Maliyah Benson

Chinese Poems Annotations

English 2

On The Stork Tower

Wang Zhihuan

The sun beyond the mountains glows;

The Yellow River seawards flows.

You can enjoy a grander sight

By climbing to a greater height.

Wang Zhihuan was a Chinese poet in the Tang dynasty’s Kaiyuan era. He created many

poems but he was only famous for “On The Stork Tower.” The location is in Puzhou, Yongji,

Shanxi, China. AD 704 is the time period the poem is focused on. The tower’s purpose was a

lookout against Northern Qi attacks for the minister Yuwen Hu of the Northern Zhou dynasty

between AD 557-581. It was rumored that the tower was built for Yuwen’s personal benefit. The

view on the tower looked over Jinyang, the Northern Zhou’s prison, where his mother was

captured. He used the height of the tower to hopefully see his mother. The piece is about the

view from the top of Stork Tower. In the poem, it encourages the reader to climb higher on the

tower to get more of a view. “...beyond the mountain glows;[...] By climbing to a greater height

(Wang)” The purpose of the text is to move forward and working more to achieve more​. As for

the audience, the poem is directed to everyone who wishes to aim higher for their lifetime goals.

Wang’s tone of the poem is encouraging. The choice of words, ​“You can enjoy a grander
sight/By climbing to a greater height” (Wang) shows the author motivating the reader to climb

more to get a better view of the landscape around the tower.

Grass

Bai Juyi

The grass abundantly flourishes on the plain,

Year after year it withers and grows.

Wildfire cannot burn it down,

For the spring wind is its source of revival.

Chinese poet of the Tang dynasty, Bai Juyi was a successful poet and a government

official. He used his poetry to protest against social corruption and militarism. His poems were

simple, now known as free verse, and had no structure compared to the popular poems. The

poems he wrote were based on his views on the government. The poem “Grass” is a small

memoir based on the struggles of Bai. The purpose of the story is shown through the poem line,

“Year after year it withers and grows” (Juyi). This is a vague line that indicates his hardships and

fortunes in life. The death of Bai’s father changed his role in the family. He became the caretaker

once he grew older. The speaker struggled through his life. He took the official examination of

the bureaucracy, an exam for Chinese government officials at the age of 20. He passed and grew
relationships with other poets who had the same views on government as he did. In the poem the

line, “Wildfire cannot burn it down,/For the spring wind is its source of revival” (Juyi). Due to

his hard work, he earned a government position. In the poem, Bai’s tone is hopeful. An example,

“The grass abundantly flourishes on the plain, [...] For the spring wind is its source of revival”

(Juyi). Spring is a sign of hope because of the plants and flowers blooming from the winter

weather. “Grass” is a short poem that is able to fit a short autobiography of Bai’s life. His gained

success and hard work, is shown in the lines of the poem.

Survey Questions:

What is your Chinese Zodiac Sign?​ (Image of the signs and their years)

What job interests you?

Rat - Businessman/woman Ox - Engineering

Tiger - Artist Rabbit - Teacher

Dragon - Lawyer Snake - Sociologist

Horse - Journalist Goat - Musician

Monkey - Film director Rooster - Athlete

Dog - Police Officer Pig - Business Owner

 Which pair of traits best describes you?

Rat - Quickwitted, versatile Ox - Dependable, strong

Tiger - Confident, complete Rabbit - Quiet, responsible

Dragon - Intelligent, enthusiastic Snake - Charming, wise

Horse - Active, energetic Goat - Gentle, sympathetic

Monkey - Smart, curious Rooster - Independent, hardworking

Dog - Patient, loyal Pig - Tolerant, honest

What is your western astrology sign? ​(Image of the signs and their month)

Rat - Sagittarius Ox - Capricorn

Tiger - Aquarius Rabbit - Pieces

Dragon - Aries Snake - Taurus

Horse - Gemini Goat - Cancer

Monkey - Leo Rooster - Virgo

Dog - Libra Pig - Scorpio

What is your favorite animal out of the signs?

Rat Ox

Tiger Rabbit

Dragon Snake

Horse Goat

Monkey Rooster

Dog Pig

Are you independent or dependent?

Rat, Tiger, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Pig - Independent

Ox, Rabbit, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog - Dependent