九月九日忆山东兄弟
Thinking of My Brothers on the Ninth Day of the Ninth Month
Wang Wei · 王维 · Seven-character quatrain
Written at seventeen. The second line became a proverb used every Chinese holiday; the ending works because it looks at the family from outside, counting the gap..
Read the poem and notes →独在异乡为异客Alone in a strange land, a stranger,
每逢佳节倍思亲at every festival I miss my family more.
遥知兄弟登高处Far off, I know where my brothers climb —
遍插茱萸少一人they have all pinned on dogwood, and one is missing.
