Watermelon Garden is a seven-character quatrain written by Fan Chengda, a poet in the Southern Song Dynasty, on his way to the State of Jin. The first and second sentences of this poem describe the growing environment of watermelon and the scene of eating melons everywhere; The appearance and taste of watermelon are not satisfactory.
The original text is as follows:
It tastes light and moist. Originally planted in Yanbei, it is now planted in Henan.
Bi Manling's frost lies on soft sand, and he has eaten watermelons everywhere for many years.
Light and watery in appearance, which Pu Tao alfalfa can't praise.
The translation is as follows:
Although there is a lot of watermelon juice, it tastes as light as water. Originally planted in Yanbei area, it is also planted in various parts of Henan.
Watermelons with green vines grow on frosty sand. When season comes, watermelons are eaten everywhere.
Watermelon has an empty shape and tastes like drinking water, but it is not as good as Pu Tao alfalfa.
Extended data:
Fan Chengda jumped in May in the sixth year of Dadao (1 170) and entered Jin. He wrote 72 seven-character quatrains and his diary Lu Lan Lu along the way. This poem is the second one. When Fan Chengda arrived in Kaifeng, he was deeply moved to see that watermelons originally planted in the wild had spread all over Henan, so he wrote this poem.
The first and second sentences of this poem describe the growing environment of watermelon and the sight of eating melons everywhere next summer. Watermelon, like Pu Tao and alfalfa, is an exotic product, which is common in the north. "Biman" and "soft sand" are in sharp contrast with green and yellow, but they are full of home beauty. However, the word "Shuang Ling" suddenly became cold, and beautiful things could not stand the severe frost.
The third and fourth sentences of this poem describe the shape and taste of watermelon. The poet thinks that watermelons grown in the north are not satisfactory in appearance or taste, and cannot be compared with grapes and alfalfa. Vaguely revealed a trace of regret.
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