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'李煜 謝新恩 · 櫻花落盡階前月 translation: Cherry Blossom Completely Falls Before the Steps Under the Moon, by Li Yu (Gratitude for New Favour)'

This is a very rough translation and annotation of the poem 櫻花落盡階前月 (Yīnghuā Luòjǐn Jiēqián Yuè), ‘Cherry Blossom Completely Falls Before the Steps Under the Moon’, by 李煜 (Lǐ Yù) of the Southern Tang. Note that this poem is part of the series 謝新恩 (Xiè Xīn Ēn) - ‘Gratitude for New Favour’, and the title given here is actually just the first line.

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Cherry Blossoms

櫻花落盡階前月

Yīnghuā Luòjǐn Jiēqián Yuè [cherry] [flower] [fall] [completely] [steps] [front] [moon] Cherry Blossom Completely Falls Before the Steps Under the Moon

櫻花落盡階前月, Yīnghuā luò jǐn jiē qiányuè, [cherry] [flower] [fall] [completely] [steps] [front] [moon] Cherry blossom completely falls before the steps under the moon;

象床愁倚薰籠。 xiàng chuáng chóu yǐ xūn lóng. [ivory] [bed] [worry] [lean on] [fragrant smoke] [basket] on an ivory-decorated bed, worrying, she leans on an incense burner.

遠似去年今日, Yuǎn shì qùnián jīnrì, [far] [like] [last] [year] [today] [day] Distant like last year, today

恨還同。 hèn hái tóng. [regret] [still] [same] the regret is the same.

雙鬟不整雲憔悴, Shuāng huán bùzhěng yún qiáocuì, [double] [hair knot] [not] [in order] [cloud] [sallow] [haggard] Her two knots of hair in disarray, clouds withering,

淚沾紅抹胸。 lèi zhān hóng mòxiōng. [tear] [wet] [red] [vest][] her tears wet her red vest.

何處相思苦? Hé chù xiāngsī kǔ? [what] [place] [each other] [think] [bitter] Where does she feel the bitterness of yearning?

紗窗醉夢中。 Shāchuāng zuì mèngzhōng. [screen window][] [drunk] [dream] [in] In a drunken dream behind the screen window.

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