Interpretation:
A loving mother uses the needle and thread in her hands to make clothes for her son who is traveling far away.
Before leaving, I sewed every stitch, fearing that my son’s clothes would be damaged if he came back late.
Who dares to say that children’s filial piety is as weak as Xiaocao’s? Can I repay the kindness of a loving mother like Chunhui Puze?
Original text:
The thread in the hands of a loving mother, the clothes on the body of a wanderer.
Before leaving, I am worried that I will return later.
Whoever speaks an inch of grass will be rewarded with three rays of spring.
Creative background:
"Wandering Son's Song" was written in Liyang. Meng Jiao's own annotation under the title of this poem: "Composed to welcome his mother in Li". Meng Jiao was homeless in his early years and lived in poverty all his life. It was not until the age of fifty that he got the humble position of a Liyang County captain, ending his long-term career. After living a wandering life, he took his mother to live with him. The poet was frustrated in his official career and experienced the harshness of the world. At this time, he realized the value of family affection more and more, so he wrote this heartfelt and deeply touching poem in praise of his mother.
About the author:
Meng Jiao, (751-814), a poet of the Tang Dynasty. The word is Dongye. Han nationality, a native of Wukang, Huzhou (now Deqing, Zhejiang), his ancestral home is Pingchang (now northeast of Linyi, Shandong), and his ancestors lived in Luoyang (now in Henan). A famous poet in the Tang Dynasty. There are more than 500 existing poems, among which short five-character ancient poems are the most numerous. The representative work is "Wandering Son's Song". He is known as the "poem prisoner" and is as famous as Jia Dao, and is also known as "the thin island in the cold suburbs". In the ninth year of Yuanhe, he died of illness in Nexiang (now Lingbao, Henan). Zhang Ji's private posthumous title is Mr. Zhen Yao.