Birthday poem · April 30Peony season, in the Grain Rain period.
Birth character
花 huā · flower
花 means a flower; the older form was 華.
花落知多少
“How many are the fallen flowers!” — Meng Haoran, ‘Spring Dawn’
The poem
“Admiring Peonies” 賞牡丹
- 庭前芍藥妖無格The herbaceous peonies in the courtyard are lovely but lack poise;
- 池上芙蕖淨少情the lotus on the pond is pure but cold.
- 唯有牡丹眞國色Only the tree peony has true national beauty —
- 花開時節動京城when it blooms, it stirs the whole capital.
Why this poem
Liu Yuxi on the peony craze in the capital. Peonies bloom in late spring.
This day in the Chinese calendar
Solar term: Grain Rain. Near peony season.