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Kao Ch’an (fl. 850–890) grew up in Tsangchou near the mouth of the Yellow River and moved to Ch’ang-an as a young man. Although he became well known for his poetry, he had to take the civil service exam several times before finally succeeding in 876. Still, he eventually reached the post of deputy chief censor. Here, he compares those who enjoy imperial favor (dew and clouds) to varieties of fruit trees known for their blossoms, and he likens himself and his friend, Kao Pin, to the lotus that will have its day—but in late summer or early fall, not in spring when the East Wind blows. Kao Ch’an wrote this poem following one of his earlier failures to pass the civil service exam, when he learned his friend had been appointed military commissioner of the Huainan region, which was known for its lotuses. Hence, this poem is about the poet’s own disappointment rather than about Kao Pin’s. The second line was later quoted as part of a couplet in the Ming-dynasty novel Dream of the Red Chamber.

For Gentleman-in-Attendance Kao

KAO CH’AN

The green peach of heaven thrives in the dew

the red apricot of the sun flourishes by the clouds

the lotus that rises from a river in fall

doesn’t blame the East Wind for not blooming sooner