The backdrop unchanged

I have recently been reminded of a simple Chinese poem I learnt in my younger days.

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<<題城都南庄>> 唐 崔護

去年今日此門中
人面桃花相映紅
人面不知何處去
桃花依舊笑春風


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I don't remember how I was taught to interpret it at the time. But apparently, the poet is deeply saddened that, although the flowers are still in bloom a year later, the lady's face is nowhere to be seen.

Though my Chinese isn't tops, I have developed my own appreciation for this short poem. In fact, I see quite a different attitude coming from this simple verse.

The poet returns to the same place a year later. The lady is gone, yet the flowers are still abloom. To add to the story, the birds still sing, the sun still shines.

In the stage that is life, people come and go. Someone may stumble in unexpectedly, perhaps stay with you for a while, then exit when the time comes. But the backdrop doesn't change. Life goes on.

So the poet wasn't saddened that the lady was no longer there. Rather, I imagine him giving a wistful smile as he gazes at the doorway, happy to see the rosy pink peach blossoms and content that, hereafter, they will remind him of that beautiful lady who once stood under them.