阳关曲·赠张继愿 原作：苏东坡 (11世纪) 英译：闵晓红（2022） 受降城下紫髯郎， 戏马台南古战场。 恨君不取契丹首， 金甲牙旗归故乡。 An Ode to Emperor Zhang Jiyuan - to the tune of Yangguan written by Su Dongpo（11th century） translated by Julia Min (2022) In Three Receive-Surrender Towns stood Zhang Jiyuan on the old battlefield by the south of Reviewing Stand. I wish he had taken all the heads of the invading Qidan, before his gold armour and flag staffs back to homeland. For appreciation: This poem was composed in 1078. The first two lines sigh for the Tang dynasty, a time of great defences and armaments against invasions. Zhang Jiyuan once came up with a genius design of a defence infrastructure with three cities strategically connected over hundreds of kilometres along the north of the Yellow River. The invaders who breached the first city would find the people escaped to a second fortification. Su Shi aims at a criticism on the present where things now have fallen a bit to ruin these days, not just the three towns, but also the Song’s military power too. The Qi Dan was a tribe of warring invaders to the north of China, in the late Yi Dynasty. Notes： 1. Three Receive-Surrender Towns: According to the Ancient Tang Book, there was a man named Zhang Jiyuan who had three towns built in the year 707 to protect Tang’s north border. 2. Reviewing Stand: the big stand for reviewing tropps with horses built by Xiang Yu who once fought a famous battle here with Liu Bang, the Han Emperor, hence’the old battlefield’. 3. Qidan: a barbarian minority in the north in the Liao State in late Yi Dynasty; Reference: 1. Blooming Alone in Winter by Gordon Osing, Julia Min and Huang Haipeng，published by the People's Publication House Henan Province in 1990 (《寒心未肯随春态》戈登.奥赛茵，闵晓红，黄海鹏) (“To Zhang Jiyuan - to the tune of Yangguan: At the City-That-Knows-No-Defeat stood steadfast Zhang,/South of the reviewing stands at the old battlefield scene./I hate that you didn't take all the Qi Dan's heads./Your gold armor and flagstaffs covered with teeth, they came home clean.”) 2. pictures from google

江城子·十年生死两茫茫 （乙卯正月二十日夜记梦） 原作：【宋】苏轼 英译：戈登.奥赛茵、闵晓红 十年生死两茫茫， 不思量，自难忘， 千里孤坟 无处话凄凉。 纵使相逢应不识， 尘满面，鬓如霜。 夜来幽梦忽还乡， 小轩窗，正梳妆， 相顾无言， 唯有泪千行。 料得年年肠断处， 明月夜，短松冈。 It's ten years you're gone and I'm living - to the tune of Jiangchengzi (my dream on January 20th,1075) translated by Gordon Osing and Julia Min It's ten years you're gone and I'm living in two worlds apart and fading. If l've tried hard not to recall, I’d say also I can't ignore. It's a thousand miles to your tomb; so whom can I share my mood of gloom? You would not know me by now, my temples frosted with lines on brow. Last night In the mist of my dream-world, I was home again, watching by your window. You are adorning yourself, still young and fair. Our eyes meet and freeze --- we're in silence and in tears; then the dream ends right there. Where the moon illumines your ridge of pines. I swear my heart breaks further each year Other versions for your reference Appreciation: Some scholars believe this one of the earliest elegies written in the form of the ci. In the ten years since his wife's death, the poet had experienced numerous ups and downs, several changes in official positions. The second jue, or stanza, is very touching, with its memory of a small, informal moment they shared together in their pasts. Notes: 1. “yi mao”in the title, the year of Yi-mao, 1075. 2. “shi nian sheng si”, Su Shi's wife, died in 1065. The dead (Wang Fu) and the living know nothing of each other in their separate worlds. 3. Wang Fu was buried in Pengshan County,Sichuan Province, very far from Mizhou“duan song gang”, which is the place of her burial. Pinying and Word -For-Word Translation: jiāng chéng zǐ （yǐ mǎo zhèng yuè èr shí rì yè jì mèng ）- to the tune of Jiangchengzi --- a night dream on January 20 in 1075 ( 3 days after the first full moon, Chinese calendar) shí nián shēng sǐ liǎng máng máng – ten years the alive and the dead both distant apart. bú sī liàng ，zì nán wàng – not always think about you but difficult to forget. qiān lǐ gū fén - thousand li desolate tomb, wú chù huà qī liáng – nowhere to tell loneliness. zòng shǐ xiàng féng yīng bú shí - even if we meet again, should not recognize, chén mǎn miàn ，bìn rú shuāng – dust covers my face, temples like frost. yè lái yōu mèng hū hái xiāng – at night gloomy dream suddenly return my native place. xiǎo xuān chuāng ，zhèng shū zhuāng - by small room window, she is making up. xiàng gù wú yán - face each other no word, wéi yǒu lèi qiān háng - only there are tears thousand lines. liào dé nián nián cháng duàn chù -guess year by year heart-broken place; míng yuè yè ，duǎn sōng gāng - bright moon night, short pine tree ridge

To My Soul Autumn Falls - to the Tune of Xingxiangzi Translated by Julia Min To my soul Autumn falls Like frost to chrysanths by the walls. It’s nearly Double Ninth Festival, New wine and new clothes. A windy gust, A rainy night, A shiver chill, The little race subsides. My home quivers at dusk, My grief pillow never dry. Love is swift, forgetting a lost fight. The moon is still full and bright. The endless chirping of crickets, The endless dripping of water-clock, The endless pounding of winter clothes, My rosy dream’s out of sight. Appreciation: Yi’an wrote this poem later in her life after she migrated to the south due to the fall of Northern Song Dynasty to the Jin. This period witnessed a dramatic shift in her personal life in alignment with the declining fate of the dynasty. As the temporary Court settled in Lin’An without any promise of reclaiming homeland in northern territory, our lady’s hope of return started to subside. In Chinese literature, the four seasons and four directions all bear cultural meanings. Autumn represents the fall towards cold dark winter, an emotional shift from blooming to decay, from youth to old age. The first stanza unrolls in front of readers a late autumn day scene when people tried to prepare for the Double Ninth festival with new clothes and new wine though it’s windy, wet and cold. This foreshadows the subject in the second stanza where a solitary migrant, lost in despair, shivers at dusk that ushers in another sleepless night. A full and bright moon in Chinese culture is a symbol of happy family reunion, used here to contrast her loneliness in a strange land. All her happy days are now gone with the wind. The only place for reunion is in her dream after wine. Repetition of phrases and reduplication of words are both embraced here for a stronger artistic impact of despair for herself and for her country. Both forms contribute to a typical feature in her poetic landscape especially in her later poems, an influence likely from Su Dongpo and Ou Yangxiu. Similar usage is seen in “Nothing Gold Can Stay” by Robert Burns, and in“ Fall, Leaves, Fall ” by Emily Bronte. The Source Text in Chinese: 行香子·天与秋光 作者：李清照 天与秋光， 转转情伤。 探金英知近重阳。 薄衣初试， 绿蚁初尝。 渐一番风， 一番雨， 一番凉。 黄昏院落， 恓恓惶惶。 酒醒时往事愁肠。 那堪永夜， 明月空床。 闻砧声捣， 蛩声细， 漏声长。 Pinying and Word -For-Word Translation: xíng xiāng zǐ - the music name for this song; tiān yǔ qiū guāng - the sky is clear in autumn. zhuǎn zhuǎn qíng shāng - I start to get sentimental. tàn jīn yīng zhī jìn zhòng yáng – the sight of chrysanthemums reminds us the Double Ninth Festival is drawing near. báo yī chū shì – I tried on some light clothes, lǜ yǐ chū cháng –tasted newly opened wine which is not filtered yet thus I can still see the foams roaming on the surface like green ants. jiàn yī fān fēng – here comes autumn wind, yī fān yǔ – followed by some showers yī fān liáng – and a sense of cold chill. huáng hūn yuàn luò – at dusk my courtyard qī qī huáng huáng – is a miserable place. jiǔ xǐng shí wǎng shì chóu cháng – when awake from wine, I feel the nostalgic heart hurts, nà kān yǒng yè – not to mention the coming weary and dreary night. míng yuè kōng chuáng – the moon is bright, my bed sees no company, wén zhēn shēng dǎo – listening to the pounding of winter clothes, qióng shēng xì – the weakening chirping of crickets, lòu shēng zhǎng – the endless dripping of water clock in my room.

新荷叶.薄露初零 原作：李清照（宋） 英译：闵晓红 薄露初零， 长宵共、永昼分停。 绕水楼台， 高耸万丈蓬瀛。 芝兰为寿， 相辉映、簪笏盈庭。 花柔玉净， 捧觞别有娉婷。 鹤瘦松青， 精神与、秋月争明。 德行文章， 素驰日下声名。 东山高蹈， 虽卿相、不足为荣。 安石须起， 要苏天下苍生。 You came to the world on this day of Qiufen - to the tune of ‘New Lotus Leaves’ written by: Li Qingzhao ( 1084 – 1155?) translated by Julia Min You came to the world on this day of Qiufen when day and night share the same length. and the first dews in a year start to appear by streams winding to mansions and pavilions here, - a live vision of the fairyland, Penglai Islands. Amid the gifts like Ganoderma and boat orchards, and guests with jeweled hairpins and tablet scepters, the hall is served by girls in silk like floating angels. I wish to bless you live long as crane and pine and your spirit illuminating like the autumn moon. So well-received in the capital are your articles on morality and integrity, so crucial for our officials. The recluse in Mount East named Anshi, I recall, returned stronger than those in Royal Court. Would you answer the call of the Song like a hero leaving this fairyland to save the shaking world?! --- Appreciation: This ci poem was composed in 1108 when Li Qingzhao was 25 years old and was enjoying the happiest period of her married life, in Qingzhou. It could be a celebration of Chao Buzhi’s birthday which is in autumn. Chao, one of the four followers of Su Dongpo, was living in seclusion then, a time of political turmoil when the New Law was implemented and the old party (Yuanyou Party), on the other side, went out of favor of the Throne. These were still influential people who chose either to retire to live a secluded life or to be sent to a minor post far away from the Court. Su Dongpo, as the leader was despatched to a place as far as the Emperor could find in the Song map, ‘the edge of the world, Hainan Island. At the time of this birthday celebration, Dongpo was dead 7 years ago, and Chao went away two years after this day. The political fight had been fierce like fire and water. A great poet, Chao also wrote a thesis on Ci, which could be of some impact on Li Qingzhao who later wrote the most influential thesis “On Ci Poetry” in Chinese history. She is the first one with the courage to put forward the statement that Ci stands alone as a literature form as poetry. Ci is similar to western lyric songs but more crafted with strict rhyming meters and patterns which suit into a few hundreds of tunes variegated into more sub-tunes. The tunes are fixed patterns for poets to compose more ci songs. So adding new songs to old tunes was the most popular intellectual entertainment in the Song’s society. As long as the singing girl is familiar with the tune, she could spontaneously sing a new song to the tune for the occasion. The subject of the poem starts with congratulations on Chao’s birthday and concluded with powerful lines wishing the birthday man to leave his secluded corner for the chaotic world， to fight against the deceitful officials. The shifting of the two themes, I could imagine, would be well-received by the gracious guests but dejected gentlemen in the hall when this ci lyric was sung by the singing girl. Again, Li Qingzho proves to be a lady of time and tides, contrasting her image as a sentimental woman of woe in her chamber at a time of loss. Notes: 1. Qiufen: An equinox is one of the two days in the year (the mid-spring and the mid-autumn) when day and night are of equal length as in the equator. This poem refers to autumn mid-split as hinted by the ‘first dews’ and the ‘autumn moon’. 2. Ganoderma and boat orchards: symbolic of longevity, and pure and elegant quality; Most boat orchards bloom in spring, with only rare species blooming in autumn. 3. jeweled hairpins and tablet scepters: meaning high officials, to hint the birthday person is someone of high influence; 4. crane and pine: both represent longevity; 5. autumn moon: Chinese believe that the autumn moon is brightest because the season is drier with lighter clouds cleared of mist, so the sky looks higher and clearer and the moonlight could get through best. Thus, the Moon Festival is in autumn. 6. Anshi: his last name was Xie, a well-remembered man in the Jin Dynasty. The famous expression ‘retain power after seclusion in Mount East’(东山再起) originates from here. Our poet borrows the story to urge Chao to retain the power to save the turbulent world. Pinyin： xīn hé yè báo lù chū líng ， chǎng xiāo gòng 、yǒng zhòu fèn tíng 。 rào shuǐ lóu tái ， gāo sǒng wàn zhàng péng yíng 。 zhī lán wéi shòu ， xiāng huī yìng 、zān hù yíng tíng 。 huā róu yù jìng ， pěng shāng bié yǒu pīng tíng 。 hè shòu sōng qīng ， jīng shén yǔ 、qiū yuè zhēng míng 。 dé háng wén zhāng ， sù chí rì xià shēng míng 。 dōng shān gāo dǎo ， suī qīng xiàng 、bú zú wéi róng 。 ān shí xū qǐ ， yào sū tiān xià cāng shēng 。

蝶恋花 . 晚止昌乐馆寄姊妹 作者：李清照 英译：戈登.奥赛茵，闵晓红 泪湿罗衣脂粉满, 四叠阳关， 唱到千千遍。 人道山长山又断， 萧萧微雨闭孤馆。 惜别伤离方寸乱， 忘了临行， 酒盏深和浅。 好把音书凭过雁， 东莱不似蓬莱远 Long into the night I sing "Yang-guan's" refrain (to my Friends from my Hotel at Chang-le) - to the tune of Dielianhua trans. by Gordon Osing and Julia Min） Long into the night I sing "Yang-guan's" refrain, till my brocade gown by powders and tears stained, cut off by so much more than rivers and mountains, rain-showers cover my whispers in seclusion. In fierce sorrow I go, a heart broken with pain. I forget which cup this is, or how many I've drained. Let the flying geese be the messengers we send! Donglai is not as far as Penglai, that fairy land! Appreciation: This ci is thought to have been composed in 1120 on her way from Qingzhou to join her husband Zhao Mincheng who became governor of Laizhou. Li Qing-zhao had lived in Qingzhou for over ten years and had intimate friends there. These friends would have followed her out several miles from the town to see her off. She has come to her first night alone in a hotel and it has been raining all night while she passed painfully her lonely hours drinking. It was likely Autumn. Notes: ①Iuo yi: The custom would have been for such an aristocratic lady to dress-upfor travel, including the correct fashion in make-up . ②yang quan This song alludes to a familiar tune and poem "Weicheng Tune", by the famous Tang poet Wang Wei:" Weicheng morning rain wets the light dust./ The green willows of the inn are freshening;/ take another cup wine, for friendship's sake./ Once west of Yang-quan, you lose sight of old friends." This poem had been set to music and become a famous farewell song, the last line repeated three or four times. Here the lady, perhaps inebriated or lost in grief at parting, has found herself unable to get that last line out of her mind. ③ "shan you duan": the first "shan "is mountains, of course, but the second "shan", in some editions, reads "shui", rivers, as in the Chinese folk expression "many mountains and rivers of separation". ④"xiao-xiao": Chinese onomatopoeia for the sibilant, whispering sound of rain. ⑤ "guo yan": passing swallows, as in Chinese folklore, in which the birds fly everywhere and thus connect parted loved ones. ⑥ "dong lai" and "peng lai": "Dong lai", as in Laizhou, is not so far to go or send messages, as Peng Lai, the faerie island usually thought to be in the Bay of Bohai, in the north China Sea, that is, somewhere merely sometimes believed. Pinying and Word -For-Word Translation: dié liàn huā – the musical tune of this song poem lèi shī luó yī zhī fěn mǎn – tears wet brocade dress cream powder, sì dié yáng guān – four repeats of “Yangguan”; chàng dào qiān qiān biàn – sing for thousands of times; rén dào shān zhǎng shān yòu duàn – people say mountains high mountains also separate; xiāo xiāo wēi yǔ bì gū guǎn – endless rain drizzling closed lonely hotel; xī bié shāng lí fāng cùn luàn -hate to go, sad to leave, heart broken; wàng le lín háng -forgot it was parting; jiǔ zhǎn shēn hé qiǎn – wine cup deep and shallow; hǎo bǎ yīn shū píng guò yàn – please have letters sent by the passing geese; dōng lái bú sì péng lái yuǎn – Donglai is not like Penglai far away;

添字采桑子.窗前种得芭蕉树 原作：李清照 （宋） 英译：戈登.奥赛茵，闵晓红 窗前种得芭蕉树， 阴满中庭。 阴满中庭， 叶叶心心， 舒卷有余情。 伤心枕上三更雨， 点滴凄清。 点滴凄清， 愁损离人， 不惯起来听。 Before my Window - to the Tune of Tianzicaisangzi written by Li Qingzhao ( 1084-1155?) trans.by Gordon Osing and Julia Min Before my window, day in, day out, a dreamy shadow dominates my patio -- the banana tree, most reluctantly, unfolding her tender leaves. Awaked midnight by the drippings, my pillow of sorrow hears the rain, like a story of melancholy in endless weeping. A wanderer's heart breaks, unable to bear such listening. For appreciation: This ci was written in a season of profound homesickness, sometime after 1127, a time of turmoil when Northern Song just came to an end after the fall of the capital. The Royal Court moved south，opening a new page, the Southern Song dynasty. Banana tree bears a symbolic meaning associated with sorrow and separation in Chinese literature, especially for lovers or loved ones. It could be offered during a funeral to show deep love and respect, and a reluctance to let go of the dead. It’s also a favourable plant used to enhance feng shui both indoors and outdoors. So, the subject of this ci is well chosen, is it? ----

行香子. 落日熔金 原作：李清照 （宋） 英译：戈登.奥赛茵，闵晓红 草际鸣蛩， 惊落梧桐。 正人间天上愁浓。 云阶月地， 关锁千重。 纵浮槎来， 浮槎去， 不相逢。 星桥鹊驾， 经年才见， 想离情别恨难穷。 牵牛织女， 莫是离中。 甚霎儿晴， 霎儿雨， 霎儿风。 The Crickets in Grasses Startle the Parasol Trees - to the Tune of Xingxiangzi written by Li Qingzhao （ 1084-1155？） translated by Gordon Osing & Julia Min The crickets in grasses startle the parasol trees into dropping leaves, and an ancient sorrow fills Heaven and Earth, even the steps of clouds are strewn with hurdles on the Moon grounds. Although the boats go searching to and fro, they rarely meet among the stars a single soul. Only once in a year over the vast Starry River, the magpies gather into a bridge for the lovers, the herdsman with his weaver, a moment together. The rest of the year they’re apart from each other, as today, an endless struggle like the weather. Nothing stays, rain or wind, sunshine or pleasure For appreciation: This ci comes from the period after the poet had moved south to avoid the conquering Jin armies, when her married 1ife was not only interrupted by her husband's departure on official duties, it was cast into peril for the unforeseeable future. The folktale of the Herdsman and his weaver wife is the usual one summoned to capture the perpetual remorse of lovers whose separations outnumber their times together. Notes: 1. ‘the steps of clouds’ and ‘the Moon grounds’: the stairs of heaven are made of clouds, the Moon goddess lives in her jade palace, an ideal domain very hard to reach. 2. ‘the boats’: Legend says that there are boats sailing in Autumn August ( Chinese Calendar) in the Starry River every year. So one man decided to set sail to the River and arrived in ten days. He saw the Herdsman with his cows on the riverbank but his wife is far away in some palace on the other side of the River. 3. ‘the Herdsman with the Weaver’ : Just like westerners celebrate Valentine’s Day, Chinese have their celebration on July 7th (Chinese Lunar Calendar). Legend has it that the Herdsman and his weaver wife join each other on a bridge built by the birds for their brief moment. Their one reunion in a year on the "Birds' Bridge", or “Star Bridge”, as it is also called, is their punishment for disobeying Heaven's rules and loving defiantly (fairies are forbidden to marry humans). Pinyin and Word -For-Word Translation: xíng xiāng zǐ cǎo jì míng qióng ， jīng luò wú tóng 。 zhèng rén jiān tiān shàng chóu nóng 。 yún jiē yuè dì ， guān suǒ qiān zhòng 。 zòng fú chá lái ， fú chá qù ， bú xiàng féng 。 xīng qiáo què jià ， jīng nián cái jiàn ， xiǎng lí qíng bié hèn nán qióng 。 qiān niú zhī nǚ ， mò shì lí zhōng 。 shèn shà ér qíng ， shà ér yǔ ， shà ér fēng 。

临江仙.庭院深深深几许 (欧阳公作《蝶恋花》，有“深深深几许”之句，予酷爱之。 用其语作“庭院深深”数阕，其声即旧《临江仙》也。) 原作：李清照 （宋） 英译：戈登.奥赛茵，闵晓红 庭院深深深几许？ 云窗雾阁常扃。 柳梢梅萼渐分明。 春归秣陵树， 人老建康城。 感月吟风多少事， 如今老去无成。 谁怜憔悴更凋零。 试灯无意思， 踏雪没心情。 How deeply shrouded her courtyard had been - to the Tune of Linjiangxian written by Li Qingzhao （ 1084-1155？） translated by Gordon Osing & Julia Min How deeply shrouded her courtyard had been, the windows clouded with mist, chambers shut. But see! The tips of willows, plum buds, and a full Spring returned to the Moling trees, as if for an aging stranger locked in J.K. City. Who sings so softly of the moon and the wind, of getting old too, and cut-off from honors, … and no one pitying her, pallid and withering, too glum for the festival lanterns of Spring, unable to go out in the fresh snow fallen. For appreciation: According to Another Collection of Li Qing-zhao, this ci was composed in 1129, after she had joined her husband in Jiankang, now the city of Nanjing. Before the Lantern Festival（元宵节），the last day of Spring Festival (Chinese New Year) people tried on lanterns to be used the next night. Our poet cannot bring herself to participate; she can't give up thinking about her own and her country's sad retreats before the invading enemy. The sorrow in this, her second Spring in Jiankang, is for her country, not merely on celebrating when the nation is in such dire peril. Notes: l. “Moling” and "Jiankang": both refer to the same city which is today’s Nanjing. This is her second Spring there with her husband and she is yet to allow herself to feel at home; she can't, for the sake of her country's trouble. 2. "lanterns of Spring” try the lamps made to celebrate the Lantern Festival on the 15th day of the first lunar month which is usually in February in the western calendar. Pinyin and Word -For-Word Translation: lín jiāng xiān .tíng yuàn shēn shēn shēn jǐ xǔ tíng yuàn shēn shēn shēn jǐ xǔ ？ yún chuāng wù gé cháng jiōng 。 liǔ shāo méi è jiàn fèn míng 。 chūn guī mò líng shù ， rén lǎo jiàn kāng chéng 。 gǎn yuè yín fēng duō shǎo shì ， rú jīn lǎo qù wú chéng 。 shuí lián qiáo cuì gèng diāo líng 。 shì dēng wú yì sī ， tà xuě méi xīn qíng 。

摊破浣溪沙 . 揉破黄金万点轻 原作：李清照 英译：闵晓红 揉破黄金万点轻， 剪成碧玉叶层层。 风度精神如彦辅， 大鲜明。 梅蕊重重何俗甚， 丁香千结苦麄生。 熏透愁人千里梦， 却无情。 Hidden under leaves shaped like green jade - to the tune of Tanpo Huanxisha written by: Li Qingzhao ( 1084 – 1155?) translated by Julia Min Hidden under leaves shaped like green jade are spotted blooms like gold rolled into sunrays. Unworldly as Yanfu, the man of honest grace, you are also a mirror of your soul and taste. Plum trees shy away for her cluttered filaments, so are the tacky lilacs arrayed in tiered blossoms. Yet this fragrance, so sensible, kills the romance, and fumigate my sweet dream beyond reasons. For appreciation: This poem could be written by Li Qingzhao as agreed by most scholars. The last sentence could be an indication of the composing time being after she settled in Lin’an where her only hope of returning home is in her dream. Osmanthus together with chrysanthemum, are the most favoured by the Chinese among the few flowers blooming in Autumn, and so they are often the subjects in literature, especially associated with the Moon Festival. The first stanza is on the sensual features concluded with the unique quality of a crystal soul, the highlight beyond all other poems on Osmanthus. You could read it as a criticism against the fame-seeking and pleasure-hunting luxurious life of many hypocritical politicians at the time. The other hit point is the courage she used plum blossom saying it’s pale in comparison, a risky comment on the most depicted flower in Chinese art which is a respected member of “The Four Noble Beings” and also regarded, by many, as “The National Flower”. A dangerous, very very narrow, escape could be sensed as she carefully chose only the filaments, a minor property much less mentioned in literature for her symbolic spirit. Our poet has written at least two poems which are, in my opinion, the most sophisticated of all listed in history. If she were here today she’s worthy of being crowned with laurel leaves to honour her contribution to Chinese poetry. This flower poem, like many of her poems on flowers, is a riddle-like description of the form, the colour, the scent, the feel and the quality associated with Osmanthus. With such a perspective, I’d choose not using ‘Osmanthus’ as the title as many others, just leaving it open for some intellectual entertainment. This should suit her taste as my understanding of Li Qingzhao being a lady of worldly pursuit with a rare talent of eloquence and a noble elegance shared by very few in history. Yet the most attractive part is the hidden, unappreciated quality of her sensational humor and subtle taste in life itself from an intellectual perspective. Her life and works are one of the most ideal mirror of the rhymes and vibes in the Song Dynasty, a time of turmoil, a time of greatest politicians, philosophers, poets, calligraphers, artists and a time of economic innovations, philosophy, education, and scientific achievements. Together they made the period “The Renaissance of the East”. So, I’d like to conclude this poem as a masterpiece. Notes: 1. Tanpo Huanxisha: the music sub-tuned from the main tune of Huanxisha; 2. Yanfu: the social name of Yue Guang (247-304 AD), a well-recognized politician in the Jin Dynasty, a man of reason, truth, honesty, and integrity but also unearthly, unromantic, stubborn and even 'a bit cruel' when too sensible, unable to appreciate the subtleness of sentiments and imagination; 3. mirror: often used in literature as a symbol of truth, discovery, honesty and chrystal clarity; Here it’s used to emphasize the noble quality of Osmanthus;

玉楼春. 红酥肯放琼苞碎 原作：李清照 （宋） 英译：戈登.奥赛茵，闵晓红 红酥肯放琼苞碎。 探著南枝开遍未。 不知酝藉几多香， 但见包藏无限意。 道人憔悴春窗底。 闷损阑干愁不倚。 要来小酌便来休， 未必明朝风不起。 No sooner the jade buds are turned to rosy lips - to the Tune of Yulouchun written by Li Qingzhao （ 1084-1155？） translated by Gordon Osing & Julia Min No sooner the jade buds are turned to rosy lips, I fear already the south blooms were fading; one needn't care how rich are their perfumes to discover all of a soul's glowing yearnings. They say someone in my favorite window grows pale, whose hand drags along the balustrade of her distress; come to her soon, while the thirst declines not the least; tomorrow, who knows, if the blossoms fall to gales. For appreciation: In some editions, this ci is titled "The Plum Tree". According to Another Collection of Li Qing-zhao, this ci was composed sometime between 1108 and 1127, placing it in what is regarded as her second period of work. As carefully as she can, considering her distress in loneliness, Li Qing-zhao projects her anxieties into the days and hours of peak fragrance of the plum tree blossoms outside her window. Arguably, she could be asking her husband / lover to join her for a cosy moment with the plum trees while they are still in full bloom. Again, she made the theme implicit for you to figure it out for yourself, the same way Song’s paintings works with the readers for a complete performance of the art, as shown in our introduation ‘A Message from the Translators’. It’s a fun game being played for a thousand years now in the artistic world of China. Many flowers have been enriched in meanings in Chinese culture owing to poets like Li Qingzhao, including plum blossoms, chrysanthemum, peony, Osmanthus, lotus flowers, crabapple blooms, bramble rose, etc. Notes: 1. jade buds: the buds of the plum tree; ‘jade’, in Chinese culture, bears the sense of gentle, pure and ideal nature. 2. south branches: those that bloom first. We may refer to "The south branches wither while the north ones are still blooming " from Chinese folklore, perhaps an allusion to the life of eros and the life of the heart. Pinying and Word -For-Word Translation: yù lóu chūn . hóng sū kěn fàng qióng bāo suì hóng sū kěn fàng qióng bāo suì 。 tàn zhe nán zhī kāi biàn wèi 。 bú zhī yùn jiè jǐ duō xiāng ， dàn jiàn bāo cáng wú xiàn yì 。 dào rén qiáo cuì chūn chuāng dǐ 。 mèn sǔn lán gàn chóu bú yǐ 。 yào lái xiǎo zhuó biàn lái xiū ， wèi bì míng zháo fēng bú qǐ 。

念奴娇. 萧条庭院 原作：李清照 英译：戈登.奥赛茵，闵晓红 萧条庭院， 又斜风细雨， 重门须闭。 宠柳娇花寒食近， 种种恼人天气。 险韵诗成， 扶头酒醒， 别是闲滋味。 征鸿过尽， 万千心事难寄。 楼上几日春寒， 帘垂四面， 玉阑干慵倚。 被冷香消新梦觉， 不许愁人不起。 清露晨流， 新桐初到， 多少游春意。 日高烟敛， 更看今日晴未。 Rains threading across the wintered yard - to the Tune of Niannujao written by Li Qingzhao translated by Gordon Osing & Julia Min Rains threading across the wintered yard and all the doors desolate, locked shut, the Cold Food Festival is getting closer, a time for flowers and willows to flutter. I languish over a poem with hard rhymes, and at dawn still more of last night's wine. The messenger geese are gone, my mind too heavy anyway to send a word to anyone. How many days! The upper room's cold in spring! The limp curtains and balcony miss our company. The incense dead, my quilt chilled through the night, my dreams are gone and me, having no desire to rise. So what's this? The dew thick like jewels on the leaves sprouted on parasol trees inviting me for an outing? The sun seems lifting the grey before my eyes; But look again, it might not stay this clear in time. Appreciation: According to Another Collection of Li Qingzhao, this ci was composed in 1121 , when the poet was living in Qingzhou. Sometimes it is called "Spring Thoughts" in some other collections. It is her response to loneliness during her husband's absence, to be sure, and also her spirit's determination and sentiments in reaffirming its relation to the outer world. Notes: ① "han shi": the Cold Food Festival; ② "fu tou jiu": "easy drunk wine ", i.e., it is easy to get drunk with wine first thing in the morning if one had been drinking before going to sleep the night before. ③ "lan gan": jade rail, i.e., again, not actual jade, but simply "ideal" or perfect rail, or vista, vantage point for watching, also watching for her husband's returning. ④ "bu xu...bu qi": a double negative, as in Elizabethan English, for emphasis. i.e., it does not allow a weary person to get up . ⑤ "tong ": parasol tree. Pinying and Word -For-Word Translation: niàn nú jiāo . xiāo tiáo tíng yuàn xiāo tiáo tíng yuàn ， yòu xié fēng xì yǔ ， zhòng mén xū bì 。 chǒng liǔ jiāo huā hán shí jìn ， zhǒng zhǒng nǎo rén tiān qì 。 xiǎn yùn shī chéng ， fú tóu jiǔ xǐng ， bié shì xián zī wèi 。 zhēng hóng guò jìn ， wàn qiān xīn shì nán jì 。 lóu shàng jǐ rì chūn hán ， lián chuí sì miàn ， yù lán gàn yōng yǐ 。 bèi lěng xiāng xiāo xīn mèng jiào ， bú xǔ chóu rén bú qǐ 。 qīng lù chén liú ， xīn tóng chū dào ， duō shǎo yóu chūn yì 。 rì gāo yān liǎn ， gèng kàn jīn rì qíng wèi 。

凤凰台上忆吹箫·香冷金猊 原作：李清照 英译：戈登.奥赛茵，闵晓红 香冷金猊， 被翻红浪， 起来慵自梳头。 任宝奁尘满， 日上帘钩。 生怕离怀别苦， 多少事、欲说还休。 新来瘦， 非干病酒， 不是悲秋。 休休， 这回去也， 千万遍《阳关》， 也则难留。 念武陵人远， 烟锁秦楼。 惟有楼前流水， 应念我、终日凝眸。 凝眸处， 从今又添， 一段新愁。 The incense in the golden lion is now cold - to the tune of “Phoenix Tower on the Flute” written by Li Qingzhao translated by Gordon Osing & Julia Min The incense in the golden lion is now cold. Billowing red waves is my restless quilt. Still how tiresome to rise and fix hair, so, let the dresser disappear in dust there. If the sun's at the curtain hooks, who cares! If only I were not afraid of your departure! It gives me a pause to think of all I might say, but I'm wasted in another blooming year. It’s not because of much drinking yesterday; It’s I know this Fall will never go away. Alone from now on. Alone; the parting's done. Although we sang a thousand times the farewell song of "Yangguan", you can't stay. - What could I say? Lost in smoke is the Phoenix Tower, lost in the world the Wuling lover. Only the departing stream before our chamber knows me gazing into the distance every day. This yearning grows deeper and stronger, adding to the dreamy eyes just new despair. --- Appreciation: Another Collection of Li Qing-zhao dates this ci in 1121. It is sometimes titled "Boudoir Thoughts", or "Thoughts on Departure." The husband is gone on prolonged career appointment by the emperor, and his lady pines for his company. Notes: 1. "jin ni": lion shaped brass burner. It was customary to mold incense burners in the shapes of mythical animals, and having the fragrant smoke come out of their mouths. 2."yong guan": a song traditionally sung on occasions of parting, on the way out from the village or town as the host saw the guests off, singing the refrain together until the distance took them. 3. "wu ling ren": man in the Wuling story, lost in a paradise on earth while herding his flocks, and lost again when he came out into the world and could not find his paradise again. 4. "qin lou": The Tower of the Phoenix, as it is sometimes called in folk tales. Here the perfect lovers, Lord Qin-mu's daughter and Xiao Shi, lived until they were carried together into Heaven. Pinying and Word -For-Word Translation: fèng huáng tái shàng yì chuī xiāo ·xiāng lěng jīn ní xiāng lěng jīn ní ， bèi fān hóng làng ， qǐ lái yōng zì shū tóu 。 rèn bǎo lián chén mǎn ， rì shàng lián gōu 。 shēng pà lí huái bié kǔ ， duō shǎo shì 、 yù shuō hái xiū 。 xīn lái shòu ， fēi gàn bìng jiǔ ， bú shì bēi qiū 。 xiū xiū ， zhè huí qù yě ， qiān wàn biàn 《yáng guān 》， yě zé nán liú 。 niàn wǔ líng rén yuǎn ， yān suǒ qín lóu 。 wéi yǒu lóu qián liú shuǐ ， yīng niàn wǒ 、 zhōng rì níng móu 。 níng móu chù ， cóng jīn yòu tiān ， yī duàn xīn chóu 。