玉兰的韵律 - 澳洲墨尔本2022.05.17 作者：闵晓红 五月秋暮叶子黄， 六七冬眠不知霜。 八月萌发探春早， 九月无叶斗艳忙。 十月东君催花去， 十一绿肥花泥香。 种子渐成见子苞， 孕育九月再吐芳。 冰心玉洁甚清雅， 神采风度如梅花。 西人不知中国梅， 幸有玉兰暖寒乡。 JM: Your thoughts? Leave a comment below.

Intro: The month of July seems more productive in our family as signalled by the pomegranate tree in my dream. The July 2021 saw the launching of this poetry blog where the best Ci poetry of China has been tested to the limit in translation to English. And July 2022 embraced the birth of my dearest granddaughter Eloise. Her presence has brought so much joy amid the hazy time of the pandemic. For new parents, a new life always feels like a rising star, the apple of their eye, or 'a pearl in the palm' in Chinese sense. Here we gather today to celebrate the blessings given and received, and the friendship challenged and transformed. To little Ellie this Ci poem is composed, both in Chinese and in English. 临江仙.红溪南岸柳树边 （壬寅虎年月圆之夜，喜得孙女云溪。周岁宴作。） 闵晓红 红溪南岸柳树边， 蔷薇含笑拱门。 感风应月知东君， 明珠入掌心， 云溪七月生。 初为父母方知苦， 日夜呵护不停。 明眸入心暗星辰， 一笑轻九鼎， 一语乐众亲。 By a Willow Tree on Blackburn South (for my grandchild’s first birthday celebration, July 13, 2023) - to the tune of “The Celestial Being by the River” By Julia Min By a willow tree on Blackburn South, A rose arch cheered to early buddings. The full moon wakes up a new being, A blessed girl named Eloise Yunxi Min. Baby care's been an endless commitment, Her bright eyes can ease the sentiment. A random babbling, a heartless chuckling Bring so much joy like music of heaven.

瑞鹧鸪·双银杏 原作：李清照（宋） 英译：闵晓红 风韵雍容未甚都， 尊前甘橘可为奴。 谁怜流落江湖上， 玉骨冰肌未肯枯。 谁教并蒂连枝摘， 醉后明皇倚太真。 居士擘开真有意， 要吟风味两家新。 An Ode to Ginkgo Fruit - to the tune of Ruizhegu written by: Li Qingzhao ( 1084 – 1155?) translated by Julia Min So blessed is she with elegant grace, So humbled for oranges the mundane. Who’d know she’s away from her own world, To be found her virtues more fair and pure? A small branch is plucked with twin fruit on, A picture of the Emperor n Yuhuan after wine. I’d like to open the ginkgoes with gentle care, To share with my love the fresh taste with flair. --- Appreciation: Again if the editor chose not adding the title, it could work as a riddle-like poem for an sense of intellectual humour in the structure of the past and the present contrast, an interplay of yin and yang, or a stream of consciousness manifested to enrich our imagination for a stronger artistic impact. It has been reasoned that this might not be our poet’s creation as the ci’s poetic meters and rhyming patterns not closely followed, and Li Qingzhao is well recognized for her strict standards on the musical rules, even called by some ‘The Mother of Ci’. The style, the perspective and the subjects chosen, however, do match her habitual way. The first stanza resembles most and could stand alone, even better I’d say, as a poem rather than a ci. The second stanza seems pale in comparison, mainly due to an insignificant contrast in the concluding couplet lines that I would doubt about the source. Notes: 1. ginkgo fruit: the symbolic implication associated with nobility, well-bred, well-designed, profound love that stands the test of many life cycles thanks to the fair skin, delicate petite oval shape, and the loving pair nuts inside the fruit. It’s said to be the only survivor in the family 290 million years ago, also called ‘the living fossil’. It has a longer life span than all other trees. The one still thriving is over 1400 years old in the ancient capital of the Tang Dynasty, planted by the 2nd emperor Li Shimin himself in Chang’an ( today’s Xi’an). 2. ‘from her world’: referring to the uncomfortable status where our poet and her dear husband had travelled all the way to the south due to the invasion in the north. They tried to start new in a strange place. 3. ‘Emperor and Yuhuan’: the Tang Emperor Li Longji and his loving concubine Yang Yuhuan, being written in so many literature works and plays, became a symbol of love for a long time in history.

咏史 原作：李清照/无名氏 英译：闵晓红 两汉本继绍， 新室如赘疣。 所以嵇中散， 至死薄殷周。 A sigh on a history rewind written by: : Li Qingzhao / Anonymous translated by：Julia Min West or East, it’s truly just the same Han. Whatever new bottle, it’s the old wine. Thus a great mind in Three Kingdoms, Ji Kang disdained Zhou’s King Wu and Yin’s King Tang. Appreciation: Yi’an must have written many poems on history though only a few remained today. Her understanding of Chinese history seems as profound as what a great mind could acquire. After translating all her works we have today, I get the impression that she was a lady of double characters. She was seriously formal in history matters so she always chose the more strict classical form of poetry in five-character lines, or in seven-character lines. No sentiment comes in between her subjects, themes and forms – an image of a materialist. Such a style sustained all through her life as in her long poems -- “ The Great Revival” and “ Two Poems to Lord Han Xiaozhou”. When it comes to sentimental subjects about seasons, love, and everyday life matters, she was an idealist where idealism sets the keys for every aspect of romantic beauty and forms. She would use the more dynamic lines of ci poetry, showing the forever revolving motions in the Yin and Yang world, totally different vibes and rhymes from her poetry. Do you agree? Notes： 1. Han: divided into West Han and East Han Dynasties (西汉和东汉202 BC -220 AC), implying the division of Northern Song and Southern Song dynasties (北宋和南宋）; 2. Ji Kang: (嵇康) a philosopher in Daoism and an artist in music and literature from Wei State during the Three Kongdoms (220-280 AC); 3. Zhou’s King Wu: King Wu of the Zhou Dynasty (周朝1046 – 256 BC); 4. Yin’s King Tang: King Tang of the Yinshang period (殷商approx. 1300-1046 BC ); 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.

鹧鸪天（时谪黄州） 原作: 苏轼（字子瞻, 号东坡居士; 11世纪北宋） 英译旧版:戈登.奥赛茵, 闵晓红, 黄海朋(1990) 英译修改:闵晓红(2023) 林断山明竹隐墙， 乱蝉衰草小池塘。 翻空白鸟时时见， 照水红蕖细细香。 村舍外，古城旁， 杖藜徐步转斜阳。 殷勤昨夜三更雨， 又得浮生一日凉。 Before the Walls the Bamboos Extend to the Hills - to the tune “ Francolin Sky” written by: Su Shi (11th AC, social name 'Dongpo') En. trans. by: G. Osing, J. Min & H. Huang (1990) En. revision by: Julia Min ( Feb. 2023) Before the walls the bamboos extend to the hills. In drooping grass by the pool the cicadas still trill. Flocks of white birds rise to the sky here and there, Lotus are flushed in water mirror, sweet and subtle. Walking past the village outside the old town, My cane moves slowly and the sun’s going down. How kind and thoughtful was the midnight’s rain, To make this short life of mine fulfilled, still again. Appreciation: This ci was composed at early autumn in 1083. The poet cleanses his senses here with a rich country scene after a rain. The premise is again filled with Taoist implications where an ordinary scene treasures true magic. Sounds familiar? Yeah, Wordsworth and Monet come to mind… Reference: 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) (By walls hidden in bamboo I see past groved hills,/And I hear the tiny racket of cicadas in the withered weeds by the pool./Over and over, I see a white bird rising into the sky./Sweet lotus blooms look down to see themselves perfectly.//Walking past the village houses outside an old town,/My cane goes slowly and I turn to the setting sun./How kind and thoughtful was last midnight’s rain/To make my temporary life quite full again.) 2. painting from google；

散佚残句： 原作：李清照 英译：闵晓红 1.诗情如夜鹊， 三绕未能安。 2.少陵也自可怜人， 更待来年试春草。 3. 南渡衣冠欠王导， 北来消息少刘琨。 4.露花倒影柳三变， 桂子飘香张九成。 5.南游尚怯吴江冷， 北狩应悲易水寒 Poem fragments as quoted in other people’s writings: Written by: Li Qingzhao English translation by Julia Min 1. Heart like water as in poetry vibes, restless like magpies circling at night. 2. My empathy goes to the poor horse of Shaoling, for enduring patience for the grass of next spring. 3. We need Wang Dao for our Court roaming south. and can’t find Liu Kun in the news from the north. 4. The water reflection plays a show of dewy flowers by Sanbian Liu. The scented breeze tells a scented tale of the Osmanthus by the recluse Wugou. 5. We know the Wu River is cold here in the south; so how cold the Yi River when they hunt north! Notes: 1. the poor horse of Shaoling: Du Fu, one of the greatest poet in Chinese history, called himself ‘Shaoling Yelao’, a self-depreciation meaning ‘descent family background but now in a desolate commoner’, which is similar to the self-mockery name of ‘Dongpo’ meaning the east slope where Su Shi farmed to survive after his experience in prison. 2. the grass of next year: both the horse and the grass are metaphoric where the horse refers to Du Fu and next year’s green grass hints the Royal Exam in the coming spring, hence the empathy towards Du Fu’s huge efforts but repeated failed experience in the exams. 3. Liu Kun: a patriotic hero, referred here to imply the lack of such fighters in the Song court, reminding us of the Song General Yuefei being killed by the emperor. 4. a show of … Liu: an irony on the famous poet Liu Yong for the flowery and erotic language in his ci-poem writings. His birth name was Liu Sanbian, meaning literally ‘willow’s three changes/characters’. 5. a scented tale: an associated irony implying the flowery language in the Osmanthus poem by Zhang Wugou, another poet and official who later lived a reclusive life. 6. the Yi River: ‘Yishui’ in Chinese pinyin, in today’s Yi County in Hebei Province; Here it refers to the heroic song written and sung at the river by Prince Yan to see off his hero Jingke to kill the Qin Emperor -- a trip of no return ( about 227 BC). Since then, ‘the Song of Yishui’ had always been a farewell song to heroes before their trip to battles. Yi’an used the story to hint the two emperors taken by the Jin to the north might not be able to return. ‘hunt north’ is just the Court message for the public, a way to cover the real story. Please refer to her other poem: “ Two Poems to Lord Han Xiaowei” 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.

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? ----

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;