过故人庄
Guò Gù Rén Zhuāng
Visiting an Old Friend's Farm
孟浩然 (Meng Haoran) · Tang Dynasty · 689–740
Original Text
故人具鸡黍，
gù rén jù jī shǔ,
邀我至田家。
yāo wǒ zhì tián jiā.
绿树村边合，
lǜ shù cūn biān hé,
青山郭外斜。
qīng shān guō wài xié.
开轩面场圃，
kāi xuān miàn chǎng pǔ,
把酒话桑麻。
bǎ jiǔ huà sāng má.
待到重阳日，
dài dào chóng yáng rì,
还来就菊花。
hái lái jiù jú huā.
English Translation
My old friend prepared chicken and millet, and invited me to his farmhouse. Green trees enclose the village; blue mountains slope beyond the outer wall. We open the window facing the garden and threshing floor, and over wine we talk of mulberry and hemp. When the Double Ninth Festival comes, I'll return to enjoy the chrysanthemums.
Historical Background
This poem captures a simple visit to a friend's rural home. Meng Haoran, who spent most of his life as a recluse near his hometown in Hubei, was the great poet of pastoral life. Unlike many Tang poets who sought official careers, Meng Haoran chose to live close to nature, and this poem embodies his ideal of rustic contentment.
Literary Analysis
The beauty of this poem is its perfect simplicity. There is no grand metaphor, no philosophical meditation — just a friend's invitation, good food, beautiful scenery, wine, conversation about farming, and a promise to return. The middle couplets paint an idyllic rural scene: green trees surrounding the village, mountains beyond, a window opening onto fields. The poem's warmth comes from its complete absence of pretension, making it one of the most beloved friendship poems in Chinese literature.
Details
Form
Five-character Regulated Verse (五言律诗)
Theme
Friendship & Farewell
About Meng Haoran (孟浩然)
Meng Haoran was the great pastoral poet of the Tang Dynasty and a close friend of Li Bai and Wang Wei. Unlike most major Tang poets, he never held an official position, instead choosing a reclusive life close to nature near his hometown in Hubei.
2 poems by Meng Haoran in our collection
Traditional Chinese
故人具雞黍，邀我至田家。綠樹村邊合，青山郭外斜。開軒面場圃，把酒話桑麻。待到重陽日，還來就菊花。