Bai Juyi Poem: The Last Look at the Peonies at Night – 白居易《惜牡丹花》

惜牡丹花

白居易

惆怅阶前红牡丹，

晚来唯有两枝残。

明朝风起应吹尽，

夜惜衰红^[1]把火看。

注释：

[1] 红：这里代指牡丹花。

The Last Look at the Peonies at Night

Bai Juyi

I’m saddened by the courtyard peonies brilliant red,

At dusk only two of them are left on their bed.

I am afraid they can’t survive the morning blast,

By lantern light I take a look at the long, long last.

This quatrain reveals the poet’s love for the last peonies in his courtyard.

《惜牡丹花》是唐代诗人白居易创作的七绝。全诗借写夜晚秉烛赏花，通过独特的视角，写出了作者对翰林院中牡丹的厚爱，以及因为花期将过而产生的恋恋不舍的复杂心态，表现对即将逝去的春天的无限惋惜。此诗一反常情，由鲜花盛开之时想到红衰香褪之日，以“把火”照花的新鲜立意表现了对牡丹的无限怜惜，寄寓了岁月流逝、青春难驻的深沉感慨，在无数惜花诗中别具一格。

The poem “Cherishing Peony Flowers” is a seven-part poem written by the poet Bai Juyi in the Tang Dynasty. Through a unique perspective, the poem shows the author’s love for the peonies in the Hanlin courtyard and his complex feeling of reluctance to let go of them because the flowering period is about to expire, expressing his infinite regret for the dying spring. This poem is unique among all the flower poems in the world, for it is a fresh idea of “shining the fire” on the peonies and expresses the infinite pity for the peonies and the deep emotion of the passing years and the difficulty of youth.