Far and Wide the Lake Spreads before the Wind -- the Tune of Yuanwangsun composed by Li Qingzhao ( 12th century) old trans. by Gordon Osing and Julia Min(1990) revised trans. by Julia Min(Jul.2021) Far and wide the lake spreads before the soft wind. It’s late autumn already, lotus fragrance lingering. These waves, this light, the hills, and many more, - are the eternal echoes of ancient music performing. The lotus are seed pods with leaves brown and thin. Dews cleanse duckweed blooms, the grassy strands. The gulls and herons sleeping there don't even care to lift their heads to the girls abandoning this scene. Appreciation: This ci was written in Li Qing-zhao's early twenties, and is sometimes called "In Praise of Lotus." The quantity and zeal of the acceptance in this early poem certainly contrast with her states of mind, especially her inconsolability, in later poems. The Source Text in Chinese: 怨王孙.湖上风来波浩渺 (又作“双调忆王孙.赏荷”) 作者：李清照 湖上风来波浩渺， 秋已暮、红稀香少。 水光山色与人亲， 说不尽、无穷好。 莲子已成荷叶老， 清露洗、苹花汀草。 眠沙鸥鹭不回头， 似也恨、人归早。 Pinying and Word -For-Word Translation: yuàn wáng sūn – the musical tune hú shàng fēng lái bō hào miǎo – on the lake wind comes waves far and wide, qiū yǐ mù、hóng xī xiāng shǎo - autumn already late, pink rare fragrance little. shuǐ guāng shān sè yǔ rén qīn – water light hill color with people intimate, shuō bú jìn、wú qióng hǎo – can’t express fully, boundless beauty. lián zǐ yǐ chéng hé yè lǎo – lotus seeds already formed lotus leaves wither, qīng lù xǐ 、píng huā tīng cǎo – crystal dews wash clover flowers waterside grass. mián shā ōu lù bú huí tóu – sleeping on sand gulls herons not turn back their heads, sì yě hèn 、rén guī zǎo – as if also hate people return early.

玉楼春·腊前先报东君信 原作：李清照 / 无名氏（存疑） 英译及注释：闵晓红 腊前先报东君信， 清似龙涎香得润。 黄轻不肯整齐开， 比着红梅仍更韵。(有版本为‘仍旧韵’) 纤枝瘦绿天生嫩， 可惜轻寒摧挫损。 刘郎只解误桃花， 怅恨今年春又尽。 A Spring Message has Touched the Winter Land - to the tune “The Jade Tower in Spring” written by: Li Qingzhao / Anonymous Eng. translation &annotation: Julia Min A Spring message has touched the winter land with honeyed fragrance like ambergris scent. Light yellow and tender petals translucent, self-effacing but sweeter than plum blossoms. The slim boughs to the thin flowers attend, braving the frosty winter’s chasing wind. Liu the poet knew only the peach blossoms; For me, this withering ends the spring season. Appreciation: This is another riddle-like Ci poem about a flower blooming in winter. Have you figured it out? The flower blooms alone on bare boughs from early December to March at the latest next year. Her waxy yellow petals with touches of crimson in the middle give a subtle perfume longer and sweeter than the red plum blossoms. It is indeed the Chinese wintersweet. On the cultural level, however, wintersweet and the plum blossoms share similar symbolic meanings, only the plum blossoms more conveyed in Chinese literature. After the highly appreciated qualities of wintersweet, the theme is emphasized further in the concluding lines with a contrast against other flowers. Wintersweet shows brave courage and proud spirit, blooming in dead winter, even earlier than the plum trees. The poet has no interest in the loud pink and clustered peach flowers that choose only the comfort zone. This could be read as a criticism against the luxurious life of the gentlemen class of the Song during the threat of invasion. The poet’s cultural taste and spiritual pursuit are well-pictured. Notes: 1. This poem is listed under Li Qingzhao in some versions but others have it under ‘Anonymous’ 2. “The Jade Tower in Spring”: In pinyin, the tune is called Yulouchun (玉楼春); 3. ‘Liu the poet’: referring to Liu Yuxi (815 AC) in the Tang dynasty when he wrote a famous poem about peach blossoms. The symbolic meaning of peach blossoms in China associates with romance，posterity，secluded lifestyle and female beauty. Reference: 1. 李清照文集 作者：（北宋）李清照著，刘振鹏https://books.google.com.au/

贵妃阁春帖子 原作：李清照 英译：闵晓红 金环半后礼， 钩弋比昭阳。 春生百子帐， 喜入万年觞。 注：钩弋gōu yì是一个姓名，出自《汉书外戚传上孝武钩弋赵倢伃》— 百度 A Quatrain for the Noble Consort’s Chamber - a season’s greeting scroll for Spring Festival written by: : Li Qingzhao ( 12th century) translated by： Julia Min Honoured with the gold bracelet, almost an Empress, you have no need to envy Han’s Shaoyang Palace. May you be dearly loved and blessed with more sons, embracing a new year full of cheers and happiness. Appreciation: This is a seasonal greeting poem written on a red scroll for the Noble Consort Wu who became the Empress a few months later. Again the theme focuses on happiness and on having more children. Shaoyang Palace in the Han Dynasty is said to be a very luxurious living place for Noble Consort Zhao of Emperor Chen. Yi’an made the comparison to emphasize how much Wu was favoured by the Emperor. Please refer to “The silkworm breeding season is over - A scroll for the Empress’s chamber hall to celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival”. Reference: 1. baike.baidu.com (百度百科) 2. zh.wikipedia.org (维基百科） 3. 《李清照集笺注》李清照撰，徐培均笺注； 2002年上海古籍出版社 4. 《李清照文集》 作者：（北宋）李清照著，刘振鹏https://books.google.com.au/ 5. All pictures are selected from google search.

永遇乐. 落日熔金 原作：李清照 （宋） 落日熔金，暮云合璧，人在何处。 染柳烟浓，吹梅笛怨，春意知几许。 元宵佳节，融和天气，次第岂无风雨。 来相召、香车宝马，谢他酒朋诗侣。 中州盛日，闺门多暇，记得偏重三五。 铺翠冠儿，捻金雪柳，簇带争济楚。 如今憔悴，风鬟霜鬓，怕见夜间出去。 不如向、帘儿底下，听人笑语。 Again, the Sun’s Melted Gold in a Jade Ring -to the Tune of Yongyuyue written by: Li Qingzhao ( 1084 – 1155?) old Eng. version: G Osing, J. Min & H.Huang (1991） Revised Eng. version: Julia Min (2023) Again, the sun’s melted gold in a jade ring at dusk, but how come my spirit is all gone? The willows shrouded in haze, hardly our Spring! And, here comes the flute Plum Blossoms Falling? The last day on Lantern Festival, already warm, Why does one dread, at every hour, a storm? Friends came for me, in carriages and horses bedecked with ornaments. Of course I ignored. I recall other days, and better, in Zhongzhou, a lady at home in her boudoir, toasting the festival, wearing a cap of inlaid jade, and twisted rolled gold to snow willows for children, a vision of elegance. But now, pallid and thin, hair frosted, disheveled, how ought she dare to appear for their merriment? She's best seen not at all, curtained and listening to their laughter, loud and empty as their talk. For appreciation: This ci could be composed in 1150 when our poet was in her late sixties. Feeling like a traveler in a strange place Lin’an, the temporary capital of the new Southern Song, she also had to give up her hope of returning to her homeland in this lifetime. The barbarian tribes from the Jin and the Mongols were simply too violent and strong on battlefields for the Song to reclaim lost states.  It was the Lantern Festival day, and her friends wanted her to celebrate with them, but she couldn’t. All she could do was to recall the grand festivals in Zhongzhou (Kaifeng, Henan Province now), the old capital, and to listen bittersweetly to the laughter and talk of the celebrants. Notes: 1.     ‘jade ring’: evening clouds circling jade, meaning clouds around the sun; 2.     The flute “The Plum Blossoms Falling”: the old bittersweet tune played with the flute was frequently heard at this time of the year when plum trees were in full bloom, and with the weather warmer in this southern town, would shed flowers even earlier. It was our poet’s favorite flower, so the sentiment was felt stronger with the flute music. 3.     ‘hardly our Spring’: ironic remark on her status as an emigrant in a strange land, a strong melancholy over the hopeless return to her invaded homeland for such a reunion festival. The so-called ‘temporary court’ in Lin’an seemed permanent, so again she was criticizing the weakness of the Royal against the invaders. 4.     ‘The Lantern Festival’: the night on the 15th of the first lunar month, 15 days after the Chinese New Year, the last day of the longest festive season; 5.     ‘Zhongzhou’: the old name for Kaifeng, the Song capital (in Henan province today); Chinese describe China as Jiuzhou (nine states), with Zhongzhou in the centre,  meaning ‘the middle state’, or the middle kingdom which has been often misunderstood by the English world. 6.     ‘papers of gold’: ornaments made for children’s hairdo at festival times, paper of rolled gold folded and braided like the leaves of willow strands. Pinyin yǒng yù lè . luò rì róng jīn luò rì róng jīn ， mù yún hé bì ， rén zài hé chù 。 rǎn liǔ yān nóng ， chuī méi dí yuàn ， chūn yì zhī jǐ xǔ 。 yuán xiāo jiā jiē ， róng hé tiān qì ， cì dì qǐ wú fēng yǔ 。 lái xiàng zhào 、xiāng chē bǎo mǎ ， xiè tā jiǔ péng shī lǚ 。 zhōng zhōu shèng rì ， guī mén duō xiá ， jì dé piān zhòng sān wǔ 。 pù cuì guàn ér ， niǎn jīn xuě liǔ ， cù dài zhēng jì chǔ 。 rú jīn qiáo cuì ， fēng huán shuāng bìn ， pà jiàn yè jiān chū qù 。 bú rú xiàng 、lián ér dǐ xià ， tīng rén xiào yǔ

临江仙· 梅 (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：【宋】李清照 英译：闵晓红 庭院深深深几许， 云窗雾阁春迟。 为谁憔悴损芳姿， 夜来清梦好， 应是发南枝。 玉瘦檀轻无限恨， 南楼羌管休吹。 浓香吹尽有谁知， 暖风迟日也， 别到杏花肥。 The Plum Blossoms - to the tune of Linjiangxian translated by Julia Min Far into the mist extends the private garden. Barred cloud enfolds tops of pavilions For whom in winter frost is she waiting? Must be the flirting buds on south branches Her cold dreams feel so cosy with sweet kisses. Stop playing the song “The Fall of Crimsons” When she’s blushing with delicate blossoms. Would this gentle grace win her love’s glimpse Or Spring wind cares for her happiness, Or her pilgrim soul lived to see prunus blooms. Appreciation: This ci poem was composed in her early days (1129). Together with another one (Lingjiangxian – How deeply shrouded her courtyard), they read like twins. The first line starts with the same first line from Dielianhua by the great Song poet Ouyang Xiu. It was a popular practice in Chinese poetry where popular lines are copied or similar topic and rhyme followed in honor of the original poem. It was also regarded as a bold reaction to challenge the famous poem itself or the poet himself. We could easily come to the conclusion that Li Qingzhao must be highly recognized as a young poet at the time. Plum blossom is regarded as one the Four Gentlemen. The word ‘gentlemen’ doesn’t bear any gender reference now. It simply means ‘noble character’ . It has been one of the most written topic in Chinese poetry. Here our poet portrayed a young noble lady, living in a mansion with grand gardens and pools, falls into lonely sentiments first for the long winter and then for her young days passing so quickly without much warm memory of romance with her love. It’s a popular theme in literature but sparks with her extraordinary verse that brings in a charming and tempting aftertaste where the plum blooms and the lady in love are fused in a dreamy state, as in Zhang Zhou’s “Butterfly Dream”. She is here, and she’s not here, both invisible and physical, an epistemological quandary. Similar boudoir sentiments are widely found in western lady poets in the 19th . Anne Bronte wrote: “I love the silent hour of night, for blissful dreams may then arise, revealing to my charmed sight what may not bless my waking eyes.” Notes: 1. ‘shen shen shen’ repetition of one word for simple but stronger effect; one of Li Qingzhao’s favorite verse pattern as shown in her later works Shengshengman. So the influence could be from Ouyang Xiu. 2. ‘qiang guan xiu chui’: The fall of Blossoms, a famous musical piece of the time; 3. ‘shou’: tiny, delicate; 4. ‘hen’: pity, regret; 5. ‘fei’: in full bloom; Pinying and Word -For-Word Translation: lín jiāng xiān · méi tíng yuàn shēn shēn shēn jǐ xǔ ， yún chuāng wù gé chūn chí 。 wéi shuí qiáo cuì sǔn fāng zī ， yè lái qīng mèng hǎo ， yīng shì fā nán zhī 。 yù shòu tán qīng wú xiàn hèn ， nán lóu qiāng guǎn xiū chuī 。 nóng xiāng chuī jìn yǒu shuí zhī ， nuǎn fēng chí rì yě ， bié dào xìng huā féi 。

An Ode to the Welcome Swallows (Composed under the big oak at Montpellier Garden near my home at Cookson Way Burwood, Vic AU in spring 2022) By Julia Min Underneath the blooming crab-apples, underneath the golden pagoda trees, they flutter around me near the big oak, a canopy over a hundred years of growth. From left to right they dash in low circles, just like the keenest surveyors of this oval. Looking closer: they’re such teeny angels, with the back dark blue, wings dark grey, reflecting sunbeams as they wing sideways. Their bellies play fluffy waves in the wind, and tails are mottled, styled in fork shape, matching the big curve of stretched wings. There, a third one came for a chasing game. she’s closely followed by her darling mate. For hours two teams play the frenzy chase. Magpies tried swooping at them but failed. Big birds are no match in agile flying pace. Weeny ones can beat them in a long race. Background story: I often marvel at the Australian welcome swallows that fly so close to the ground and dashing near you like light. They are much smaller than the Chinese swallows but prettier. I saw them often during spring season at the oval nearby home and on our golf course at Riversdale Club. Picture from https://realworldgardener.podbean.com/e/real-world-gardener-welcome-swallow-in-wildlife-in-focus/

琴诗 原作: 苏轼（字子瞻, 号东坡居士; 11世纪北宋） 旧版英译:戈登.奥赛茵, 闵晓红, 黄海鹏(1990) 新版赏析修改: 闵晓红(2023) 若言琴上有琴声， 放在匣中何不鸣？ 若言声在指头上， 何不与君指上听？ The Qin Music written by Su Shi (11th AC, social name 'Dongpo') old En. trans. by G. Osing, J. Min & H. Huang (1990) annot. revision by Julia Min (2013) I hear you say the music’s in the wood; Why can’t I hear it when it’s put away? You say the music’s in the fingers, good! But could one listen to his hands all day? Appreciation: Here’s an allegory of the pre-eminence of the subjective, specifically the artistically apprehended reality – the music, over the objective things of wood and fingers. To embody philosophical messages in the art world is seen as the embraced style of the Song writings and paintings. It also applies to life itself, both ancient and modern as the world evolves in a twining motion between the static and the dynamic, the yin and the yang. There’s likely an influence from his father Su Xun a famous essayist known for his bold but sophisticated comments supported with carefully constructed theories. He knew very well how the two worlds of art and actualities require each other. 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) 2. picture from “洛水琴客” via《每日头条》

东栏梨花（和孔密州五绝之一） 原作: 苏轼（字子瞻, 号东坡居士; 11世纪北宋） 旧版英译:戈登.奥赛茵, 闵晓红, 黄海鹏(1990) 新版修改及赏析: 闵晓红(2023) 梨花淡白柳深青， 柳絮飞时花满城。 惆怅东栏一株雪， 人生看得几清明！ The Blooming Pear Tree by East Fence -an echo poem to one of Kong Mizhou’s five poems Chinese original by Su Shi (11th AC, social name 'Dongpo') old En. trans. by G. Osing, J. Min & H. Huang (1990) Revision+ annot. by Julia Min (2023) Snow white are the blossoming pears, And liquid are the willows’ dark green. The catkins are floating like snowing; The town’s glowing with vibrant spring. At the east fence I find a lonely man, By a lonely tree like pure snow, sighing: How few are such a view of Qingming! How few can really see life’s meaning! Appreciation: Su Shi wrote this short poem in 1077 at the age of 41 in Suzhou. It’s a good example of the popular poetic form called ‘one stanza poem in 7-character’. Like Housman’s “Loveliest of Trees”, Su Shi’s poem on pear blossoms strain the heart to breaking with the beauty of a vibrant spring, and the certainty of winter and of our aging. The elegance of this poem is the manner in which it moves from scenic clarity through the fusing of sensation and emotion to the final line, a pure lyrical expression. Adding more melancholy to the vibes is the mind reaction of the Chinese readers as the pear blossoms and the flying catkins in China represent separation between loved ones, a sense of loss and loneliness. You may find many Chinese poems use the flowers for the sentimental theme, which in turn has had an impact on all artistic works. And they shed flowers during Qingming Festival, a time of mourning over the departed friends and relatives. 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) (“The Blossoming Pear by the East Fence” – “ Snow-white the blossoming pears and liquid the willow’s green./the catkins are snowing; the town glows with spring./I find myself, sadly, at the east fence by the one snowy tree/ That teaches how few in a lifetime Qing Mings there’ll be.” 2. “Loveliest of Trees” by A.E. Housman (1859 –1936): “Loveliest of trees, the cherry now/Is hung with bloom along the bough,/And stands about the woodland ride/Wearing white for Eastertide.//Now, of my threescore years and ten,/Twenty will not come again,/And take from seventy springs a score,/It only leaves me fifty more.//And since to look at things in bloom/Fifty springs are little room,/About the woodlands I will go/To see the cherry hung with snow.” 2. picture from Google

渔家傲 原作：李清照 （宋） 旧版英译：戈登.奥赛茵，闵晓红，黄海鹏 新版修改：闵晓红 雪里已知春信至， 寒梅点缀琼枝腻。 香脸半开娇旖旎， 当庭际， 玉人浴出新妆洗。 造化可能偏有意， 故教明月玲珑地。 共赏金尊沈绿蚁， 莫辞醉， 此花不与群花比。 In the snowy yard the Spring messenger arrived --to the tune of Yujia’ao 1st edition of trans. by Gordon Osing and Julia Min 2nd edition with revision by Julia Min In the snowy yard the Spring messenger arrived: There, fresh from bath, mirrors a jade fairy being. Her sleeky plum boughs are sprouting, blossoming,- so delicate, lips opening, a sweetness personified. Her, the Creator must favour above all her like, so let the vivid moon shine the brightest tonight. Let’s fill our golden cups, all with the new wine. A toast to this unusual beauty, till morning light. For appreciation: Scholars associate the exuberance of this ci with the earlier phase of Li Qingzhao's life, before she and her kind began fleeing to the south from the sudden foreign encroachments. Western readers would do well to imagine the absolute unity she pictured, between the plum blossoms in the snowy yard, the moon and herself, and her beautiful eloquence on the plum blossoms. The flower has been a symbol of the desired qualities valued in the Chinese culture -- the brave, proud, and enduring spirit. her kind began fleeing from foreign encroachments. Western readers would do well to imagine the absolute unity she pictured, between the snowy yard, the moon, herself, and, of course, the special, beautiful eloquence on the plum blossoms – a symbol of the brave, the proud, the enduring, the noble and the traditional qualities of a gentleman/gentlewoman in China still today. Notes: 1. "the Spring messenger": the plum tree blossoms before all other flowers, starting in late January through to March. 2. "jade fairy being": the imagery constructs the plum blossoms as a beautiful and elegant lady, fresh from her bath and dressing table, as of Li Qingzhao's own class and taste. Reference： Our old version: “To the Tune of Yujia’ao” – “In the snowy yard I see Spring’s messenger arrived,/cold plum blossoms on branches of sleek jade,/there, fresh from her bath and mirror, a lady/ so delicate, lips opening, sweetness personified.//Her the creation favors above all her like,/so let the vivid moon shine all brighter!/A toast! And fill the gold cups with wine tonight!/Exquisite blossoms, why not toast you till morning light!” 2. picture from Google； Pinying and Word -For-Word Translation: yú jiā ào . xuě lǐ yǐ zhī chūn xìn zhì yuán zuò ：lǐ qīng zhào yīng yì ：mǐn xiǎo hóng xuě lǐ yǐ zhī chūn xìn zhì ， hán méi diǎn zhuì qióng zhī nì 。 xiāng liǎn bàn kāi jiāo yǐ nǐ ， dāng tíng jì ， yù rén yù chū xīn zhuāng xǐ 。 zào huà kě néng piān yǒu yì ， gù jiāo míng yuè líng lóng dì 。 gòng shǎng jīn zūn shěn lǜ yǐ ， mò cí zuì ， cǐ huā bú yǔ qún huā bǐ 。

河传 .香包素质 原作：李清照/无名氏 英译：闵晓红 香苞素质。 天赋与、倾城标格。 应是晓来，暗传东君消息。 把孤芳、回暖律。 寿阳粉面增妆饰。 说与高楼，休更吹羌笛。 花下醉赏，留取时倚阑干， 斗清香、添酒力。 So Blessed with the Purest Complexion - to the tune of Hechuan written by: Li Qingzhao / Anonymous translated by: Julia Min So blessed with the purest complexion, And a modest sweetness in her buddings, She is first to echo the secret call of Spring, Alone in a quiet land, at dawn this morning. It’s time to wear the flower on my brow, and No more the flute tune “The Falling Blossoms”! Let’s enjoy good wine under the trees blooming, and play the game on perfumes by the railings. Appreciation: This is likely a piece by Li Qingzhao judging from the language style and the sentiment. She could have written it after her trip to Jiangning ( today’s Nanjing ) when her husband was the mayor, or Head of Jiangning prefecture. Again she has left the flower subject to the readers for a fun game of guessing based on the description. It would be an easy one if you had read some of her poems of the same nature. Well, it’s the first bloom of the year during the Spring Festival braving frost and snow. Regarded as one of the four noble characters in Chinese culture. … Yes, it’s the plum tree, the most written flower by Yi’an. This one, however, takes a different perspective on her fleeing journey with the Royal team to the South. Instead of celebrating in the big tower over the river, she had to do it secretly and quietly amid the fear of invaders’ horses galloping down from the North. We have to appreciate her huge effort in making the best of the moment, a strong desire for her lost home, and the cultural values of the customary lifestyle doomed in the flute tune of the Jin. No word of melancholy or patriotism is used, no word of the flower name is mentioned, yet the vibes penetrate through the whole poem achieving a powerful impact on the readers’ mind. Notes： 1. ‘wear the flower on my brow’: a traditional Chinese forehead make-up with a five-petal plum flower, called Shouyang Make-up named after Princess Shouyang (Southern Dynasty) who, according to the legend, had the flower on her forehead while taking a nap on the veranda under big plum trees. She couldn’t wash it off, and thus had to wear it ever since. It’s also called Huadian, or Huazi, or ‘plum blossom make-up or ‘plum make-up’, very popular later in the Tang and the Song. 2. ‘the flute tune “The Falling Blossoms”: a sad music of the Jin on the plum blossoms falling, the invading state from the North. 3. ‘the game on perfumes’: a guessing game over the scents of flowers, one of the many games the Song people play for entertainment such as the game on the names of different plants, the game on the tune/authors of poems, … a socializing activity in the drawing rooms or outside in their home garden. Reference: 1. 李清照文集 作者：（北宋）李清照著，刘振鹏https://books.google.com.au/ 2 《李清照集笺注》李清照撰，徐培均笺注； 2002年上海古籍出版社

菩萨蛮.归鸿声断残云碧 原作：李清照(宋） 英译：闵晓红 归鸿声断残云碧， 背窗雪落炉烟直。 烛底凤钗明， 钗头人胜轻。 角声催晓漏， 曙色回牛斗。 春意看花难， 西风留旧寒。 The Honking Geese Are Gone to the North - to the tune of Pusaman written by Li Qingzhao (Song Dynasty) E. trans. by Julia Min The honking geese are gone to the north, Just a boundless sky, puffy clouds torn. Outside the north sills find yet some snow, From the censer, long and still, a thin smoke. The candlelight sees a puppet in gold paper, nestled by my phoenix hairpin, shining in vain. The dripping of water clock is often broken by the Jin army horn blaring from beyond. The stars are gone, nothing in the sky at dawn, just the west wind to greet a foreign spring. It’s not yet for the darling buds and bells. My heart feels like water, in winter chill. Appreciation: A strong sense of rootless and alienated sentiment is felt here as it was written in the early days of her settlement in Hangzhou soon after her loss of home, husband, and ten households of artistic collections. The scene starts at twilight through her sleepless night to the next morning. Not a word of loneliness or teardrops used in the work but hidden in every line. The wild geese are often mentioned in Li Qingzhao’s poems to symbolize her nostalgic and homesick feelings towards her husband and home at Qingzhou up north. Though she had some social life in this new land, but her heart stayed in the homeland of her dreams. Gradually, she withdrew to her small circle of friends, living the life of the Recluse Yi’an. An associating piece could be from Anne Bronte (1820-1849): “I love the silent hour of night, for blissful dreams may then arise, revealing to my charmed sight what may not bless my waking eyes.” Notes: 1. geese (鸿hóng): The wild geese returned to the North when spring started in the South where Li Qingzhao lived after her home in the North was conquered. Wild geese are regarded as the highest among birds in moral standards of benevolence, faithfulness, ceremony, wisdom, and honesty. The geese team is like a family taking care of each other no matter how small or how old you are. The sick and the dying are been attended to as well. So they are respected and loved by the Chinese. 2. puppet in golden paper: a figure made of golden paper used as an ornament on hairdo or room screens during People’s Day (the 7th day of Chinese New Year). The family meal was supposed to have seven dishes. 3. horn: the sound of a military horn, hinting the war between the Song and the Jin invaders from the North. Pinying and Word -For-Word Translation: pú sà mán – the music for this song poem; guī hóng shēng duàn cán yún bì – returning geese sound no more few clouds in the sky bèi chuāng xuě luò lú yān zhí – northside windows snowfall incense burner smoke straight; zhú dǐ fèng chāi míng – under the candles phoenix pin shines; chāi tóu rén shèng qīng – the figure on hair is very light; jiǎo shēng cuī xiǎo lòu – horn sound chases morning water-clock; shǔ sè huí niú dòu – daylight at dawn returns the Zodiac and Dipper stars; chūn yì kàn huā nán – spring early look at flowers difficult; xī fēng liú jiù hán – west wind holds still the cold; Reference：baike.baidu.com（百度百科）

Working on my Cholesterol By Julia Min Tue 27 Jul. 2021 My doc asked me to work on my cholesterol. The dietitian gave me a list to follow: No cheese, no butter, and no sugar. It took me a while to settle. My morning starts with a bowl of oats, And a wholemeal toast with avocado. only tea and fruits before noon, Simple lunch and soup dinner to follow, No soda, no pasta and no alcohol, My life felt boring and miserable. The first week was a struggle. The second week ringed demurral. In the third week, I insisted and persisted Till the craving left me, I felt healed. From good to bad, ugly to truth, I realized this life is a teaching school. JM: Your thoughts? Leave a comment and let me know :)