Seven-Character Poem · A Little Chant on Viewing Plum Blossoms [1]

(Winter 1932)

The spring heart delights in vying with flowers to bloom [2],
Sharing this sight with you, we are both lost in joy.

[1] In December 1932, Mao Zedong went to Tingzhou, Fujian, to recuperate from illness. These two lines were improvised when he and He Zizhen were viewing plum blossoms on the North Mountain.
[2] This line borrows from Li Shangyin’s “Untitled” poem, the line “Let not the spring heart vie with flowers to bloom.”