The Cicada

  • 蟬
  • By Li ShangYin
  • Dynasty: Tang

The Cicada

High on the bough, sustenance is scarce to find,
Ears deaf to cries, no solace to the mind.
As dawn doth break, the cicadas’ song doth cease,
The tree stands tall, unyielding, with no release.

An official adrift, a branch on the tide,
Home now forsaken, a desolate pride.
I thank thee for the warning,
As I too, live a life austere, yet adorning.

Overview:

蟬

本以高難飽，徒勞恨費聲。
五更疏欲斷，一樹碧無情。

薄宦梗猶泛，故園蕪已平。
煩君最相警，我亦舉家清。

Li ShangYin
Li Shangyin, courtesy name Yishan, nicknamed Yuxisheng and Fan Nansheng, was a famous poet in the Tang Dynasty. His ancestral home was in Qinyang, Hanoi (now Jiaozuo City, Henan Province), and he w...

Reference

Image: MidJourney/DALL-E 2