Learn by Songs 1 — Day 3 — Spring Dawn
Meng Haoran (689–740) was a Tang-dynasty poet known for nature poetry and a quiet, reclusive life in the countryside. This poem captures the lazy comfort of a spring morning — waking late to birdsong, then recalling the wind and rain of the night before and wondering how many blossoms have fallen.
Today's Vocabulary
春
spring
春眠不觉晓，
Chūn mián bù jué xiǎo,
Spring sleep, I don't notice the dawn,
晓
dawn
春眠不觉晓，
Chūn mián bù jué xiǎo,
Spring sleep, I don't notice the dawn,
鸟
bird
处处闻啼鸟。
chù chù wén tí niǎo.
everywhere I hear birds crying out.
风雨
wind and rain
夜来风雨声，
Yè lái fēng yǔ shēng,
The sound of wind and rain came in the night —
花
flower
花落知多少。
huā luò zhī duō shǎo.
I wonder how many blossoms have fallen.
多少
how many
花落知多少。
huā luò zhī duō shǎo.
I wonder how many blossoms have fallen.
Today's Grammar
This poem is famous for its gentle, conversational tone — it reads almost like a diary entry, yet the final line's open question ('how many have fallen?') leaves a lingering, wistful feeling that has made it one of the most beloved poems about spring.
春眠不觉晓，
Spring sleep, I don't notice the dawn,
处处闻啼鸟。
everywhere I hear birds crying out.
夜来风雨声，
The sound of wind and rain came in the night —
花落知多少。
I wonder how many blossoms have fallen.