Peonies bloom in May, truly worthy of the title "Flower Goddess of May"

Source | Who Is Most Chinese

Text'Who Is Most Chinese'

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The fragrant scenery fades as summer heat rises, musing on times and matters, sitting full of feeling.

With no one to open their mouth and speak with, having wine, I turn and pour for myself.

Drunk, I face several clusters of red peonies; thirsty, I taste a bowl of green Changming tea.

Spring's return seems to send the oriole to leave its song, staying well in the woods and garden with two or three notes.

-- "The Last Day of Spring" by Bai Juyi

Summer heat rises, greenery grows thick, peonies bloom.

Plants and trees weave like fabric, silent, only deep green;

These peonies, too, do not strive to compete in beauty, only seeking to bloom.

Fragrant, pink and white, big blooms after big blooms, reddening the cheeks, intoxicating the heart.

Legend has it that the peony is not a flower of the mortal world.

One year, a plague struck the mortal world.

The Flower Goddess, to save the people, stole the immortal elixir and scattered it upon the mortal world.

And so it became the peony.

Later, whenever the peonies bloomed,

Men and women would frolic by the water's edge, exchanging peonies to express their feelings;

Gentlemen, too, when raising their long whips and waving their sleeves before a long journey, would exchange peonies to express their sorrow at parting;

Therefore, the peony is also called "Jiangli" (About to Part).

The beauty of "Jiangli" does not startle the heart or shake the soul,

Yet it is brief and hurried, falling in haste after but a single heavy rain;

Just like life.

Perhaps the greatest fortune in life

Is nothing more than walking hand in hand with someone important to admire the flowers;

And the greatest misfortune is nothing more than waving goodbye with tearful eyes.

Gorgeous brocade cannot compare; the tender peach blossom is not yet its equal.

The peony in my memory is on a certain day in May,

In a flowerpot beneath the grapevine, blooming layer upon layer of pink and white,

Accompanied by goose-yellow stamens and fresh green leaves,

Hiding beneath the tree, like a fairy.

When the breeze blows past, that palm-sized blossom nods joyfully.

Idly chanting peony poems, wistful and frowning for long.

When the flowers bloom, among the peony clusters, shadows flicker;

Yet they cannot withstand blooming, for when they fall, they fall all at once, clean and bare.

I once thought it was hardly worth mentioning,

I once thought only the rose was the symbol of love,

Until that day, when the bride held peonies in her hands and walked through the hall with her beloved,

Only then did I know the melody of love is not only the rose,

Only then did I know the peony is the true "Flower Goddess" of love.

Red peonies before the steps, some flowers about to fade, some newly bloomed.

Now the peonies have bloomed again, and I face them,

As if seeking a dream, once again longing for those that no longer belong to me,

Yet like the peony,

Blooming in memory in all those many colors that never fade.

Or place them on the dining table,

To share a bountiful meal with someone you like,

Accompanied by blooming flowers, leaving behind the most beautiful versions of each other.

It is most the year when flowers are at their best,

When the peonies bloom, the dream returns again.

Pluck a peony, give it to someone to reach their heart.

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