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Sān Qú Dào ZhōngOn the Road to Sanqu 三衢道中

Zeng Ji (曾几, also known as Tseng Chi)｜Southern Song｜seven-character quatrain

Zeng Ji on a sunny mountain walk in plum season, with birdsong in the shade.

Original Chinese text with pinyin

梅子黄时日日晴
méi zi huáng shí rì rì qíng

小溪泛尽却山行
xiǎo xī fàn jǐn què shān xíng

绿阴不减来时路
lǜ yīn bù jiǎn lái shí lù

添得黄鹂四五声
tiān dé huáng lí sì wǔ shēng

Simplified characters; traditional title: 三衢道中.

When the plums turn yellow, every day is fine;

we take the little stream to its end, then walk the hills.

The green shade is no less than on the way here,

and four or five orioles' songs are added.

Original translation by Poetune — literal but poetic, written for this site.

梅子黄时日日晴 · méi zi huáng shí rì rì qíng — When the plums turn yellow, every day is fine;

小溪泛尽却山行 · xiǎo xī fàn jǐn què shān xíng — we take the little stream to its end, then walk the hills.

绿阴不减来时路 · lǜ yīn bù jiǎn lái shí lù — The green shade is no less than on the way here,

添得黄鹂四五声 · tiān dé huáng lí sì wǔ shēng — and four or five orioles' songs are added.

Zeng Ji on a sunny mountain walk in plum season, with birdsong in the shade. The scene stays with you.

Zeng Ji on a sunny mountain walk in plum season, with birdsong in the shade.

Zeng Ji, a teacher of Lu You, wrote plain poems on tea and hills.

Lifetime: 1085–1166. Other famous works: On the Road to Sanqu (三衢道中).