水陸草木之花，可愛者甚蕃。 晉陶淵明獨愛菊。 自李唐來，世人甚愛牡丹。 予獨愛蓮之出淤泥而不染，濯清漣而不妖，中通外直，不蔓不枝，香遠益清，亭亭淨植，可遠觀而不可褻玩焉。 

There are many lovely flowers on land or in water. Mr. Tao Qian of the Jin Dynasty particularly favors the chrysanthemum. Since the Tang Dynasty, people have generally preferred the peony. But I only love the lotus for its clean body from sludge, but not a coquette after cleansing. It stands straight, even its stalk is empty, without creepers of vines. The spreading fragrance reflects its elegance. Standing above the water gracefully makes people appreciate it from a distance, but not close enough to make an intimate encounter.

予謂菊，花之隱逸者也; 牡丹，花之富貴者也; 蓮，花之君子者也。 噫！ 菊之愛，陶後鮮有聞。 蓮之愛，同予者何人？ 牡丹之愛，宜乎眾矣。

I refer to the chrysanthemum as the hermit of flowers; peony, the noble, and lotus, the gentleman. Alas! I have seldom heard people say they love chrysanthemum since Mr. Tao. Who else would be a lotus lover like me? Nevertheless, the peony had become a popular darling.