →