— Liu Zongyuan
Over the islets disperse clouds of last night,
The rising sun makes poolside village bright.
A tall tree overlooks the water clear;
Raindrops fall, startled by the wind severe.
Unoccupied, my mind is just carefree;
By chance the tree plays host to welcome me.
Note
Liu Zongyuan (773–819) was a major literary figure, philosopher, and statesman of the Tang Dynasty, best known for his introspective poetry and prose that often reflected his political exile and deep engagement with nature. A key advocate of the Classical Prose Movement alongside Han Yu, Liu was banished to southern China after a failed reform effort, and much of his most powerful writing emerged during his years of isolation in remote regions like Yongzhou (modern-day Hunan).
One of his quietly moving poems is “Walking Alone at Dawn After Rain to the North Pond of Yu Stream” (Walking Alone to the North Pond of Yu Stream after the Rain at Dawn or Yu Hou Xiao Xing Du Zhi Yu Xi Bei Chi). In this short, meditative piece, Liu describes a solitary morning walk after a night of rain: the sky clears, lotus leaves glisten with droplets, reeds drip softly, and birds call from hidden thickets. There is no grand drama – only stillness, clarity, and subtle sensory detail. Yet beneath the calm surface lies a profound sense of solitude and quiet resilience. The “Yu Stream” (Foolish Stream) itself was a name Liu gave to a local brook, calling it “foolish” as a self-deprecating metaphor for his own exile – implying that both he and the stream were misunderstood by the world.
The work, through its depiction of the dawn scene after rain at the North Pond of Yuxi (Yu Stream), presents a brilliant tableau of dispersing clouds and a rising sun. It not only expresses an intoxication with the beauty of nature but also subtly implies the poet’s faith in a bright future after enduring relegation.
This poem exemplifies Liu Zongyuan’s signature style: serene natural imagery infused with philosophical reflection, emotional restraint, and a deep, unspoken melancholy transformed into aesthetic grace.
雨后晓行独至愚溪北池
— 柳宗元
宿云散洲渚，
晓日明村坞。
高树临清池，
风惊夜来雨。
予心适无事，
偶此成宾主。
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