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Yǔ QíngAfter the Rain 雨晴

Wang Jia (王驾, also known as Wang Chia)｜Late Tang｜seven-character quatrain

Wang Jia: after rain the flowers are gone and butterflies cross the wall, as if spring moved next door.

Original Chinese text with pinyin

雨前初见花间蕊
yǔ qián chū jiàn huā jiān ruǐ

雨后兼无叶里花
yǔ hòu jiān wú yè lǐ huā

蛱蝶飞来过墙去
jiá dié fēi lái guò qiáng qù

却疑春色在隣家
què yí chūn sè zài lín jiā

Simplified characters; traditional title: 雨晴.

Before the rain I saw the first buds among the flowers;

after the rain, not even a flower among the leaves.

Butterflies fly over and cross the wall —

I suspect the spring is now at the neighbour's.

Original translation by Poetune — literal but poetic, written for this site.

雨前初见花间蕊 · yǔ qián chū jiàn huā jiān ruǐ — Before the rain I saw the first buds among the flowers;

雨后兼无叶里花 · yǔ hòu jiān wú yè lǐ huā — after the rain, not even a flower among the leaves.

蛱蝶飞来过墙去 · jiá dié fēi lái guò qiáng qù — Butterflies fly over and cross the wall —

却疑春色在隣家 · què yí chūn sè zài lín jiā — I suspect the spring is now at the neighbour's.

Wang Jia: after rain the flowers are gone and butterflies cross the wall, as if spring moved next door. The scene stays with you.

Wang Jia: after rain the flowers are gone and butterflies cross the wall, as if spring moved next door.

Wang Jia is remembered for clear weather-after-rain sketches.

Lifetime: Late Tang. Other famous works: After the Rain (雨晴).