— 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.
Note
Zheng Gu (c. 851–910) was a celebrated poet of the late Tang Dynasty, admired for his refined imagery and deep appreciation of nature, especially flowers and birds. His poems often blend quiet observation with moral
His poem “Chrysanthemum” honors the flower’s quiet dignity and cultural significance. The opening line warns aristocrats (“princelings”) not to mistake the chrysanthemum for mere weeds like penghao (common wormwood). On the Double Ninth Festival (the ninth day of the ninth lunar month), people traditionally wear chrysanthemum blossoms in their hair – a custom that elevates the flower to a symbol of elegance and longevity.
Zheng then paints a serene autumn scene: dew moistens the petals, and the air along the pond brims with its subtle fragrance. In the final line, the chrysanthemum speaks through the poet: it has never envied the ‘Wasong’ (a type of moss or roof-top plant that grows high on tiles but lacks true virtue). Unlike that hollow climber, the chrysanthemum chooses humble ground yet radiates enduring grace – embodying the Confucian ideal of quiet nobility without ambition for false height.
菊
— 郑谷
王孙莫把比蓬蒿，
九日枝枝近鬓毛。
露湿秋香满池岸，
由来不羡瓦松高。
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