Tang Dynasty
登科后
孟郊
昔日龌龊不足夸，
今朝放荡思无涯。
春风得意马蹄疾，
一日看尽长安花。
Translation
The cramped humiliations of former days are no longer worth mentioning. Today, after passing the examination, my thoughts are free and boundless. Riding in the spring wind, flushed with triumph, my horse’s hooves fly swiftly; in a single day, I seem to take in all the flowers of Chang’an.
Analysis
“After Passing the Examination” is one of the most direct poems of triumph in Tang poetry. Meng Jiao had endured hardship and repeated frustration before finally succeeding in the imperial examinations in middle age. The opening line dismisses the cramped misery of the past, not out of forgetfulness, but as the release of long-suppressed emotion. The phrase “my thoughts are free and boundless” captures the sudden expansion of spirit after recognition. The final couplet transforms joy into movement: the spring wind mirrors success, the horse’s hooves quicken with the poet’s delight, and the flowers of Chang’an seem to pass before him in a single day. The poem’s power lies not in complexity but in emotional clarity. Its famous phrases later became idioms for success and exhilaration.
About the Author
Meng Jiao was a Tang dynasty poet whose courtesy name was Dongye. He is remembered for a spare, austere style often associated with hardship, poverty, filial feeling, and emotional tension. Together with Jia Dao, he is linked to the phrase “Meng’s coldness and Jia’s leanness,” referring to their severe poetic manner. “After Passing the Examination” stands out among his works because of its sudden brightness. Its joy feels especially intense against the background of his difficult life.