Early Plum Blossoms

Liu ZongyuanJinzhang Book Company (Jinzhang Shuju) · ChinaJun 2024

4.3

Word count: 3.7K words
Chapters: 48

Summary

The early plum blossoms bloom on high branches, their white far reflecting the deep blue southern sky. At night the north wind brings drifting faint fragrance; at dawn thick frost adds a layer of whiteness. I wish to break off a branch and send it ten thousand miles away, but mountains and rivers bar the distant way. Seeing the cold plum soon to wither and fall, what can console a far-off friend's longing?

Editor's review

In just a few lines, Liu Zongyuan's "Early Plum" sketches the pure, peerless image of cold plum in early spring. It begins with high branches shining far against the southern sky, turns to night wind and faint fragrance, then dawn frost and whiteness; from the object it moves to the person, ending in the melancholy of breaking a branch to send afar and the barriers of mountains and rivers, and finally closes with the cold plum about to fall and the question of how to console longing. The language is spare and clean while the feeling is deep and restrained; object and absent friend are fused into one, making it a fitting sample of the subtle beauty of Tang short verse. This edition was printed by Shanghai Jinzhang Book Company; brief in length, it suits beginners reading classical poetry aloud and also serves as a model for appreciation in writing classes. When reading, note the layered accumulation of visual, olfactory, and tactile images, and the turn where scenery gives way to feeling.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Beginners in classical literature who want to feel the restrained lyricism of Tang poetry through a short poem
Language teachers who need a short poem on objects and absent friends for classroom recitation or appreciation
Readers interested in Liu Zongyuan's poetry who wish to broaden their reading of his work

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting long narrative or complex plot
Self-study readers who need detailed annotations and word-by-word explanation

Reading tips

Read through twice without looking at the analysis, mark the line where scenery gives way to feeling, then consider how the turn happens.
Compare the lines on night wind and faint fragrance, dawn frost and whiteness with your own observations of nature, and feel the effect of layered images.
Try retelling orally the emotional thread from breaking a branch to longing, to check whether you have grasped the flow.

About the publisher

Jinzhang Book Company (Jinzhang Shuju) China · Founded in 1901

Jinzhang Book Company (Jinzhang Shuju) was a private publishing and distribution house in Shanghai during the late Qing and early Republican periods, issuing traditional works by lithographic printing. Judging from the 1,194 titles in the collection, its publishing focused on classical poetry, Eastern philosophy, historical reading, traditional Chinese medical texts, and canonical works, along with books on literary appreciation. Representative titles include the poetry and prose collections of Du Fu and Ouyang Xiu; historical works such as the Book of Han and Zizhi Tongjian; classical texts such as the Book of Documents and Mencius; and specialized and literary classics such as Treatise on Cold Damage and Li Sao. Its author resources cover major figures across the ages, including Du Fu, Ban Gu, Sima Guang, Zhang Zhongjing, Qu Yuan, Ouyang Xiu, and Tang Shenwei, reflecting the house's characteristic reliance on traditional scholarship and medical literature while serving general readers. Public information on its early history and operational details is limited, so no conjecture is offered here.

版权信息
【李陵别苏武】刘湾
【虹县严孝子墓】刘湾
【对雨愁闷，寄钱大郎中】刘湾
【即席赋露中菊】刘湾
【遇旅鹤】孙昌胤
【清明】孙昌胤
【和司空曙、刘昚虚九日送人】孙昌胤
【越裳献白翟（一作丁仙芝诗）】孙昌胤
【绵州越王楼即事】乔琳
【牡丹】柳浑
【读后汉逸人传二首】张谓
【同孙构免官后登蓟楼】张谓
【代北州老翁答】张谓
【湖上对酒行】张谓
【赠乔琳（一作刘昚虚诗）】张谓
【邵陵作】张谓
【寄李侍御】张谓
【寄崔沣州】张谓
【送裴侍御归上都】张谓
【送青龙一公】张谓
【送韦侍御赴上都】张谓
【饯田尚书还兖州】张谓
【送杜侍御赴上都】张谓
【道林寺送莫侍御（一作麓州精舍送莫侍御归宁）】张谓
【别睢阳故人】张谓
【郡南亭子宴（一作春宴）】张谓
【早春陪崔中丞浣花溪宴得暄字】张谓
【宴郑伯玙宅】张谓
【夜同宴，用人字】张谓
【过从弟制疑官舍竹斋】张谓
【扬州雨中张十七宅观妓（一作刘长卿诗）】张谓
【登金陵临江驿楼】张谓
【同王征君湘中有怀（一作严维诗）】张谓
【官舍早梅】张谓
【玉清公主挽歌（代宗之女）】张谓
【别韦郎中】张谓
【送皇甫龄宰交河】张谓
【杜侍御送贡物戏赠】张谓
【春园家宴】张谓
【西亭子言怀】张谓
【辰阳即事（一作刘长卿诗，题云感怀）】张谓
【送僧】张谓
【同诸公游云公禅寺】张谓
【哭护国上人】张谓
【送卢举使河源】张谓
【题长安壁主人】张谓
【长沙失火后戏题莲花寺】张谓

FAQ

Does this poem mainly write about plum blossoms or about missing a friend?

Both. The first four lines focus on the early plum's noble bearing, faint fragrance, and white frost; the last four move from breaking a branch to send afar to the barriers of mountains and rivers. The plum is both the object described and the medium that triggers longing, and object and absent friend become one at the end.

What roles do "faint fragrance" and "thick frost" play in the poem?

"Faint fragrance" describes the plum through smell, highlighting a scent that is present without being showy; "thick frost" describes it through sight and touch, setting off its whiteness and cold clarity. One is intangible and one tangible, reinforcing in layers the pure, peerless image of the early plum and preparing the atmosphere for the lonely, distant longing that follows.

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About the author

Liu Zongyuan Author · Chinese

Liu Zongyuan (773–819), courtesy name Zihou, was a native of Hedong (present-day Yuncheng, Shanxi) in the Tang Dynasty. A renowned writer, thinker and statesman, he is counted among the Eight Great Prose Masters of the Tang and Song. Together with Han Yu he championed the Classical Prose Movement, and he achieved distinction in both prose and poetry. The library holds 17 of his works, spanning categories such as classical poetry, social sciences, classic works and literary appreciation, including the multi-volume Collected Works of Liu Zongyuan, an anthology of the Eight Great Prose Masters featuring Liu Zongyuan, and Twelve Tang Nao Ge Drum and Bugle Songs. His representative works, such as The Eight Records of Yongzhou, The Story of the Snake Catcher and River Snow, express feeling through landscape, critique social ills, or convey aspirations through objects, with concise language and profound meaning that have deeply influenced later prose and poetry. Public information on the details of his life is limited, so this introduction focuses on his literary achievements and the character of his works.