A flower is no flower - Bai Juyi
A flower is no flower mist no mist that which comes at midnight leaves at dawn, arrives like a spring dream – for a while leaves like a morning cloud – nowhere to be found.
Alternative reading:
“Like the flower that fades and dies, like the morning mist, that which comes in the darkness of night, departs at first light, life that comes in spring like a dream, leaves like a morning cloud, and then is nowhere to be found.”
Bai Juyi (772–846) was a musician, poet, and politician during the Tang dynasty (618 - 907 AD). Many of his poems concern his career or observations made about everyday life.
There are various reasons why Bai Juyi might have written this poem. The first reason might be his mother's sudden death. She died by falling into a well while looking at some flowers. Another possible reason might be because he overstepped himself as a palace official. He made enemies at the court and was exiled to to Jiujiang (Xun Yang). It was partly his written works which led him into trouble. Some of his poems were also used against him as a sign of lack of Filial Piety, one of the Confucian ideals.
This poem makes one wonder about the meaning and the fleeting nature of life. Somehow, it can also be read as a riddle. If it is no flower that we are reading about, then what is the answer?
