A Spring Walk by Qiantang Lake [Tang Poems]

— Bai Juyi

West of Jia Pavilion and north of Lonely Hill,

Water brims level with the bank and clouds hang low.

Disputing for sunny trees, early orioles trill;

Pecking vernal mud in, young swallows come and go.

A riot of blooms begins to dazzle the eye;

Amid short grass the horse hoofs can barely be seen.

I love best the east of the lake under the sky;

The bank paved with white sand is shaded by willows green.

Note

Bai Juyi (772–846 CE) was one of the most beloved and accessible poets of the Tang Dynasty. Known for his clear, conversational style and deep empathy for ordinary people, he believed poetry should be understandable even to common readers – famously revising his verses until an old washerwoman could grasp their meaning. A government official as well as a literary giant, Bai often infused his work with social concern, personal reflection, and vivid depictions of everyday life and nature.

One of his most celebrated nature poems is “A Spring Walk by Qiantang Lake” (Qian Tang Hu Chun Xing). Written during his tenure as governor of Hangzhou, the poem joyfully captures an early spring stroll around West Lake (then called Qiantang Lake). With gentle precision, Bai describes singing orioles competing for sunny branches, swallows gathering spring mud for nests, blossoming flowers threatening to “dazzle the eye,” and tender grass just tall enough to “hide a horse’s hooves.” Every line pulses with quiet delight in the season’s renewal.

Rather than grand metaphors or political allegory, the poem offers pure, mindful observation—a serene celebration of harmony between humans and the natural world. Its enduring charm lies in its simplicity, warmth, and the universal joy of witnessing spring’s return.

钱塘湖春行
— 白居易

孤山寺北贾亭西，

水面初平云脚低。

几处早莺争暖树，

谁家新燕啄春泥。

乱花渐欲迷人眼，

浅草才能没马蹄。

最爱湖东行不足，

绿杨阴里白沙堤。