"While adorable
flowers can be found among many herbs and trees of land and water, in the Jin
Dynasty, Tao Yuan-ming only had eyes for chrysanthemums. On the other hand, more worldly people have
adored the peony ever since the Tang dynasty.
But my special love is for the lotus which grows out of the mud but remains
unsoiled, is cleansed by pure rippling water and which, for all its beauty,
remains free from seductive guile. With neither
branch nor tendril, its stalks run hollow but straight to the heart of its
leaves. With a floral fragrance that is
subtler at a distance and borne aloft on slim clean stems, it is best
appreciated from afar and not treated with too much familiarity. I maintain that the chrysanthemum is like a scholarly
recluse and the peony like a person of high rank and wealth, whereas the lotus
is like a gentleman. Sadly, one rarely
hears of people loving chrysanthemums except in the case of Tao Yuan-ming. And where are the people who love the lotus
as I do? As for peony-lovers, well they,
of course, are everywhere."
Zhou Dunyi (1017-73), Master of Lianxi, Song
Dynasty
 |
| "Zhou Dunyi gazing out over lotus", circa 1500, Liu Jun |
** Tao Yuan-ming/Tao Qian (365-427),China's great nature poet
