Firefly

螢火不曉鬥星光,

琴音無意接花香.

只識撲奪金鏤衣1,

難明春色不待人.

The fireflies' light does not know how to vie with the stars
Flowers' fragrance - zither's unexpected boon.
To those madly pursuing the glories of the world,
Would hardly understand that spring waits for no one.

Notes: 1.  Literally a golden knitted suit.  Also used as a burial shroud for the nobility.

Updates

It has been more than five years since I had written this poem which I am now updating to reflect on the improvement of my Chinese.  I did not pay attention nor was I interested in the rhyming of the lines.  This is due to my poor standard at that time.  I just wanted to express the thoughts that were surging within me.

I am changing the second line so that it now rhymes with the fourth line.  The "red dust" is a Buddhist term for the polluted mundane world of the laity.  

螢火不曉鬥星光, The fireflies' light does not know how to vie with the stars,

微光短短艶紅塵,  What a short time for it to glow in this world,

只識撲奪金鏤衣,  To those madly pursuing the glories of the empire,

難明春色不待人.  Would hardly understand that spring waits for no one.

Wednesday, July 22, 2015

螢火不識鬥星辰 Light of fireflies knows not how to vie with starlight

輕舞微點挑花魂 Dotting in dance, gingerly here and there, arousing the soul of flowers

郎君醉傾鏤衣金 My beloved, drunken in the gold on his official robes

難解春色莫待人. 'tis difficult for him to understand colors of spring wait for no one.

Friday, September 21, 2018

Tuesday, March 2, 2021