游子吟 · Song of the Wandering Son — 孟郊 (Tang Dynasty)
慈母手中线
cí mǔ shǒu zhōng xiàn
游子身上衣
yóu zǐ shēn shàng yī
临行密密缝
lín xíng mì mì féng
意恐迟迟归
yì kǒng chí chí guī
谁言寸草心
shuí yán cùn cǎo xīn
报得三春晖
bào dé sān chūn huī
English translation
Thread in the loving mother's hand, / clothes on the wandering son's back. / Stitch on stitch before he leaves, / fearing his late return. / Who says a blade of grass's heart / can repay three springs of sunlight?
About this poem
The poem of a mother's love: she sews her son's travel clothes stitch by stitch, fearing his late return.
Learn 30 characters from this poem with stroke-order animations, tone drills and quizzes in the free app.
Open Hanzi Academy — free → ← All 18 classic poems