Poetry Explorer


Classic and Contemporary Poetry


THE POEMS OF COLD MOUNTAIN: 43 by HAN SHAN

First Line: A WHITE CRANE CARRIES A BITTER FLOWER
Last Line: HIS WIFE AND CHILDREN DON'T KNOW HIM
Subject(s): CHINESE LITERATURE; CRANES (BIRDS); TRAVEL; JOURNEYS; TRIPS;

A white crane carries a bitter flower
a thousand miles without resting
he's bound for the peaks of Penglai
with this for his provision
not yet there his feathers break off
far from the flock he sighs
returning to his old nest
his wife and children don't know him



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