少小离家老大回
Young when I left home, old when I return;
乡音无改鬓毛衰
My local accent remains, but my hair has aged.
儿童相见不相识
The children see me yet do not know me;
笑问客从何处来
Smiling, they ask where this visitor has come from.
What the poem means
Returning home after many years, the poet still speaks with the local accent but looks older. Children who do not recognize him ask where this visitor comes from. Home feels familiar and unfamiliar at once.
Meet the poet
He Zhizhang was a Tang poet. A familiar home accent meets the unfamiliar greeting of a new generation.
He Zhizhang · More poems →