original text
The flowers of land and water plants are very fragrant. Tao Jin Yuanming loves chrysanthemums alone; Since Li Tanglai, everyone loves peony; Love lotus alone, dirt-free, clear but not demon. Straight outside, not crawling, fragrant and clear. It is slim and elegant, so you can look at it from a distance without looking ridiculous.
Want to call chrysanthemum, the hermit of flowers; Peony is a precious flower; Lotus, the gentleman of flowers. Hey! The love of chrysanthemum flowers is rarely heard after Tao; Who gave the lotus love? Peony love is suitable for all ages!
translate
Plants and flowers on water or land are particularly popular. Tao Yuanming preferred chrysanthemums in the Eastern Jin Dynasty; Since Li and Tang, people all over the world have especially loved peony. However, I only like the purity of lotus, which comes from the soil and is not polluted. After washing with clear water, it looks pure and not seductive. Its shape is open-minded and straight, unlike vines spreading around or branches crisscrossing. The fragrance is far away, pure and fragrant, and graceful as a beauty in water. You can only appreciate it from a distance, but you can't play with it.
I compare chrysanthemums to hermits in flowers. Peony is a rich man in flowers. Where's Lotus? A gentleman with flowers. Hey! After Tao Yuanming's death, I seldom heard of people who loved chrysanthemums. How many people who love lotus are as good as me? (Who are several people? ) and people who love peony are suitable for most people.
In the fourth year of Song Xining (A.D. 107 1), Zhou Dunyi, a famous neo-Confucian, came to Xing Zi with Nankang Army. Zhou Dunyi was honest and indifferent, and loved Lian all his life.
After Zhou Dunyi came to Xing Zi, he dug a pond on the east side of Junya and planted all the lotus flowers. When Zhou Dunyi came to Yukiko, he was old (55 years old) and sickly, so whenever he was alone after dinner, he invited friends from the three or five aides to enjoy flowers and tea in Chi Pan and wrote a well-known essay "Love Lotus". Although The Story of Ailian is short, it has been told by people all the time.
A year later, Zhou Dunyi resigned due to old age and infirmity, and settled in a church at the northwest foot of Lushan Mountain to give lectures. He left behind the lotus pond and the article "Love Lotus", which has always been cherished by future generations.
Liu Yuxi wrote