Bai Juyi
Say it's flowers, not flowers, say it's fog? Not fog.
It came in the middle of the night and left at dawn.
When did a short and beautiful spring dream come?
When they leave, they are like clouds in the morning.
The title of this poem is based on the first three words of the poem, which is a bit like Li Shangyin's untitled poem.
Say it's flowers, not flowers, say it's fog? Not fog. The beginning of the poem gives people an elusive feeling, like flowers, like fog. Flowers like mist, these two clever metaphors are beautiful.
It came in the middle of the night and left at dawn. What comes in the middle of the night and leaves at dawn is easy to associate with dreams, but then it is denied.
When did a short and beautiful spring dream come? When they leave, they are like clouds in the morning. Dreams are still just a metaphor. When it came, it was as beautiful as a spring dream, but the spring dream was short and there was not much time, so it dissipated. When I went, like a morning cloud, I had nowhere to find, and I was disappointed.
Bai Juyi's poem is like a riddle, but you can't guess the answer.
Some people say that this poem is a mourning poem, because it is in Bai Juyi's collection of poems, compiled after Ode to Zhen, which is a mourning poem, compiled late, probably on the same theme.