–Mao Zedong, April, 1949
Tea talks in Canton still fresh in my mind,
Verses sought in Chongqing when leaves declined.
Thirty-one years back to our native land,
When flowers fall I read your writing grand.
Beware too much grief that tears your frame;
See all things wide with a long, calm aim.
Do not say Kunming Lake’s waters are thin;
Watching fish here beats Fuchun’s shore to win.
Note
Composed April 29, 1949, in Beiping (now Beijing), as a responsive poem to Liu Yazi’s poem A Poem on Current Affairs Presented to Chairman Mao (March 28, 1949). Liu expressed frustration and a wish to retire to his hometown. Mao’s poem recalls their friendship, gently criticizes his complaints, and persuades him to stay and help build the new nation.
Qilu (Seven-Syllable Octave)
Strict classical form: 8 lines, 7 characters each, tonal patterns, parallelism, end-rhyme. Used for reflective, argumentative, or epistolary poetry.
Liu Yazi (1887–1958)
- Prominent modern poet, leader of the Southern Society, a revolutionary literary group.
- Senior member of the KMT Left, ally of the CPC.
- Arrived in Beiping in early 1949 but felt unappreciated, writing a poem complaining and threatening to retire like a hermit.
- Mao’s poem was a warm, tactful appeal to keep him in government.
Yan Ziling (Yan Guang, 39 BC–41 AD)
- Scholar-friend of Emperor Guangwu of the Eastern Han.
- Refused high office to live in seclusion, fishing on the Fuchun River.
- Symbol of scholarly reclusion in Chinese culture.
Responsive Poetry
Literary tradition: poets reply to each other’s works in the same form/rhyme, expressing friendship, agreement, or gentle persuasion.
Scholar-Official vs. Recluse
Core Chinese tension: public service vs. personal retreat. Mao argues public life in the new era is nobler than ancient hermitage.
Tea talks in Canton
- 1926: Mao & Liu first met in Guangzhou (Canton) during the KMT’s Second Central Committee. They united against Chiang Kai-shek’s anti-Communist moves.
- “Tea talks” = political friendship amid revolutionary struggle.
Verses sought in Chongqing
- 1945: Mao in Chongqing (Yuzhou) for peace talks. Liu asked Mao for a poem; Mao gave Snow (Qinyuanchun), which Liu praised widely.
- “Leaves declined” = autumn 1945.
Thirty-one years back to our native land
1918–1949: 31 years since Mao left Hunan for Beijing; now returning to a liberated, transformed nation.
When flowers fall
From Tang poet Du Fu: spring fading, time of parting/renewal. Here = 1949 spring, end of an era, birth of new China.
Splendid writing
Polite term for Liu’s complaint-poem.
Beware too much grief that tears your frame
Direct, warm advice: excessive bitterness harms body and spirit; let go of petty grievances.
See all things wide with a long, calm aim
Famous maxim: judge life/nation from a long-term, broad perspective, not personal feelings.
Kunming Lake
Lake in the Summer Palace, Beiping. Where Liu lived. Mao uses it to symbolize the new capital’s political life.
Watching fish
From Zhuangzi: joy in simple, engaged life; here = participating in nation-building.
Fuchun River
– Scenic river in Zhejiang; Yan Ziling’s hermitage.
– Mao’s point: serving the new China is better than ancient-style seclusion.
《七律-和柳亚子先生》
饮茶粤海未能忘，
索句渝州叶正黄。
三十一年还旧国，
落花时节读华章。
牢骚太盛防肠断，
风物长宜放眼量。
莫道昆明池水浅，
观鱼胜过富春江。
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