The Marquis of Jinyang Gathered the Surnames (姓) of the Retainers on Duty That Day to Serve as Rhyme Words and Bade the Poets of His House Sing of Peonies on a Winter's Day. I Too Answered and Sent Mine Up, Setting the Side Rhymes Myself晉陽侯集其日上番門客之姓爲韻。命門下詩人輩賦冬日牡丹。予亦和進。傍韻自押。
聞有名花誰所種。白則豐山紫大宋。玉顏倩瘦微含笑。正似畏風皇后趙。天然姿色不脂粉。畫眉肯待張京尹。深藏勿遣寒氣奪。忍使西施冬衣葛。若到東風求爾敵。豈欠千花競紅白。反將松竹成三友。羞向芳時殿楊柳。獵梅秋菊揂難比。安數紛紛桃與李。公今手提造化妙。萬戶封侯食於邵。天令珍翫日見借。載以香車或寶馬。冬月得花亦天付。人皆駭異無柰魯。公若有命誰不聽。美白曼姬來自鄭。花之自至眞可愛。嫣然尙可迷下蔡。一枝若向玉皇奉。從此始有牡丹貢。我猶未信出於天。妄擬巧幻廻春權。此花無種恐不繁。要且培養長其孫。人間何處得致哉。獨有朱邸賢侯崔。淸晨甘露滴鮮鮮。嚥之可以滋丹田。細看翦刻費功夫。盍侔楚國娃侔吳。前身莫是多情娘。名疑好好姓認張。欲敎蛺蝶來相尋。化自玉錢與黃金。此蝶環繞舞蹁躚。四筵羅綺熏傍邊。咄嗟辦作韶光和。金鐘行酒如傾河。絳葩齊綻醉暈醺。交映紅裙雲錦文。憶昔沈香愛此花。遊賞多乘炤夜車。立進淸平白也豪。續而和者無餘曹。我公門下富麗儒。詞鋒凜凜森湛盧。作詩譬況巧相當。筆端立致生姬姜。千篇萬首尙欲吟。箇中誰訴才難任。況公所命避之難。一揮便就卽壽安。請見徐公賦一篇。景星卿雲下圓玄。散而鍾此瑞花新。此意何不詩中申。格卑迺是潛溪緋。高者亦或有京奇。如於雪裏得一遭。宜若不必論卑高。矧玆絶品未易評。何幸適與斯時丁。朔風卷地色自如。可憐態度愈狳徐。不論時節得相看。頃刻能開勿要韓。酷寒揂不凍瓊肌。何必更浴温湯池。
I hear there is a famous flower — who was it that planted it? The white is Pungsanbaek (豐山白), the purple Daesongja (大宋紫). Its jade-like face is lovely and slender, holding a faint smile, just like Empress Zhao (趙), who was afraid of the wind. Its bearing and color are inborn, and it uses no rouge or powder; why should it leave the painting of its brows to Zhang, Prefect of the Capital (張京尹)? Hide it deep, and do not let the cold air take it away: how could one bear to clothe Xi Shi (西施) in hempen cloth in winter? If the spring wind should come and look for your match, how should a thousand kinds of flowers, red and white, fall short of contending? Instead it makes a trio of friends together with pine and bamboo, and is ashamed to fall behind the willow in the flowering season. It hunts down the plum blossom, and even the autumn chrysanthemum is hard to set beside it; how then should one count the thronging peach and plum blossoms? My lord has now taken in his hand the wonder of creation's working, and might well be enfeoffed Marquis of Ten Thousand Households and eat of Shaoyi (邵邑). Heaven lends him rare things to delight in day after day, and they come carried on fragrant carriages or precious horses. That a flower has been got in a winter month is also heaven's gift, and though everyone is startled and thinks it strange, nothing can be done about it. If my lord should command, who would not obey? The fair and white Manji (曼姬) has come from Zheng (鄭). That the flower came of itself is truly lovable; with its smile alone it might bewitch Xiacai (下蔡). If a single branch were offered up to the Jade Emperor, then from this time the presenting of peonies would first begin. I do not yet believe that it came out of heaven, and rashly reckon whether by some clever conjuring the power of spring has been turned about. I fear this flower has no seed and so cannot multiply; it must be banked up and reared so that its offspring may spread. Where in the world of men could this be had? There is only the worthy Marquis Choe (崔侯) of the red mansion. At clear dawn the sweet dew is fresh, drop by drop, and swallowing it one might nourish the elixir field (丹田). Looked at closely, it seems that labor was spent on cutting and carving it; how should it not be likened to a beauty of Chu (楚) or a beauty of Wu (吳)? Was its former life not that of a girl full of feeling? Her name seems to have been Haohao (好好), and her surname is taken to have been Zhang. To make butterflies come and seek it out, they must be made to change out of jade coins and yellow gold. These butterflies surround it and dance, fluttering and swaying, and the fragrance soaks into the silk robes in the seats on every side. In an instant a bright and genial spring light is made ready, and the wine goes round in golden bells as though a river were being tipped out. The red blossoms burst open all at once, flushed like drunken cheeks, and shine together with the cloud-brocade patterns of the red skirts. I think how long ago at the Chenxiang Pavilion (沈香亭) this flower was loved, and how, roaming and gazing, they often rode the carriages that lit up the night. Li Bai, who presented the Qingping Tunes (淸平調) on the spot, was the hero of it, and there was no one further who answered after him. In my lord's house there are many ample and fine scholars, the points of whose writing are stately and as awesome as Damno (湛盧). Their making of poems and likenings fits cleverly together, and straight from the brush-tip they bring forth a beauty. A thousand pieces and ten thousand poems they would still chant; which among them would plead that his gift is hard pressed to bear it? How much more, it being my lord's command, is it hard to avoid; one flourish and it is done, and it is Suan (壽安) itself. Look at the piece His Excellency Seo (徐公) made: Gyeongseong (景星) and Gyeongun (卿雲) came down from the round sky, scattered, and gathered anew upon this auspicious flower, he says; how should this meaning not be spread out within a poem? The one of low rank is Jamgyebi (潛溪緋), and among the high there is also Gyeonggi (京奇). Once they are met with in the snow, there should be nothing to discuss of low and high. How much more, this surpassing variety being hard to judge lightly, and happily it has met with just this season. Though the north wind rolls up the earth, its color stays the same, and lovably its bearing is the more unhurried. Without discussing the season we may look upon each other, and to make it bloom in a moment there is no need to use Han (韓氏). Even in the bitter cold its jade-like flesh does not freeze, so what need is there to bathe again in a warm hot spring?
Interlinear notes 5
一首
One poem.
牡丹有豐山白大宋紫。
Among peonies there are the 「Pungsanbaek」 and the 「Daesongja」.
錢丞相置馹貢花進姚黃。
Chancellor Qian set up post stations to have flowers presented, and sent up the 「Yohwang (姚黃)」.
太平廣記云。韓志和。穆宗朝。喜雕木作鸞鶴之狀。上於殿前種千葉牡丹。及花始開。一朶千葉。每觀黃白蛺蝶萬數。飛集花間。上令張網得數百縱嬪。御追從爲樂。平明視之。皆金玉也。後開寶廚。覩金屑玉錢之內。有將化爲蝶者。宮中始覺焉。
In the Taiping guangji (太平廣記) there are these words. Han Zhihe (韓志和) was a man of Muzong's (穆宗) time, and he loved to carve wood into the shapes of simurghs and cranes. The emperor planted thousand-petaled peonies before the palace hall, and when the flowers first opened, one blossom had a thousand layers. Whenever he looked, ten thousand yellow and white butterflies came flying and gathering among the flowers. The emperor had nets set up, caught several hundred of them, released them to the palace women, and took pleasure in chasing after them. When day broke and he looked, they were all gold and jade. Later, on opening the treasure storehouse, he found among the gold filings and jade coins things that were about to become butterflies. Only then did they understand in the palace.
韻險且多。皆有難色故云。
The rhyme words were hard and also many, so that all had a look of difficulty on their faces; that is why I said so.