慈母手中線，遊子身上衣。
Sewing-thread in hand, the loving mother;
Clothes for the son to wear, her travelling son.
臨行密密縫，意恐遲遲歸。
On and on she sews, his leaving now nears;
Stitch on stitch, she fears -- a delayed reunion.
誰言寸草心，報得三春暉。
Who says the heart of a mere grass seedling, can ever
Repay the embracing rays of the warm spring sun!
This poem is about an ordinary mother of meagre means. The mother has to make the clothes for the travelling son herself. The third and fourth lines describe how she busily does her sewing as her son is about to leave. She worries if her son will be late coming home.
This mother is not doing anything extraordinary. That is exactly how the poet describes the mothers' love everywhere and through all times. There are some mothers who might be doing amazing things, and there are some who are not loving. The poet indirectly acknowledges that there are exceptions.
The poet is describing an ordinary mother who is concerned her son may not be warm enough when travelling. She worries when he will be coming back, yet there is no indication that she would complain about her son's leaving.
The last two lines compare the heart of a young person to that of a mere simple grass seedling, and the mother's love to the embracing rays of the warm spring sun. The poets compares the relationship between mother and son to that of the sun and a blade of grass. The mother's love for her son is like the sunray on the grass.
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