天街小雨润如酥
Fine rain on the capital street is soft as cream;
草色遥看近却无
Grass looks green from afar, but close up seems gone.
最是一年春好处
This is the loveliest part of the spring year,
绝胜烟柳满皇都
Far better than the capital filled with lush, hazy willows.
What the poem means
Fine early-spring rain moistens the streets. Grass looks faintly green from afar but nearly disappears up close. The poet delights in this first hint of spring, even more than later lush growth.
Meet the poet
Han Yu was a Tang poet. Writing to Zhang Ji, he praises the faint green that first hints at spring.
Han Yu · More poems →