When you were born, I had not yet come into this world; the world was still an unknown territory for me. By the time I was finally born, you had already gone through half a lifetime of trials and tribulations and had become very old.
This misalignment in time seems like a cruel joke played by fate, making us destined to be apart.
If we could have been born in the same era and were of similar age, perhaps we could have walked side by side with you every day, hand in hand, sharing the joys and sorrows of life.
When you came into this bustling and colorful world, I was still asleep in endless darkness, not yet having begun my own life journey; while when I first arrived in this world, I was already weathered by life's storms and had seen through the impermanence of things.
I can only stand silently at the edge of the world, gazing at you in the distance, my heart filled with endless longing and sorrow; while you are as if you are at the edge of the sea, that distant place is beyond my reach.
When you came into this world, I had not yet arrived; but after I was born, you had already entered your twilight years.
I so long to one day become a colorful and dazzling butterfly, spending every night resting among the fragrant and enchanting flowers and grasses, quietly nestled beside you.
This poem originated from an inscription on a porcelain piece from the Tongguan Kiln in the Tang Dynasty. Its author may have been the potter himself, a skilled and ingenious craftsman, or it may have been a popular folk song that was widely circulated and loved by people at the time.
As time passed, the years flew by like a fleeting moment. It wasn't until 1974 to 1978 that these invaluable verses finally reappeared before the world, having been excavated at the Tongguan Kiln site in Changsha, Hunan.
These exquisite poems were included in the second volume of "Supplement to the Complete Tang Poems" compiled and proofread by Chen Shangjun, as well as in Volume 56 of "Continued Collection of Complete Tang Poems". They all belong to the five-character poems created by poets who did not leave their names.
The specific page number for these works is page 1642, and the book was published by Zhonghua Book Company. Its release date is forever frozen in October 1992, with that unforgettable and beautiful moment.
The version we see today should be derived from the online literary work "You were born before I was born, I was born after you were old".
One can imagine that the online author, Cheng Dongwu, must have been filled with deep emotions; otherwise, how could he have made such a wonderful modification to the original poem?
This work, hailed as the most beautiful ancient Chinese poem, is actually a meticulous continuation by Cheng Dongwu, a poet from Dexing City, Jiangxi Province.
The reason it is so moving and captivating is that the transitions are seamless and natural, leading modern people to mistakenly believe that the entire piece was written by an ancient author and is a masterpiece that has been passed down through the ages.
After all, such a poignant and beautiful artistic conception makes one want to believe that it is an ancient cultural treasure that has been preserved over a long period of time.
In fact, the original poem inscribed on the Tongguan kiln porcelain of the Tang Dynasty was only a short sentence: "You were born before I was born, I was born after you were old; you regret that I was born too late, I regret that you were born too early."
However, it was Cheng Dongwu who added the following three lines: "You were born before I was born, and I was born after you were old. I regret that we were not born at the same time, so that I could be with you every day."
This sequel is simply flawless, flowing naturally like clouds and water, its beauty of language is breathtaking. For this reason, this poem is considered by many Chinese literature enthusiasts to be one of the ten most beautiful ancient Chinese poems.
More than 20 years ago, when it first appeared, it quickly became a sensation in the Chinese literary world within just a few days!
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