NINETEEN OLD POEMS

Anonymous

(Eastern Han Dynasty)

A rare tree stands in courtyard quiet;

Among green leaves flowers run riot.

I bend a branch and pluck its bloom

To send to my far-off dear groom.

Its fragrance fills my breast and sleeves

Unsent so far away, it grieves.

I value not the bloom sweet-hearted,

But I am grieved so long we've parted.

古诗十九首 庭中有奇树 

[东汉]无名氏

庭中有奇树,绿叶发华滋。

攀条折其荣,将以遗所思。

馨香盈怀袖,路远莫致之。

此物何足贡？但感别经时。

About the poet 

Although the writer of this poem remains anonymous, the poem describes the sentimental feelings a woman has toward her husband, and shows her sadness about being apart from her lover.

About the translator 

Xu Yuanchong (1921-2021) was born in Nanchang in East China's Jiangxi Province. He was a professor of literary translation at Peking University.

About the book 

Golden Treasury of Chinese Poetry in Han, Wei and Six Dynasties Translated by Xu Yuanchong Published by China Intercontinental Press, Beijing, 2019