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Poems selected:
1. 沁园春 长沙 Chang Sha (1925)
This poem is usually considered to be one of Mao's best. Chang Sha is the capital city of Hunan province. Mao attended Hunan First Normal University in 1911 and left Chang Sha in 1918. Orange Island (Line 3) is an island in the middle of the Xiang River , near Chang Sha.
2. 菩萨蛮 黄鹤楼 Yellow Crane Tower (1927)
Yellow Crane Tower is a building on the bank of the Yangtze River in Wuhan ( Hunan Province ). It is famous in Chinese history and literary tradition. Its fame mainly comes from a poem written by Cui Hao in the early Tang Dynasty, "Yellow cranes have flown away with the ancestors, / Yellow Crane Tower alone still remains here.".
3. 西江月 井冈山 Jing Gang Mountain (1928)
Jing Gang Mountain is a mountain area at the border of Jiangxi province and Hunan province. Huang Yang Jie (Line 7) is the place where the Red Army defeated the KMT army after a fierce battle in the autumn of 1928.
4. 清平乐 蒋桂战争 Jiang Gui Conflict (1929)
In 1929, Jiang Jieshi's KMT army began war with Feng Yuxiang and Yan Xishan's armies in north China . That is why Mao said, "Warlords in conflict again", and "a daytime dream" meaning that Jiang, Feng and Yan's ambitions were just dreams. Ting River is a river in Fujian province. Both Longyan and Shanghang are cities in Fujian province in southeast China . In this poem, Mao expressed his hatred of the warlords’ clash and praised the high spirits of the liberation peasants.
5. 采桑子 重阳 The Double Ninth Festival (1929.10)
Double Ninth, also called Chongyang Festival, is a Chinese holiday. By tradition on 9 September (lunar calendar) each year, Chinese people would climb nearby mountains, look into the distance, and think about their family members who were travelling.
6. 如梦令 元旦 New Year's Day (1930.01)
Ninghua, Qingliu, Guihua (Line 1) are all places in Fujian province. Wu Yi Mountain (Line 4) is in Fujian province.
7. 减字木兰花 广昌路上 On The Way To Guangchang (1930.02)
Guangchang (Title) and Ji’an (Line 8) are cities in Jiangxi province. Gan River Line 6) is a river flowing through Jiangxi province.
8. 蝶恋花 从汀州向长沙 From Tingzhou To Changsha (1930.07)
Tingzhou is a city in Fujian province. Changsha is the capital of Hunan province. At that time the Red Army tried to take Changsha , but failed. Huang Gonglue (1898-1931) was an important military leader of the Red Army who was killed in a battle in 1931.
9. 渔家傲 反第一次大“围剿” Against The First Encirclement (1931)
Zhang Huizan (Line 5), the KMT general who led the first Encirclement Campaign, was killed after being captured by the Red Army. Buzhou Mountain (Line 10) is a legendary mountain in Chinese tradition. It is said Buzhou Mountain was one of the four pillars supporting the sky. The God of Water, Gong Gong quarrelled with the God of Fire, Zhu Rong for some reason. Gong Gong was defeated and got so angry that he banged his head against the Buzhou Mountain . The Buzhou Mountain pillar supporting the sky collapsed, a huge hole appeared in the sky and heavy rain poured down from heaven, causing a huge flood on earth. Here Mao expressed his appreciation for Gong Gong's rebellious spirit.
10. 清平乐 会昌 Hui Chang (1934)
Hui Chang is a place in Jiang Xi Province.
11. 忆秦娥 娄山关 Lou Shan Pass (1935.02)
This is a famous poem written during the Long March. Lou Shan Pass is a place in Guizhou Province , where a fierce battle took place.
12. 十六字令三首 Three Short Poems (1934-1935)
These three poems were written during the Long March period.
13. 七律 长征 The Long March (1935.10)
This poem was written toward the end of 1935 when the Long March was almost finished. Min Mountain is in the northwestern part of China . Here, Mao was glad to see all three Red Armies were together.
14. 清平乐 六盘山 Liu Pan Mountain (1935.10)
This was written in late 1935 after the Red Army almost finished the famous Long March. Liu Pan Mountain is in northwestern China . “Climb the Great Wall to be great (Line 3)” This famous quotation attracts millions of tourists visiting the Great Wall each year.
15. 沁园春 雪 Snow (1936.02)
This is a very famous poem by Mao. In the first part, Mao praised the grandeur and beauty of northern China in winter. In the second half, Mao listed some of the greatest emperors in China, including Qin Huang (260BC-210BC), the first emperor of China; Han Wu (156BC - 87BC), the great Han emperor; Tang Zong (598-649), the second emperor of the Tang Dynasty; Song Zu (927-976), the emperor who started the Song Dynasty; and Genghis Khan (1162-1227), who united the Mongol tribes and founded the Mongol Empire.
16. 七律 人民解放军占领南京 The PLA Captures Nanjing (1949.04)
In late April 1949, the PLA (People's Liberation Army) crossed the Yangtze River and captured the capital city of KMT government Nanjing . Mao wrote this poem to celebrate this historical event. Xiang Yu (Line 6) is the hero who led the uprising that toppled the Qin Dynasty. After winning the war against the Qin Dynasty, Xiang Yu fought against Liu Bang for the control of China . Xiang Xu was defeated and killed himself in the Wu River.
17. 七律 和柳亚子先生 Reply To Mr Liu Yazi (1950.10)
Crimson Land (Line 1) is another way Chinese people call their own country. Yutian (Line 5) is a place in Xinjiang province in the far west of China , here means far away places.
18. 蝶恋花 答李淑一 Reply To Li Shuyi (1957.05)
This is a poem written in 1957 by Mao Zedong to a female friend, Li Shuyi. In the translation, ‘Poplar’ actually means Mao’s first wife Yang Kaihui, whose surname has the same sound as poplar; and ‘Willow’ actually means Li Shuyi's husband Liu Zhixun, whose surname has the same sound as willow. Yang (Poplar) and Liu ( Willow ) were both communist members. Yang was killed by the KMT in 1930, and Liu died in 1932 in a battle. In the poem Wu Gang is a man who according to Chinese legend, lives on the moon, and was forced by the gods to fell a laurel tree forever.
19. 七绝 为李进同志题所摄庐山仙人洞照 The Fairy Cave Of Lu Mountain (1961.09)
This poem was written as an inscription on a picture taken by Comrade Li Jin in 1961.
20. 卜算子 咏梅 Ode To The Plum Blossom (1961.12)
This poem encourages Chinese people to overcome difficulties during the hard times when the poem was written. It shows Mao’s optimistic spirit.
A sample poem:
咏梅
- 卜算子
风雨送春归,
飞雪迎春到。
已是悬崖百丈冰,
犹有花枝俏。
俏也不争春,
只把春来报。
待到山花烂漫时,
她在丛中笑。
(一九六一年十二月)
ODE TO THE PLUM BLOSSOM
- To the tune of Bu Suan Zi
Wind and rain see spring off,
Flying snow greets spring.
Cliff with a hundred metres of ice,
Branches in bloom are beautiful.
Never showing off,
Yet she heralds spring.
When the mountain is full of blooms,
She is there, smiling.
(December 1961)
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