春晓
chūn xiǎo
Spring Morning
孟浩然 (Meng Haoran) · Tang Dynasty · 689–740
Original Text
春眠不觉晓，
chūn mián bù jué xiǎo,
处处闻啼鸟。
chù chù wén tí niǎo.
夜来风雨声，
yè lái fēng yǔ shēng,
花落知多少。
huā luò zhī duō shǎo.
English Translation
In spring sleep, dawn arrives unnoticed — everywhere I hear the birds singing. Last night came the sound of wind and rain; who knows how many petals have fallen?
Historical Background
This deceptively simple poem is among the first poems Chinese children learn. Meng Haoran captures the drowsy pleasure of sleeping late on a spring morning, then shifts to gentle melancholy as he wonders about flowers knocked down by overnight rain. The poem dates to the early 8th century.
Literary Analysis
The poem moves through the senses: first touch (the warmth of the bed), then hearing (birdsong, then recalled sounds of rain), and finally imagination (the fallen flowers). The closing question is open-ended — the poet doesn't get up to check, leaving the loss of beauty as a lingering thought. This interplay between comfort and impermanence is quintessentially Chinese in its aesthetic sensibility.
Details
Form
Five-character Quatrain (五言绝句)
Theme
Seasons & Time
About Meng Haoran (孟浩然)
Meng Haoran was one of the most prominent pastoral poets of the Tang Dynasty. Unlike many of his contemporaries, he never held an official government position, choosing instead a life close to nature. His poetry is celebrated for its natural simplicity and genuine feeling.
2 poems by Meng Haoran in our collection
Traditional Chinese
春眠不覺曉，處處聞啼鳥。夜來風雨聲，花落知多少。