蘇軾 陌上花 三 translation: Flowers on the Paddy Field Path III, by Su Shi
This is a very rough translation and annotation of the poem 陌上花 三 (Mòshàng Huā), ‘Flowers on the Paddy Field Path I’, by the Song Dynasty Chinese poet 蘇軾 (Sū Shì).
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陌上花 三 Mòshàng Huā [path] [on] [flower] Flowers on the Paddy Field Path III
生前富貴草頭露， Shēngqián fùguì cǎo tóu lù, [life] [before] [rich] [noble] [grass] [head] [dew] In life the rich and noble are like dew on blades of grass;
身後風流陌上花。 shēnhòu fēngliú mò shàng huā. [body] [after] [wind] [flow] [paddy field path] [on] [flower] after death they are outstanding, like flowers on the paddy field path.
已作遲遲君去魯， Yǐ zuò chí chí jūn qù Lǔ, [already] [be] [late] [late] [lord] [leave] [Lu] It is like when Confucius was slowly leaving Lu,
猶教緩緩妾還家。 yóu jiào huǎn huǎn qiè hái jiā. [still] [teach] [unhurried][] [I] [return] [home] just as I am instructed to slowly return home.
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Sources and further reading
