— Du Xunhe
While young, the pine tree thrusts its head amid tall grass;
Now by and by we find it outgrow weed in mass.
People don’t realize it will grow to scrape the sky;
Seeing it tower in cloud, then they know it’s high.
Note
Du Xunhe (846–904) was a late Tang Dynasty poet renowned for his straightforward, socially conscious verse that gave voice to the struggles of the overlooked and the virtuous in a time of political decay. Often drawing from his own humble background, he used clear language and vivid natural imagery to critique injustice and highlight the gap between true merit and public recognition.
His poem “The Little Pine” (Xiao Song) is a concise yet profound allegory about unrecognized potential. It begins with a young pine – its “prickly head” hidden deep among tall grasses – ignored and unseen. Over time, it slowly rises above the weeds (symbolizing ordinary or mediocre things). The final two lines deliver a sharp social commentary: ordinary people fail to recognize a tree destined for the clouds; only when it soars high do they finally call it “tall.”
The poem laments how society often ignores or misunderstands talent in its early, struggling stages, offering praise only after success is undeniable – by which time the years of hardship and quiet resilience have been forgotten.
Du Xunhe was born into a humble family. Despite his evident talent, he repeatedly failed the imperial examinations and lived a life of hardship and obscurity. Because of this, he felt a deep personal connection to the little pine hidden among the tall grasses – overlooked, undervalued, yet full of latent promise.
In “The Little Pine,” he uses the young tree as a metaphor for himself, expressing his unshaken confidence in his own worth and his lofty aspirations. Through the pine’s quiet growth and eventual rise above the weeds, Du Xunhe affirms his belief that true talent, though ignored in its early days, will one day reach the clouds – and be recognized for what it always was.
小松
— 杜荀鹤
自小刺头深草里，
而今渐觉出蓬蒿。
时人不识凌云木，
直待凌云始道高。
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