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Hidden Fragrance: Memories of Plum Blossoms by West Lake
English Poetic Translation
The moonlight of bygone days,
how often it shone upon me, playing the flute beside the plum blossoms,
waking my jade-like companion who cared nothing for the biting chill or the snapping of the boughs.
Like He Xun, I am growing old now, having quite forgotten the lyric brush of the spring breeze.
Only I wonder at the sparse blossoms beyond the bamboo, their cold fragrance drifting onto the jade-adorned mat.
The river realms
lie utterly desolate.
I sigh that the road for sending messages is long, with night snow newly piled.
Over the emerald goblet, tears flow easily;
the red calyxes, speechless, gleam with our shared memories.
I forever recall the place where we once walked hand in hand,
when a thousand trees weighed heavy over the cold, emerald waters of West Lake.
Now, petal by petal, the wind blows them all away—
when shall I ever see them again?
how often it shone upon me, playing the flute beside the plum blossoms,
waking my jade-like companion who cared nothing for the biting chill or the snapping of the boughs.
Like He Xun, I am growing old now, having quite forgotten the lyric brush of the spring breeze.
Only I wonder at the sparse blossoms beyond the bamboo, their cold fragrance drifting onto the jade-adorned mat.
The river realms
lie utterly desolate.
I sigh that the road for sending messages is long, with night snow newly piled.
Over the emerald goblet, tears flow easily;
the red calyxes, speechless, gleam with our shared memories.
I forever recall the place where we once walked hand in hand,
when a thousand trees weighed heavy over the cold, emerald waters of West Lake.
Now, petal by petal, the wind blows them all away—
when shall I ever see them again?
Classical Chinese & Pinyin
舊時月色。
算幾番照我，梅邊吹笛。
喚起玉人，不管清寒與攀摘。
何遜而今漸老，都忘卻、春風詞筆。
但怪得、竹外疏花，香冷入瑤席。
江國。
正寂寂。
嘆寄與路遙，夜雪初積。
翠尊易泣。
紅萼無言耿相憶。
長記曾攜手處，千樹壓、西湖寒碧。
又片片、吹盡也，幾時見得。
算幾番照我，梅邊吹笛。
喚起玉人，不管清寒與攀摘。
何遜而今漸老，都忘卻、春風詞筆。
但怪得、竹外疏花，香冷入瑤席。
江國。
正寂寂。
嘆寄與路遙，夜雪初積。
翠尊易泣。
紅萼無言耿相憶。
長記曾攜手處，千樹壓、西湖寒碧。
又片片、吹盡也，幾時見得。
Philological Direct Translation
Old times moon color.
Reckon how many times illuminate me, plum border playing flute.
Awaken jade person, not caring clear cold and breaking plucking.
He Xun now gradually old, all forgotten spring wind lyric brush.
Only wonder at, bamboo outside sparse flower, fragrance cold enters jade mat.
River country.
Just desolate.
Sighing sending to road distant, night snow newly accumulated.
Emerald goblet easy to weep.
Red calyx silent gleams mutual memory.
Long remembering once hand-held place, thousand trees press West Lake cold jade-green.
Again piece by piece, blown exhaust also, when time seeable.
Reckon how many times illuminate me, plum border playing flute.
Awaken jade person, not caring clear cold and breaking plucking.
He Xun now gradually old, all forgotten spring wind lyric brush.
Only wonder at, bamboo outside sparse flower, fragrance cold enters jade mat.
River country.
Just desolate.
Sighing sending to road distant, night snow newly accumulated.
Emerald goblet easy to weep.
Red calyx silent gleams mutual memory.
Long remembering once hand-held place, thousand trees press West Lake cold jade-green.
Again piece by piece, blown exhaust also, when time seeable.