On a Boat During the Last Day of the Cold Food Festival
小 寒 食 舟 中 作
佳 辰 强 饮 食 犹 寒
隐 几 萧 条 戴 鹖 冠。
春 水 船 如 天 上 坐
老 年 花 似 雾 中 看。
娟 娟 戏 蝶 过 闲 幔
片 片 轻 鸥 下 急 湍。
云 白 山 青 万 佘 里
愁 看 直 北 是 长 安！
Xiao Han Shi Zhou Zhong Zuo
Jia chen jiang yin shi you han
Yin ji xiao tiao dai he guan.
Chun shui chuan ru tian shang zuo
Lao nian hua si wu zhong kan.
Juan juan xi die guo xian man
Pian pian qing ou xia ji tuan.
Yun bai shan qing wan yu li
Chou kan zhi bei shi chang an!
On a Boat During the Last Day of the Cold Food Festival
Beautiful occasion, cold like the food and drink
Several folding tables, I am wearing the hat of those in solitary seclusion.
Sitting in a boat, sky above reflected on the spring water
This old man viewing flowers like they are patches of fog.
Beautiful and graceful butterflies play as they pass by my leisure curtains
Seagulls hit the flat and shallow waters, stirring up the things below.
White clouds, green mountains and I are more than a few hundred miles distant
Melancholy because directly north is the capital city of Chang’an.
Notes:
Cold Food Days: Observed around Qing Ming in early April. In ancient times, no fires were lit to cook food for several days.