Poetic Setting Vs Reality

In reality, one was in the dining area writing while the other was in the kitchen preparing salad for lunch!

1 君在東窗字書畫 By the east window, my Lord is doing his calligraphy,
2 妾向後庭撲蝶華 While his beloved is heading towards the courtyard to frolic butterflies.
3 花月成雙敬醉紅 Two pledging under the moonlight and flowers to tipsiness in red,
4 莫羨廣寒伴飛霞 Envy not the moon accompanying the flying colored clouds.

1 君 is an honorific term referring to the husband.

2 妾 is a diminutive term for referring to oneself, the wife. Ancient Chinese considers using direct pronouns as rude.

3 花月means a beautiful scenery.

4 The “great cold” is the name of the lunar palace because only the moon goddess, the jade rabbit, a three-legged toad and an Osmanthus tree live there. Either because of her sin in stealing the elixir pills from her former husband or that she ate the pills to prevent him from being a tyrant living forever, she lives in loneliness.

Rather to have short-lived happiness than living in perpetual loneliness.

Monday, August 23, 2021