◎Missing My Mother

Yi Jiefu^[1]

My kind mother died,and I had a hard time.People always change,and I had deep sorrow.I have had a hard and dangerous life,and also suffered from a lot of setbacks.I started resting for the rest of my life,but it is a pity that I haven’t succeeded in my career.Recalling the past,I thought of the time when my mother was alive.My mother always lived a hard life.She bred silkworms in spring,made silk in summer,and washed clothes at night in autumn.She wanted me to read more books,and while I was reading,she did her needlework.She was industrious in her hard work,and was a good wife in marriage.I only have very little time each year to come home and be with my parents,but for me it’s more important than money or treasure.Suddenly,my mother died,and I was sad very much as if I felt heavy wind and rain,cold frost and dew!I buried her in yellow soil.I cherish the memory of her virtue which has deeply cultivated my quality!Watching gloomy bauhinia flower and dense white poplar trees,I was so sad that I sprinkled wine on the ground and wept with tears of blood!(https://www.daowen.com)

(originally recorded in the Annals of Fucheng County,during the reign of Emperor Yongzheng of the Qing Dynasty)

By recalling the hard-working life of his mother,the author of this poem expressed his simple and profound yearning for his mother.