Burying Flower Song
By Cao Xueqin
Tr. Yimusanfendi
Flowers fade, flowers fly, flowers fill all the sky,
The red vanishes, the fragrance dies, who is the one feeling sad?
In spring pavilion and softly tied, drifting gossamers are floating by.
The falling flocs lightly stick, to the embroidered curtain and strike .
The maiden in boudoir takes pity on the spring's end,
The sorrows full in her heart, get relieved at no where;
Bring the flower hoe with her hand and get out of the boudoir,
How cruel, coming and going again with trample on the fallen flowers?
Willow silks and elm-pods are certainly fragrant,
The flying flowers of plum or of peach, they don't care;
The plum or peach can blossom again next year,
Next year inside the boudoir who will be there?
By March the fragrant nests have just been built,
The swallows among the girders are too heartless!
Next year though the blooming flowers can still be pecked,
But won't say the maiden gone l, the tower empty, and the nests also collapse.
A full year has three hundred sixty days,
The wind knives and frost swords cruelly oppress;
Bright charm and fresh beauties, how long can they stay?
They will be falling and wandering, difficult to seek some day.
Blooming flowers easy to see but the falling ones difficult to seek,
In front of the stair-steps the flower burier is so weary,
Alone leaning on the flower hoe and inwardly shedding tears,
Shedding tears on empty branches, and the bloody marks appear.
Cuckoos don't sing and it's just the time at dusk,
She goes back with the hoe and closes the heavy doors;
Blue lamp shines on the wall and she just started to sleep,
And blankets still cold and a chill rain on the window knocks.
Being double distressed for what kind of things?
Half for cherishing half being annoyed by the spring.
Cherish the spring's sudden arrival and annoyed by its sudden departure,
It came quietly and silently it went!
Last night outside of the court, a mournful song was sung,
Do you know it is the spirit of flowers or of the birds?
The spirit of the flowers or of the birds is always difficult to stay,
Birds naturally stop speaking and flowers are naturally shy.
I wished under my arms grew my wings to fly,
Following the flowers to the end of the sky.
The end of sky,
Where the fragrant mound lies?
It is better to collect in a silk bag the remains of the beauties,
And a handful of clean soil covers the glad grace;
Intrinsically you were pure to come and are pure to go.
Better than mingling with mud and sludge and falling into ditches.
Now I bury your remains when you are dead,
Who knows on which day my life will reach the end?
I am burying the flowers and others laugh me to be insane,
Another year who will be the one burying me?
Try to see when spring is almost gone and flowers fall,
That is the time for the young beauty to be old and die.
One day when the spring ends and the young beauty is old,
Both not being known, the flowers fall and the maiden dies.
葬花吟
花谢花飞飞满天，红消香断有谁怜？
游丝软系飘春榭，落絮轻沾扑绣帘。
闺中女儿惜春暮，愁绪满怀无释处。
手把花锄出绣帘，忍踏落花来复去？
柳丝榆荚自芳菲，不管桃飘与李飞。
桃李明年能再发，明年闺中知有谁？
三月香巢已垒成，梁间燕子太无情！
明年花发虽可啄，却不道人去梁空巢也倾。
一年三百六十日，风刀霜剑严相逼。
明媚鲜妍能几时？一朝漂泊难寻觅。
花开易见落难寻，阶前闷死葬花人。
独倚花锄泪暗洒，洒上空枝见血痕。
杜鹃无语正黄昏，荷锄归去掩重门。
青灯照壁人初睡，冷雨敲窗被未温。
怪奴底事倍伤神？半为怜春半恼春。
怜春忽至恼忽去，至又无言去不闻。
昨宵庭外悲歌发，知是花魂与鸟魂。
花魂鸟魂总难留，鸟自无言花自羞。
愿奴胁下生双翼，随花飞到天尽头。
天尽头，何处有香丘？
未若锦囊收艳骨，一抷净土掩风流！
质本洁来还洁去，强于污淖陷渠沟。
尔今死去侬收葬，未卜侬身何日丧？
侬今葬花人笑痴，他年葬侬知有谁？
试看春残花渐落，便是红颜老死时。
一朝春尽红颜老，花落人亡两不知！
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