— by Tao Yuanming (Jin Dynasty) I build my hut among the haunts of men,Yet hear no noise of carts and horses there.You ask me how this can be so?When the heart is distant, the place itself grows remote.I pluck chrysanthemums beneath the eastern hedge,And idly gaze at the southern hills.The mountain air is…
-by Zhou Dunyi (Song Dynasty) Among the flowers of land and water, many are lovely. During the Jin Dynasty, Tao Yuanming alone loved the chrysanthemum. Since the Tang Dynasty, people have greatly favored the peony.
— Zheng Gu Do not compare your leaves with tumbleweed in hue! On Mountain-climbing Day our head’s adorned with you. When poolside shores are sweet with your blooms wet with dew, None envy pine-like plants high on the eaves in view.