TUNE: BUTTERFLIES IN LOVE WITH FLOWERS

Su Shi

(Northern Song Dynasty)

Red flowers fade, green apricots appear still small,

When swallows pass

Over blue water that surrounds the garden wall.

Most willow catkins have been blown away, alas!

But there is no place where grows no sweet grass.

Without the wall there is a path, within a swing.

A passer-by

Hears a fair maiden's laughter in the garden ring.

The ringing laughter fades to silence by and by, 

For the enchantress the enchanted can only sigh.

蝶恋花 

[北宋]苏轼

花褪残红青杏小,

燕子飞时,绿水人家绕。

枝上柳棉吹又少,

天涯何处无芳草！

墙里秋千墙外道,

墙外行人,墙里佳人笑。

笑渐不闻声渐悄,

多情却被无情恼。

About the poet 

 Su Shi was one of China's most renowned literati of the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127). He was known for his bold yet elegant writing style.

About the translator 

Xu Yuanchong (1921-2021) was born in Nanchang in East China's Jiangxi Province. He was a professor of literary translation at Peking University.

About the book 

300 Song Lyrics Translated by Xu Yuanchong Published by China Intercontinental Press