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Transcript

About the Author

Bai Juyi was a Chinese poet of the Tang Dynasty. Most of his poems concerned his job, as he was a government official. His unique writing style allowed his poems to be easy to read and easily accessible, making him one of the most well-loved poets in China and in other countries. He was extremely influential in the history of chinese literature.

History of the Poem

Bai Juyi wrote over 2,800 poems, which he then copied and gave out to make sure that his work would survive. It is said that if one of his servants could not read a poem, he would then rewrite it. Bai Juyi wrote Grass during an examination at age 16. The first few sentences focus on the beauty of the grass, and the last four discusses the friendship between the grass. Bai uses intense metaphors to describe a profound friendship.

Original Poem

English Version

Pinyin Version

lí lí yuán shàng cao, yí suì yì kū rón.

yé huǒ shāo bú jìn, chūn fēnɡ chuī yòu shēng

yuan fāng qīn gu dào, qíng cuì jiē huāng chéng

yòu sòng wáng sūn qù, qī qī man bié qíng.

Far, far, across the plain

Spreads the grass

One year after another

It dies and returns

Never extinguished

By the prairie fires

With Spring winds

It springs back to life

Bringing near a fragrance

From an age old path

As the green grass grows

Over crumbling city walls

So once again my friend

We must part

With feelings deep as grass

Overtaking my heart

Character-By-Character Translation

Background Story

Away From the original grass, one year old a Coorong.

Wild fire in spring.

Far aromantic invasion ancient road,

Partly crumbling city

And give princes go, full of lush do not love.

I believe that Bai juyi had a friend that he was very close with at one point in his life. One day he goes outside and begins to study the grass and how it moves, along with it's lifecycle. He is instantly reminded of this friend, about how although they had to part, their friendship is still inside of each other, withstanding time itself, just how grass will continue to grow for eternity.

Grass-Bai Juyi

Claire Foxworth

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