Ode to Lotus
By Zhou Dunyi (1017-1073 Song Dynasty)
Translated by Laijon Liu 20110803
Flowers upon our earth, many kinds we do like.
Tao Chien of Jing, loves chrysanthemum alone,
And after Tang Dynasty, the world adores peony,
But I am a person that admires a lotus in pond.
For it comes out of the mire earth, yet not defiled,
And cleansed by the pure ripples, but never flirty;
Humbleness fills its stem, and upright toward sky;
It’s never entangled, never branched to the side;
Its fragrance spreads far, yet its pureness does not fade,
Straight, lofty and clean, stands such character of its kind,
That world can only behold it afar, yet never tamper it.
I believe, chrysanthemum is a hermit among flowers,
And peony, it ranks as the rich and noble plant,
But lotus is a gentleman among the bloom kind.
Ah! There’re only a few people love chrysanthemum,
And are there anyone admires lotus nowadays?
No. Most of all people in the world admire peony!
Note:
When I was teen, I read this prose and loved it, here translated it for people to share.
Chinese:
爱莲说
周敦颐(1017-1073)
水陆草木之花，可爱者甚蕃：晋陶渊明独爱菊，
自李唐来，世人盛爱牡丹。予独爱莲之出淤泥而不染
，濯清涟而不妖；中通外直，不蔓不枝；香远益清，
亭亭净植，可远观而不可亵玩焉。
予谓：菊，花之隐逸者也；牡丹，花之富贵者也
；莲，花之君子者也。噫！菊之爱，陶后鲜有闻。莲
之爱，同予者何人？牡丹之爱，宜乎众矣！
