Poems describing the love between men and women
"The Bodhisattva Man·The Flowers and the Bright Moon Darkly Cover the Light Mist" is a work by Li Yu, the later master of the Southern Tang Dynasty. This poem should be Li Yu's description of himself and Xiao Zhou The scene of the later tryst was created around 964 AD (the second year of Qiande in the Northern Song Dynasty).
Original text of the work
The Bodhisattva Man
The bright moon and the bright flowers cover the light mist⑴, so I can go to Langbian tonight⑵. Wear stockings and walk up the fragrant steps (3), and carry gold-laced shoes (4). See you on the south bank of the painting hall, I always tremble when I lean against you. It is difficult for a slave to come out, but he teaches you how to show mercy to him.
Annotation translation
Word and sentence annotation
⑴Dark, one is "dark". Qingwu: shrouded in thin morning mist. Cage, one means "flying"; the other means "water".
⑵ Today: Tonight, one is "Tonight". Lang Bian: One work is "Nong Bian".
⑶刬 (chǎn): Both are written as "衩" in "The Complete Poems of the Tang Dynasty" and "The Book of the Southern Tang Dynasty". Jian, only, only, still means "naked". Cut socks and land on the ground wearing only socks. There is a poem in the Tang Dynasty's "Drunken Young Master": "Cutting my socks and going down the fragrant steps, my enemies are drunk tonight." Step: used as a verb here, meaning to walk. Fragrant steps: The beautiful name of steps, that is, the steps that spread fragrance.
⑷Hand-held: One is "hand-held". Gold thread shoes: refers to shoes whose uppers are embroidered with gold thread. Thread, thread.
⑸Painting Hall: A gorgeously decorated hall in ancient palaces. This also generally refers to a gorgeous hall. Nanpan: South side.
⑹ Yiyi: Yiyi means "a moment." Yiyi, the same moment, that is, a moment, a moment of time. To cling to: to stick closely to, to be close to. One is "fear". Trembling: Shaking of the body due to excitement.
⑺ slave: one is "good". Nu, a modest word for women in ancient times to call themselves slaves, was also called slave family. Come out: One word is "go to come".
⑻Jiaojun: Let you, let you. One is "teacher"; the other is "subordinate to the king". arbitrarily (zì) meaning: arbitrary, indulgent. Wanton, indulgent, unrestrained. Lian: love, pity, affection. [1] [2] [3]
Vernacular translation
The flowers are so beautiful under the dim moonlight. I want to meet you secretly on this charming night. I walked up the steps step by step with my socks on, gently holding the gold-leaf shoes in my hand. I finally met you at the south bank of the painting hall! Nestled in your arms, my heart is still trembling. Do you know how difficult it is for me to come out to see you once? Tonight I want you to love me as much as you can.