Poem

Song of a Wanderer

You sew your love into my clothes,

for my journey, with worry

about my late return.

How can I ever repay you?

my loving mother, the warm spring sun,

caressing the young bud.

Written by Meng Jiao

Translated by Li Kailin

Meng Jiao (751–814) was a Chinese poet during the Tang Dynasty. This is one of his two most famous poems. Most of his poetry belongs to a type of ‘folk-song-styled-verse’ and about 500 of his poems have survived.

Li Lailin holds a PhD. in the study of classical Chinese literature and arts. He is a lecturer at Confucius Institute, Mona, The University of the West Indies.

The painter Cheng Tinglu↔1796～1858）lived in the Qing Dynasty. This painting shows the mother is weaving cloth while giving instructions to her child, who is doing his lessons next to her.

Courtesy of Confucius Institute, The University of the West Indies, Mona