Flowers upon our earth, many kinds we do like. <br />Tao Chien of Jing, loves chrysanthemum alone, <br />And after Tang Dynasty, the world adores peony, <br />But I am a person that admires a lotus in pond. <br /> <br />For it comes out of the mire earth, yet not defiled, <br />And cleansed by the pure ripples, but never flirty; <br />Humbleness fills its stem, and upright toward sky; <br />It’s never entangled, never branched to the side; <br />Its fragrance spreads far, yet its pureness does not fade, <br />Straight, lofty and clean, stands such character of its kind, <br />That world can only behold it afar, yet never tamper it. <br /> <br />I believe, chrysanthemum is a hermit among flowers, <br />And peony, it ranks as the rich and noble plant, <br />But lotus is a gentleman among the bloom kind. <br /> <br />Ah! There’re only a few people love chrysanthemum, <br />And are there anyone admires lotus nowadays? <br />No. Most of all people in the world admire peony!<br /><br />Laijon Liu<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/zhou-dunyi-ode-to-lotus/
