— Qi Ji
Frozen are all the trees;
Your warm root will not freeze.
In the village’s deep snow
Last night your branch did blow.
Fragrance oozed in wind light;
Birds peep at you still white.
If you blossom next year,
You will foretell spring’s near.
Note
Qi Ji (863–937 CE) was a prolific Buddhist monk-poet of the late Tang and Five Dynasties period, renowned for his nature poetry – especially verses on flowers, seasons, and monastic life. His style blends quiet observation with spiritual sensitivity, often highlighting moments of resilience and subtle beauty in the natural world.
His celebrated poem “Early Plum Blossom” (Zao Mei, also translates to The Early Mume Blossoms) captures the quiet triumph of the first plum flower blooming in deep winter. While “ten thousand trees are frozen, nearly breaking,” the plum’s solitary root senses warmth returning beneath the earth. In a village buried under heavy snow, “one branch blossomed last night” – a single, defiant sign of spring’s approach.
The poem then evokes the flower’s delicate presence: its faint fragrance carried by the wind, its pure white petals glimpsed by curious birds. In the final couplet, the poet expresses hope that next year, by nature’s law, this plum will be the first to bloom again – on Wangchun Terrace, a symbolic place of renewal and anticipation.
More than a seasonal sketch, “Early Plum Blossom” is an allegory of perseverance, quiet dignity, and the promise of rebirth amid desolation – qualities deeply valued in both Chinese literati culture and Chan (Zen) Buddhist thought.
Story behind the poem
Qi Ji was born into a poor rural family. As a child, he tended cattle while studying poetry and classics on his own, displaying extraordinary diligence. After several years of self-education, he became skilled enough to compose poetry and write literary essays. His talent caught the attention of an abbot at a local monastery, who took him in and ordained him as a Buddhist monk.
One winter morning, shortly after a heavy snowfall, Qi Ji stepped outside the temple and was struck by the pristine whiteness blanketing the landscape. Suddenly, he noticed a few early winter plum blossoms (often called “wax plums”) ahead, their delicate yellow flowers already blooming. Around them, spring-heralding birds fluttered and sang joyfully. Deeply moved by this unexpected vision of life and hope emerging from the frozen stillness, Qi Ji returned to the monastery and immediately composed his now-famous poem “Early Plum Blossom” (Zao Mei) to capture the moment’s quiet wonder and symbolic promise.
早梅
— 齐己
万木冻欲折，
孤根暖独回。
前村深雪里，
昨夜一枝开。
风递幽香去，
禽窥素艳来。
明年应有律，
先发望春台。
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