1. Poems
1. Before the rain on the crabapples, the pear blossoms first snowed, half of the spring break. ——Wang Yu of the Song Dynasty, "Eyeful Eyes·Willow Silks Softly Made"
Translation: The crabapples have not yet been moistened by the drizzle, but the pear blossoms are already blooming like snow. It is a pity that half of spring has passed.
2. Begonia does not hesitate to be rouge, independent in the drizzle. ——"Cold in Spring" by Chen Yuyi of the Song Dynasty
Translation: The delicate crabapple, without sparing its bright red flowers, stood up and bloomed independently in the cold wind and rain.
3. After standing on the branch of Begonia for a long time, it flew to the west bank of the bridge. ——"Jade House Spring·Numerous Yan-carved beams and painted buildings" by Song Zhengyu of the Qing Dynasty
Translation: After the begonia flowers bloomed on the branches for a while, they flew to the west of the small bridge with the wind.
4. The east wind is full of light, and the fragrant mist is filled with moonlight in the corridor. ——"Begonia" by Su Shi of the Song Dynasty
Translation: The curling east wind blew the faint clouds, revealing the moon, and the moonlight was also faint. The fragrance of flowers melted into the hazy mist, and the moon had already moved across the corridor in the courtyard.
5. The Haitang Pavilion is soaked in the drizzle at noon. After a while, he vomited all his rouge. ——Wu Qian of the Song Dynasty, "Begonia Spring: There is a poem about Begonia before the Qingming Dynasty"
Translation: The pavilion with the begonias was still drizzled at noon, but just a moment later, all the bright flowers bloomed .
2. Allusions
Su Dongpo laughed at his friend Zhang Xian, a poet, for marrying an 18-year-old concubine when he was 80 years old, so he wrote a poem:
Eighteen-year-old bride and eighty-year-old man, with pale hair and red makeup.
The mandarin ducks spend the night in pairs,
A pear tree presses the begonia.
The pear blossom is white, which is a metaphor for the white-headed old man Zhang Xian, and the begonia is red, describing a beautiful young woman. This limerick vividly describes the situation of an old man and a young wife. So "a pear tree weighs begonias" became a euphemism for an old couple and a young couple, that is, "an old cow eats young grass".
Extended information
Begonia flowers are known as the "national beauty". It is a unique plant in China. It mostly grows in plains and mountains at an altitude of 50 meters to 2,000 meters, and can be artificially introduced and cultivated.
The first time Begonia flower appeared in the historical materials of China's long history, the record was not about its ornamental value. What was first valued by people was the edible value of Begonia flower: "The Book of Songs·Weifeng· There is a poem in "Papaya" that says, "You give me papaya, and you repay me with jade. If you are a bandit, you will always think it is good! If you give me a peach, you will repay me with jade. If you are a bandit, you will always think it is good! Give me wood. Li, repay with qiongjiu; bandit repays, always consider it good!"
The "papaya", "wood peach" and "wood plum" in the poem are all plants belonging to the crabapple family. In ancient times, they were often used as gifts for relatives and friends.