Source: Song of Shrike Flying East by Xiao Yan in the Northern and Southern Dynasties.
Original poem:
Shrike swallows the west, and the weaver girl meets the weaver girl.
Whose daughter is squatting in front of the door, and her beautiful shadow is cast in the back room.
The bright moonlight shone through the window, the curtains were shining on the curtains of women, and the room was fragrant with powder.
This year, the woman will be fifteen or sixteen years old, slim, beautiful, white and beautiful.
But three springs have passed, and the flowers withered in the end. Although my daughter is lovely, she is not from her husband's family, so beautiful, who loves and sympathizes with her?
Translation:
Shrike flies from east to west, and oriole and Weaver Girl meet from time to time. Whose daughter is sitting in front of the door, her beautiful image is reflected in the back room. The bright moonlight shone on the curtain of the woman through the window, and the room was fragrant with powder. The woman will be fifteen or sixteen years old this year, with a graceful figure and a jade-like appearance, which is unparalleled in beauty and whiteness. But the third spring has passed, and the flowers have withered at dusk. Although the daughter is lovely, she still has no in-laws Who is so beautiful and so loving?
Poetry appreciation
"Swallows fly east and west, and Huang Gu meets the weaver girl". With the flight of the old swallow, the cowherd and weaver girl are separated from each other, rendering a sad atmosphere in which feelings are difficult to get together. The following six sentences "whose children live opposite" begin to describe the heroine in the poem.
The girl across the hall is radiant and one of the best in the village. The windows and doors where she lives are shining, and the sleeping tent smells of powder. At the age of fifteen or sixteen, he had grown into a graceful woman, as beautiful as flowers and jade. The poet used positive description and side contrast to highlight the girl's flowery appearance.
"It's already dusk in March, who should I pity?" The last two sentences express my feelings. Such a beautiful girl, as beautiful as flowers and pure as jade, has no spouse. It indirectly reflects the social problems of more boys and girls after the war and the profound disasters brought by the war.