The Romance of the Red Leaf - 紅葉奇緣

This is a story about a poor young scholar during the reign of Tang Hsi Tsung (唐僖宗) who by chance picked up a large red leaf in the imperial moat.  He was surprised to see that there was a poem written on it,

 

水流何太急 The water’s flowing too fast,

深宮盡日閑 Inside the imperial palace, all day with nothing to do.

殷勤謝紅葉 Profusely I thank this red leaf,

好去到人間 With Godspeed to the world of commoners.

The young scholar fell in love with this unknown poetess after reading such melancholy and could not part with it.  So, he kept the leaf.  He then picked another red leaf and wrote a poetic reply.  He walked to the upper stream and let it float into the palace,

曾聞葉上題紅怨 Upon the leaf a beauty’s lament heard,

葉上題詩寄阿誰 For whom this leaf poem thou dost go?

  

He thought no more of the incident when he did not find any reply later.  The following year, the scholar took the imperial exams but did not obtain top honors.  His ambitions sank and gave up on his dreams.  Life still has to go on and he became a private tutor in the household of an official in the capital.  Later, a group of “over-aged” palace ladies were retired and were let go to seek their fortunes.  In the group was a distant relative to the official.  She was about thirty years of age, very elegant and beautiful.  From this connection, the scholar eventually won her hand and lived happily.  

Years later, while cleaning her husband’s studio, she found the red leaf poem in a box.  She demanded the meaning of this from the husband. The confronted husband had no choice but to tell her the truth.  The wife sighed and left for her room.  She then came back, holding a red leaf.  On it was another poem written as reply.  She did not send it knowing the futility of her whimsical action in the first place...

獨步天溝岸 By the imperial banks, I stroll in loneliness,

臨流得葉時 A time bringeth me to this leaf.

此情誰會得 For whom this love begets?

斷腸一聯詩 Woeful ‘tis but a couplet poem.

Tuesday, November 26, 2019