In the shade where the warm sunshine of spring cannot reach, new shoots of life sprout as usual, and moss still grows green. Although the moss flower is insignificant, only as big as a grain of rice, it still blooms as enthusiastically as the noble peony.
"Moss"
Qing Dynasty·Yuan Mei
When the day is not around, youth comes naturally.
The moss flowers are as small as rice, and they also bloom like peonies.
Translation
The first sentence of the poem points out the environment in which moss grows. It is a dark and humid place, but it still has not lost the courage to grow. The word "Qia Zi Lai" in the second sentence shows that moss grew through many obstacles with its own strong perseverance. The last two lines of the poem compare moss and peonies, praising the tenacious vitality of moss.
About the author
Yuan Mei was one of the representative poets during the Qianlong and Jiaqing periods. Together with Zhao Yi and Jiang Shiquan, he was known as the "Three Great Masters of Qianlong". Most of his poems describe trivial matters around him, as well as descriptions of romantic affairs, which are more life-oriented. His representative works include "Moss", "Spring Breeze", "What I Saw", "Mawei", etc.