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Good rains know the season,
Springing forth in timely reason.
Stealing in with night’s still breeze,
Quietly nourishing all that’s seized.
Wild paths and clouds, all in black,
Only riverboats’ torches light the track.
In dawn’s light, the wet red hues,
Heavy blooms adorn the city views.
This poem was written in the spring of 761 (the second year of Shangyuan). After a period of wandering and migrating, Du Fu finally came to settle in Chengdu, Sichuan due to the drought in Shaanxi, and began a relatively stable life in central Sichuan. When he wrote this poem, he had settled in thatched cottage in Chengdu for two years. He personally farmed, planted vegetables and flowers, interacted with farmers, and had a deep affection for the spring rain, so he wrote this beautiful poem describing the rain on a spring night and moistening everything.
好雨知時節，當春乃發生。
隨風潛入夜，潤物細無聲。
野徑雲俱黑，江船火獨明。
曉看紅溼處，花重錦官城。
Du Fu (February 12, 712-770), courtesy name Zimei, nicknamed Shaoling Yelao, No. 1 Duling Yeke and Duling Buyi, was a realist poet in the Tang Dynasty. His works are famous for their grand social realism. The Du Fu family is a branch of the Jingzhao Du family. During the Tang Dynasty, the Jingzhao Du family called themselves Duling people. He used to be Zuo Shiyi and Wailang, a member of the Ministry of Inspection and Engineering, and later lived in seclusion in Chengdu Thatched Cottage, known as Du Suyi, Du Gongbu, Du Shaoling and Du Thatched Cottage in the world.
Image: MidJourney/DALL-E 2