The Next Day I Made a Long Poem and Gave It to Academy Registrar Seo Reung明日。以長篇贈徐學錄陵。
昨與先生同赴吉秀才家筵。有妓獻花。予得有葉無花者。因口占一絶戱之云云。先生聞之。命妓出舞。以贖彼獻花無狀之罪。且償予之戱作。明日酒醒。謹成占調長篇。以謝厚意云。
Yesterday I went with the Master to a feast at the house of Gil, the Promising Scholar, and when a singing girl offered flowers I got one that had leaves but no flower. At this I recited a quatrain to make sport of her. The Master heard it and had the singing girl come out and dance, redeeming her mean offense in offering that flower, and repaying as well the piece I had written in jest. The next day, when the wine had worn off, I respectfully made a long poem set to a tune, to thank him for his generous intent.
Interlinear notes 1
幷序
A preface is included.
連雲甲第金碧眩。銀蒜垂垂簾半卷。沈香烟底咽笙歌。美人微笑流餘眄。十分蘸甲撥浮蟻。主人起壽客霑醉。露濕濃香花滿盤。花枝人面嬌相媚。素腕獻來微露玉。春風入座香撲撲。一枝到我先盧胡。不見深紅空釅綠。居士年來身似寓。湛然無波井已古。回頭笑謝散花女。結習已空花豈汙。唯予淨業洗未了。故作新詞博一笑。狂言忽發衆皆驚。薄行猶存人亦誚。感君好事爲揚眉。指麾筵中紅頰兒。遣作蹁躚回雪舞。償我輕薄嘲花詩。書生自古雖命薄。得失如環那易酌。眼寒無分看春紅。得觀妙舞天所酢。心醉歸來如夢裏。黏泥柳絮隨風起。待我甕頭芳酒熟。邀君更喚鵶鬟翠。
A fine house touching the clouds dazzles in gold and blue, silver garlic-knobs hang down, and the blinds are half rolled up. Under the aloeswood smoke the reed pipes and the singing choke, and a lovely one smiles a little and lets fall a lingering glance. Wetting her nail to the full, she parts the floating ants; the host rises to drink long life, and the guests are soaked in wine. Dew-wet flowers of heavy fragrance fill the tray, and flowering branch and human face coquet prettily with each other. A white arm offers it, and jade is just laid bare; the spring wind enters the mats, and the fragrance comes in waves. When one branch reached me I laughed out loud before anything else, for no deep red was to be seen, only an idle depth of green. The layman of late seems to live as a lodger in his body, clear and without a ripple, a well already long grown old. He turns his head and smiling thanks the woman who scatters the flowers: his old habits are emptied out — how should a flower defile him? Only I have not finished washing my karma clean, and so made a new piece on purpose and won myself a laugh. A mad word came out all at once and startled the whole company, my thin conduct clings to me still, and people blame me too. My thanks that you love a stir and raised your eyebrows for me, directing the red-cheeked girl there in the midst of the mats to dance a dance that billowed like snow awhirl, and so repaid the poem in which I lightly mocked the flower. A student of books has had a thin fate from of old, yet gain and loss are like a ring — how are they easily reckoned? My eyes were cold, with no portion in seeing the spring's red flowers, and that I came to see a marvelous dance was Heaven's repayment. Drunk at heart I came home as if inside a dream, and willow down stuck in the mud rises up on the wind. I shall wait until the fragrant wine above my jar is ripe, and welcome you, and call again for the one with raven-blue coiled hair.