The relentless poetry demon haunts me day and night;
By the fence, leaning on a rock, I murmur to myself.
The brush-tip holds beauty, writing against the frost;
Lips savoring fragrance, I chant beneath the moon.
Page after page of plaintive self-pity;
A single word—who understands this autumn heart?
Ever since Tao Yuanming first praised you,
Your lofty spirit has been extolled through the ages.
English titles, text, and notes are AI-assisted for reading only; for scholarship cite the Chinese and authoritative editions.
Annotation
Composed by Daiyu (pen name: Fairy of the Naiad's House), judged the best of all chrysanthemum poems. 'Brush-tip holds beauty, writing against frost; lips savor fragrance, chanting beneath the moon' is a celebrated couplet describing the poet's spiritual communion with the chrysanthemum. 'Tao Yuanming' is the famous poet known for 'picking chrysanthemums by the eastern fence.'
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