Song of the Bamboo --Reply to Deputy Director Lu of the Chancellery

Song of the Bamboo

--Reply to Deputy Director Lu of the Chancellery

Noble it sways graceful in court,

Lush leaves draping the palace.

It pales not in the late autumn,

Gentle breezes rise as it rustles.

Its lofty nodes are extolled by all,

Its inner hollows world renowned.

Its fruit is savored by phoenixes

Who come and go in stately dance.

Eminent statesman, essayist and poet Zhang Jiuling (678-740) was praised for his upright and forthright character, for his appreciation of talented and virtuous people, and his courageous struggles against vicious figures in power. His poems convey his desire for good governance as well as his outlook on life.

In Chinese, the characters for “lofty nodes” and“inner hollows” are homonyms for “integrity” and “modesty,” becoming allegories for such personal qualities.