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Kè ZhìA Guest Arrives 客至
Du Fu welcomes a guest: his gate is opened for a visitor for the first time.
Original Chinese text with pinyin
舎南舎北皆春水
shè nán shè běi jiē chūn shuǐ
但见群鸥日日来
dàn jiàn qún ōu rì rì lái
花径不曾缘客扫
huā jìng bù céng yuán kè sǎo
蓬门今始为君开
péng mén jīn shǐ wèi jūn kāi
Simplified characters; traditional title: 客至. This is a long poem; only the best-known lines are shown, and “……” marks omitted passages.
Note on the text: This page presents a well-known excerpt; the full poem is longer in the traditional corpus.
English translation
North and south of my cottage, spring water everywhere;
I see only flocks of gulls coming day after day.
The flower path has never been swept for a guest;
my rustic gate opens today, for the first time, for you.
Original translation by Poetune — literal but poetic, written for this site.
Line by line
Meaning and imagery
Du Fu welcomes a guest: his gate is opened for a visitor for the first time. The scene stays with you.
Background
Du Fu welcomes a guest: his gate is opened for a visitor for the first time.
Key words
- 舎南 shè nán
- south of the cottage
- 舎北 shè běi
- north of the cottage
- 皆春 jiē chūn
- all is spring; everything in spring
About the poet: Du Fu
Du Fu (also romanized Tu Fu) lived through the An Lushan Rebellion, which tore apart the Tang empire and his own family life. His precise, compassionate poems record war, poverty and loyalty, earning him the titles "Sage of Poetry" and "poet-historian."
Lifetime: 712–770. Other famous works: Happy Rain on a Spring Night (春夜喜雨); The Prime Minister of Shu (蜀相); The Officer at Shihao Village (石壕吏); Thoughts While Traveling at Night (旅夜书怀); Qujiang (曲江); Meeting Li Guinian in Jiangnan (江南逢李龟年); Ballad of the Army Carts (兵车行); Moonlit Night (月夜); Spring View (春望); Climbing High (登高); Quatrain: Two Orioles (绝句·两个黄鹂鸣翠柳); On Yueyang Tower (登岳阳楼); My Thatched Hut Torn by the Autumn Wind (茅屋为秋风所破歌); Gazing at Mount Tai (望岳); A Guest Arrives (客至); Strolling by the River V (江畔独步寻花 其五); Strolling Alone by the River in Search of Flowers (江畔独步寻花); River Village (江村); Winter Solstice Eve (小至); Thinking of Li Bai on a Spring Day (春日忆李白); Easing the Heart by the Water Rail (水槛遣心); Quatrain (绝句); Casual Quatrain (绝句漫兴); For General Hua (赠花卿).
More by Du Fu
- Spring View春望
- Quatrain (The River Blue)绝句
- Climbing High登高
- On Yueyang Tower登岳阳楼
- Moonlit Night月夜
- Happy Rain on a Spring Night春夜喜雨
- Meeting Li Guinian in Jiangnan江南逢李龟年
- Qujiang曲江