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Classical Chinese

蘇軾 陌上花 一 translation: Flowers on the Paddy Field Path I, by Su Shi

This is a very rough translation and annotation of the poem 陌上花 一 (Mòshàng Huā), ‘Flowers on the Paddy Field Path I’, by the Song Dynasty Chinese poet 蘇軾 (Sū Shì).

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Butterfly

陌上花 一 Mòshàng Huā [path] [on] [flower] Flowers on the Paddy Field Path I

陌上花開蝴蝶飛, Mò shàng huā kāi húdié fēi, [paddy field path] [on] [flower] [open] [butterfly][] [fly] On the paddy field path flowers bloom and butterflies fly;

江山猶似昔人非。 jiāng shān yóu sì xī rén fēi. [river] [mountain] [still] [appear] [former] [people] [not] rivers and mountains are still here but the people of the past are not.

遺民幾度垂垂老, Yí mín jǐ dù chuí chuí lǎo, [leave behind] [people] [several] [time] [gradually][] [old] The descendents of a former dynasty one by one grown old; ([垂垂](http://www.zdic.net/cd/ci/8/ZdicE5Zdic9EZdic8231554.htm) = 渐渐.)

遊女長歌緩緩歸。 yóu nǚ cháng gē huǎn huǎn guī. [travel] [girl] [long] [song] [unhurriedly][] [return] the travelling girl's eternal song remains.

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Sources and further reading


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