Source: Mo Mei
Original text:
Mo mei
Author Wang Mian? the Yuan Dynasty
My first tree, Xiyan Lake, is covered with light ink.
Don't boast about the good color, just let the air be full of dried Kun.
Vernacular translation:
A plum blossom growing in Xiyan Lake seems to be a trace of no bright color left after washing the pen with light ink.
It doesn't need others to praise its color, but only cares about filling the faint fragrance between heaven and earth.
Extended data:
Mo Mei is a seven-character quatrain written by Wang Mian, a poet in Yuan Dynasty.
The first two sentences of this poem directly describe Mo Mei, while the last two sentences praise Mo Mei's virtuous character and Dont Ask For Help's boasting. He just wants to leave a fragrance of virtue in the world, but in fact, he uses plum as a metaphor to express his attitude towards life and noble sentiments without flattering the secular. The whole poem is exquisitely conceived, light and elegant, straight and melodious, full of fresh and elegant atmosphere.
Creative background:
This poem was written in about nine to ten years from Yuan Shundi to Zheng Zheng (1349- 1350). Wang Mian returned to Shaoxing after a long-distance roaming, and bought land to build a house in Jiulishan, Huiji, and named it Meihua House, since he was the owner of Meihua House.
This poem was written in the plum blossom house. At this time, on the eve of the peasant uprising at the end of Yuan Dynasty, facing the insoluble contradictions in real life, the author wrote this poem emotionally.