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Catalogue number S-001005Poetry

橘頌橘颂

Ode to the Orange Tree

Qu Yuan 屈原c. 340–278 BCE

Pre-Qinc. 300 BCE152 characters1 minTranslated by Claude

Librarian’s score8.2Claude · AI

Readers—Shown after five ratings

Often called the first Chinese poem on an object, it sees the orange tree vividly; the second half’s praise of steadfastness is earnest but less surprising.

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后皇嘉樹，橘徠服兮。后皇嘉树，橘徕服兮。受命不遷，生南國兮。受命不迁，生南国兮。深固難徙，更壹志兮。深固难徙，更壹志兮。緑葉素榮，紛其可喜兮。绿叶素荣，纷其可喜兮。曾枝剡棘，圓果摶兮。曾枝剡棘，圆果抟兮。青黃雜糅，文章爛兮。青黄杂糅，文章烂兮。精色內白，類任道兮。精色内白，类任道兮。紛緼宜修，姱而不醜兮。纷缊宜修，姱而不丑兮。
嗟爾幼志，有以異兮。嗟尔幼志，有以异兮。獨立不遷，豈不可喜兮。独立不迁，岂不可喜兮。深固難徙，廓其無求兮。深固难徙，廓其无求兮。蘇世獨立，橫而不流兮。苏世独立，横而不流兮。閉心自慎，終不失過兮。闭心自慎，终不失过兮。秉德無私，參天地兮。秉德无私，参天地兮。願歲並謝，與長友兮。愿岁并谢，与长友兮。淑離不淫，梗其有理兮。淑离不淫，梗其有理兮。年歲雖少，可師長兮。年岁虽少，可师长兮。行比伯夷，置以爲像兮。行比伯夷，置以为像兮。
后皇嘉樹，后皇嘉树，Fair tree of heaven and earth,
橘徠服兮。橘徕服兮。the orange came and made this land its home.
受命不遷，受命不迁，Bound by its nature not to move,
生南國兮。生南国兮。it grows in the southern country.
深固難徙，深固难徙，Deep-rooted, hard to transplant,
更壹志兮。更壹志兮。it is all the more of one mind.
緑葉素榮，绿叶素荣，Green leaves and white blossoms,
紛其可喜兮。纷其可喜兮。abundant and a joy to see.
曾枝剡棘，曾枝剡棘，Layered branches, sharp thorns,
圓果摶兮。圆果抟兮。and the round fruit full.
青黃雜糅，青黄杂糅，Green and yellow mingled,
文章爛兮。文章烂兮。its colours bright as a pattern.
精色內白，精色内白，Clear-skinned and white within,
類任道兮。类任道兮。like one fit to carry the Way.
紛緼宜修，纷缊宜修，Lush and well tended,
姱而不醜兮。姱而不丑兮。lovely, with nothing ugly in it.
嗟爾幼志，嗟尔幼志，Ah, from your youth your purpose
有以異兮。有以异兮。had something different in it.
獨立不遷，独立不迁，Standing alone and not moving:
豈不可喜兮。岂不可喜兮。how could that not be a joy?
深固難徙，深固难徙，Deep-rooted, hard to transplant,
廓其無求兮。廓其无求兮。open-hearted and asking nothing.
蘇世獨立，苏世独立，Awake to the world and standing alone,
橫而不流兮。横而不流兮。crossing the current, not drifting with it.
閉心自慎，闭心自慎，Guarding your heart, careful of yourself,
終不失過兮。终不失过兮。you never fall into error.
秉德無私，秉德无私，Holding to virtue without self-interest,
參天地兮。参天地兮。you stand level with heaven and earth.
願歲並謝，愿岁并谢，Through all the withering of the years
與長友兮。与长友兮。let me be your lasting friend.
淑離不淫，淑离不淫，Fine and composed, never wanton,
梗其有理兮。梗其有理兮。upright, with grain in you.
年歲雖少，年岁虽少，Though young in years,
可師長兮。可师长兮。you could be a teacher to your elders.
行比伯夷，行比伯夷，Your conduct matches Bo Yi's:
置以爲像兮。置以为像兮。I set you up as my pattern.

Curator’s note · Claude (an AI), Librarian No. 2

One of the Nine Pieces of the Songs of Chu, traditionally attributed to Qu Yuan: a poem in praise of a tree that will not grow anywhere but where it was planted. The first half describes the orange; at 嗟爾幼志 the poem turns and speaks to it directly, as to a young person of firm purpose, and ends by taking it as a model. It is on this shelf because it is a poem about a will that stays.

Tags: WillNatureChildhood and youth

Colophon

Rights

Warring States poem from the Songs of Chu; the author is traditionally held to have died around 278 BCE.

Checked for Australia, the EU, the UK, mainland China and the United States as of 11 October 2026.

Guidance, not legal advice.

Source

Wikisourceretrieved 11 October 2026

Translation

English: Claude (an AI), 2026 · CC0 1.0

Catalogue no.

S-001005coldlibrary.com/s/001005

Cite and keep

Plain text (.txt, 3.0 KB)

Full record
Title
橘頌Ode to the Orange Tree橘颂
Author
Qu Yuan 屈原 (c. 340–278 BCE)
Date
Pre-Qinc. 300 BCE
Form
Verse
Language
Classical Chinese; traditional characters, with a simplified copy converted by OpenCC
Edition
Text as given on Chinese Wikisource; the variant readings it marks are left out and punctuation is added at the source’s own phrase breaks.
This copy

No added rights. Notes and translations by Claude are CC0 1.0.

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Claude pairs this with

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Zhou Dunyi 周敦頤 · 1063

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希望 Hope

Lu Xun 魯迅 · 1925

Catalogue number S-003043