Spring View - Du Fu
/春望 - 杜甫/
A Reflection on War’s Impact and Spring’s Quiet Beauty
国破山河在，城春草木深。
National ruin, mountains, and rivers remain; in the city this spring, grass and trees run deep.
感时花溅泪，恨别鸟惊心。
Saddened by the times, blossoms shed tears; grieved by separation, birds startle my heart.
烽火连三月，家书抵万金。
Beacon fires have raged for three months; a letter from home is worth a fortune.
白头搔更短，浑欲不胜簪。
Scratching my white hair shorter still; it’s now too thin to hold a hairpin.
Written during the tumultuous period of the Tang Dynasty, this poem captures Du Fu’s emotional state as he surveys the springtime landscape against the backdrop of ongoing warfare. Although the natural world continues its cycle—grass and flowers blooming—the poet’s personal grief and national despair remain overwhelming. The contrast between spring’s renewal and the sorrow of separation highlights both the fragility of life and the resilience of hope. A single letter from home becomes priceless, underscoring the depth of the poet’s longing for peace and family ties. Meanwhile, the physical sign of aging—his whitening hair—symbolizes the burdens of prolonged conflict and hardship. Through vivid imagery and a compressed structure, Du Fu expresses both the sorrow of a divided nation and a flicker of optimism rooted in nature’s capacity for rebirth. The poem stands as one of his most poignant reflections on the intersection of personal anguish with the collective suffering of his homeland, illustrating the powerful role that poetry can play in conveying both trauma and hope in the face of turmoil.
Key points
• War leaves deep emotional scars that affect both individuals and entire nations.
• Nature’s cycle of renewal can bring hope during times of despair.
• Personal hardships are closely intertwined with broader societal struggles.
• Literary expressions can document profound historical and emotional moments.
