春望
chūn wàng
Spring View
杜甫 (Du Fu) · Tang Dynasty · 712–770
Original Text
国破山河在，
guó pò shān hé zài,
城春草木深。
chéng chūn cǎo mù shēn.
感时花溅泪，
gǎn shí huā jiàn lèi,
恨别鸟惊心。
hèn bié niǎo jīng xīn.
烽火连三月，
fēng huǒ lián sān yuè,
家书抵万金。
jiā shū dǐ wàn jīn.
白头搔更短，
bái tóu sāo gèng duǎn,
浑欲不胜簪。
hún yù bù shèng zān.
English Translation
The nation is broken, though mountains and rivers remain; the city in spring is overgrown with grass and trees. Moved by the times, flowers bring tears; hating separation, birdsong startles the heart. Beacon fires have burned for three months straight; a letter from home is worth ten thousand in gold. I scratch my white hair, grown ever thinner — soon it won't even hold a hairpin.
Historical Background
Written in spring 757 AD, during the An Lushan Rebellion (755–763) that devastated the Tang Dynasty. Du Fu was trapped in the rebel-occupied capital Chang'an, separated from his family. The poem captures the anguish of witnessing national destruction while helplessly worrying about loved ones. It is considered one of the greatest war poems in Chinese literature.
Literary Analysis
The opening line is stunning in its contrast: the nation is "broken" but nature endures — mountains and rivers remain indifferent to human catastrophe. In the famous third and fourth lines, even beautiful things (flowers, birdsong) become sources of pain because the poet's emotional state transforms everything. The phrase "a letter from home is worth ten thousand in gold" (家书抵万金) has become a common Chinese saying still used today.
Details
Form
Five-character Regulated Verse (五言律诗)
Theme
War & Frontier
About Du Fu (杜甫)
Du Fu is revered as the "Poet-Sage" (诗圣) of China, regarded as the greatest realist poet in Chinese literary history. His work reflects deep compassion for human suffering and keen observation of the social turmoil of his era, particularly the devastating An Lushan Rebellion. His technical mastery is unmatched.
2 poems by Du Fu in our collection
Traditional Chinese
國破山河在，城春草木深。感時花濺淚，恨別鳥驚心。烽火連三月，家書抵萬金。白頭搔更短，渾欲不勝簪。