Powder falls on Hundred-Flower Isle;
Fragrance fades at the Swallow Tower.
Cluster by cluster, chasing in balls.
Drifting, just like one with a thin fate;
Vain attachment, vain talk of romance.
Even plants and trees know grief;
Youth itself has turned white-haired.
Alas, who gives and who gathers in this life?
Married off to the east wind—spring takes no heed;
Go where you will—how can I bear to stay?
English titles, text, and notes are AI-assisted for reading only; for scholarship cite the Chinese and authoritative editions.
Annotation
From the willow catkin poetry activity in Chapter 70. Xichun's lyric has a desolate tone. 'Married off to the east wind—spring takes no heed' suggests her disgust with worldly affairs. The entire piece carries an otherworldly sensibility, foreshadowing her eventual renunciation.
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