Tranquil Spring Evenings: A Glimpse into Traditional Chinese Poetry

In the serene moments after the rain, as the dusk sets in and the last rays of the sun linger, a veil of mist hovers in the air, tinted with the glow of twilight. Amidst this scene of tranquil beauty, a new pond reflects the verdant greenery, exuding a vibrant sense of spring. Swallows return in pairs to the courtyard of drooping willows, where a small loft boasts its drawn-up curtains. Leaning alone against the crimson railings, unnoticed until then, the observer notices a crescent moon hanging delicately in the southwestern sky.

This poem, rich with imagery of “paired swallows,” “weeping willows,” and “falling petals,” captures the unique elements of late spring. It also portrays scenes such as “clearing rain and evening mist” and “crescent moons with arched brows,” typical of dusk. Traditionally, the third lunar month marks late spring, and every new moon on the third day is termed an “eyebrow moon.” Thus, the poem likely depicts the late spring evening around the third day of the third lunar month. However, this poem is not simply a description of scenery; through the portrayal of late spring evenings, it expresses the subtle grievances and light sorrows of a woman confined to her inner chambers.

The opening lines, “after the rain, the misty evening,” describe the scene where the evening mist rises after the rain, the clear green spring water fills the new pond. In the evening of spring, after the rain turns to clear skies, the setting sun reflects back, the haze rises, and the green water in the garden fills the pond, shimmering with the ripples. These are the distant views seen from the small loft, clear and distinct, highlighting the unique scenery of late spring evenings after the rain. The thoughts and emotions expressed in these two lines are everyone’s love for the lively spring scenery, yet they do not show the subjective feelings characteristic of the chambermaid.

“Swallows return to the weeping willow courtyard, and the loft’s curtains are high.” These two lines are about the swallows returning to the courtyard of the weeping willow, and the small loft’s curtains are high. These two lines express the emotional color of the chambermaid very strongly. The return of the swallows to their nests is a common sight in the evening, while “the high curtain of the small loft” implies the master’s over-enthusiasm for the return of the swallows. The psychological implication of this action is: let the swallows return to their nests quickly, and double nests in the painting. The chambermaid melted her feelings and feelings in the quiet, high-up curtain action in the late spring evening. The objects depicted in these two sentences are distant and close, through the process of “double swallows flying,” with the action of “high-curtain painting” to show her invisible and un-touchable mental activities. It is an artistic technique of virtual reality.

“At dusk, alone leaning against the red fence. Crescent moon brow in the southwest.” The two sentences were about leaning alone at dusk, the crescent moon hanging in the southwest sky. The “dusk alone leaning against the fence” sentence is in line with the “small loft painting curtain high roll” meaning pulse. From the time difference, from the evening to the dusk, explaining her “alone” time is long. It expresses her “alone” in the morning, showing the evening’s lonely and empty heart. This is a bright and pleasant contrast to the “double swallows flying to the weeping willow courtyard” in the early piece, and reveals the “honeycomb” main idea of this piece. The “southwest moon crescent” is a lonely and long-lasting time of “alone” side of the beauty, and “green blue” beautiful silence with courtyard lovely. into Thus