草 (白居易)

离离原上草，

一岁一枯荣。

野火烧不尽，

春风吹又生。

Grass (Bai Juyi)

The grass abundantly flourishes on the plain,

Year after year it withers and grows.

Wildfire cannot burn it down,

For the spring wind is its source of revival.

Interpretation

The story of perseverance shines through this particular poem. Each winter, it withers, but each spring, it grows back in stronger force than before, growing to such an extent that it fills the entire plain. Bai Juyi’s use of repetition of 离 (typically means “away”, but in this case, signifies the lush vegetation) emphasizes the abundance of the grass on the plain, and his repetitive use of 一 (one) signifies the perseverance of the grass one year after another. Even when there is a wildfire, it cannot burn down all the grass because by the time spring comes, the grass experiences its revival. In my opinion, each blade of grass symbolizes a human being; humans who live in a community develop and become stronger together. Even when hardships, namely the wildfire in this poem, come, humans rely on one another for support to rise back up and face their struggles. In the end, human civilization will flourish if individuals learn to interact and support each other.

Sources:

Image: https://wallpaperstock.net/grass-sky-field-painting-wallpapers_w44867.html

Translation/ Interpretation: http://www.chinesetolearn.com/poem-listening-comprehension/