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Chūn RìSpring Day 春日

Qin Guan (秦观, also known as Qin Shaoyou)｜Northern Song｜seven-character quatrain

After a night of soft thunder, peonies hold the rain like spring tears.

Original Chinese text with pinyin

一夕轻雷落万丝
yī xī qīng léi luò wàn sī

霁光浮瓦碧参差
jì guāng fú wǎ bì cēn cī

有情芍药含春泪
yǒu qíng sháo yào hán chūn lèi

无力蔷薇卧晓枝
wú lì qiáng wēi wò xiǎo zhī

Simplified characters; traditional title: 春日.

One night of soft thunder falls in ten thousand threads;

clear light floats on tiles, green and uneven.

Tender peonies hold spring tears;

listless roses lie on dawn branches.

Original translation by Poetune — literal but poetic, written for this site.

一夕轻雷落万丝 · yī xī qīng léi luò wàn sī — One night of soft thunder falls in ten thousand threads;

霁光浮瓦碧参差 · jì guāng fú wǎ bì cēn cī — clear light floats on tiles, green and uneven.

有情芍药含春泪 · yǒu qíng sháo yào hán chūn lèi — Tender peonies hold spring tears;

无力蔷薇卧晓枝 · wú lì qiáng wēi wò xiǎo zhī — listless roses lie on dawn branches.

After a night of soft thunder, peonies hold the rain like spring tears. A clear scene with a lasting aftertaste.

By Qin Guan (北宋).

Qin Guan is a master of delicate, lovelorn ci among Su Shi's circle.

Lifetime: 1049–1100. Other famous works: Immortals at the Magpie Bridge (鹊桥仙); Spring Day (春日).