Member Poem

Spring Dawn

 
Meng Haoran (689/691–740)
 
 
Asleep in spring, unconscious of the dawn,
The chirp chirp song of birds is everywhere.
Last night the thunder, wind, and rain came long—
How many blossoms now remain out there?
 
 

Chinese   春曉 孟 浩 然   春眠不覺曉 處處聞啼鳥 夜來風雨聲 花落知多少

Pronunciation   Chūn Xiǎo Mèng Hàorán   Chūn mián bù jué xiǎo Chǔ chǔ wén tí niǎo Yè lái fēng yǔ shēng Huā luò zhī duō shǎo

 
 
Transliteration and Notes
 
Spring Dawn
 
Spring sleep not wake dawn
Place place hear chirp birds
Night came wind rain sound
Flowers fall know many few?
 
     “Place place” means “everywhere” but the pronunciation, “chu chu,” could also imitate the sounds of birds. “Many few” means “how many?” The poet is half-asleep on a spring morning, waking to the sound of birds singing. As he gains consciousness, he remembers last night’s storm and wonders how many flower petals were knocked down.
     This poem is one of the best known poems of the Tang Dynasty as it is widely used in the official first grade Chinese textbooks and is thus taught to hundreds of millions of students.