"Buying Flowers" is a work by Bai Juyi, a poet of the Tang Dynasty. It is the last poem in the group of poems "Ten Songs in Qinzhong" and is also the most famous one among them. By narrating the scene of Chang'an nobles buying peonies, this poem reveals the decadent life of the upper-class rulers at that time who were extravagant, luxurious and spending money like water. It profoundly reflects the contradiction between exploitation and being exploited. The whole poem has clear prose, sharp contrast, pungent satire, and has profound social significance.
Buy flowers
Bai Juyi
Spring is approaching dusk in the imperial city, and there is a lot of noise and traffic.
When *** talked about peonies, he went to buy flowers with him.
There is no permanent price for high or low, and the reward depends on the number of flowers.
A hundred red flowers are burning, and there are five bunches of primeval flowers.
There is a curtain on the top for shelter, and a fence on the side for protection.
Sprinkle water and seal it with mud, and the color will remain the same.
Every family has a common practice, and everyone is confused.
There is a farm owner who occasionally comes to buy flowers.
He lowered his head and sighed alone, but there was no one to tell him.
A clump of dark flowers is a gift from ten households.
Explanation of Poetry
In late spring in the capital, the carriages and horses coming and going are noisy. People say that this is the season when peonies bloom, and they go to the streets to buy flowers. Flowers are neither noble nor cheap, and there is no price. The price depends on the number of flower branches. One hundred bright red flowers are worth twenty-five bolts of brocade silk. A curtain was put up to cover it, and a fence was woven around it for protection. Sprinkle the flower branches with water and seal the pine trees with mud. The flower color will still be good after transplantation. Making flowers is a custom in every family, but everyone is obsessed with it. An old farmer happened to come to a place where he was buying flowers. Looking at all this, he couldn't help but lower his head and sigh, but no one understood his sigh. It turns out that the value of a cluster of brightly colored flowers is equivalent to the tax paid by ten average households.