Mists hover thick, winds whisper light,
Through willows’ veils of smoke so slight.
Fluffy catkins fill southern bowers,
Lush grasses thrive beneath the towers.
Young swallows dart, old orioles fade,
Yet spring breeze stays to cheer and aid.
Meeting with wine and songs we pray—
How many such fine days in life’s brief stay?
Original Poem
「喜迁莺 · 雾濛濛」
雾濛濛，风淅淅。
杨柳带疏烟，飘飘轻絮满南园，墙下草芊绵。燕初飞，莺已老。
冯延巳
拂面春风长好，相逢携酒且高歌，人生得几何。
Interpretation
Composed during the Southern Tang's twilight years, this ci reflects Feng Yansi's dual identity as a chancellor-poet navigating his nation's decline. Amidst the Northern Song's rising dominance and his own political frustrations, Feng channels existential contemplations into deceptively simple spring imagery—transforming mist and willow catkins into metaphors for life's transience and resilient joy.
First Stanza: "雾濛濛，风淅淅。杨柳带疏烟，飘飘轻絮满南园，墙下草芊绵。"
Wù méng méng, fēng xī xī. Yáng liǔ dài shū yān, piāo piāo qīng xù mǎn nán yuán, qiáng xià cǎo qiān mián.
Mist drifts gauzy-thick,
wind whispers thin.
Willows trail wispy smoke,
their downy fluff adrift through southern gardens—
below the wall, lush grasses tangle dense.
The opening couplet—"mist drifts gauzy-thick, / wind whispers thin"—immerses readers in a synesthetic spring dawn where tactile mist and aural breezes dissolve boundaries between self and landscape. Willows "trail wispy smoke" (带疏烟) evoke ink-painting aesthetics, while "downy fluff adrift" (飘飘轻絮) literalizes time's fleeting nature through airborne seeds. The stanza's crescendo—"lush grasses tangle dense" (草芊绵)—contrasts nature's unchecked vitality with human fragility, foreshadowing the poem's existential turn.
Second Stanza: "燕初飞，莺已老。拂面春风长好，相逢携酒且高歌，人生得几何。"
Yàn chū fēi, yīng yǐ lǎo. Fú miàn chūn fēng cháng hǎo, xiāng féng xié jiǔ qiě gāo gē, rén shēng dé jǐ hé.
Swallows take first flights,
orioles grow hoarse.
Yet the breeze on my face stays ever-kind.
Meeting friends? Bring wine, sing loud—
how many such moments can life hold?
The stanza pivots on avian metaphors—"swallows take first flights" (燕初飞) signaling renewal, while "orioles grow hoarse" (莺已老) whispers of time's erosion. This paradox culminates in the immutable "ever-kind breeze" (春风长好), symbolizing nature's cyclical constancy against human ephemerality. The abrupt shift to carpe diem exhortation—"bring wine, sing loud" (携酒高歌)—rejects melancholy with Tang-style exuberance. The rhetorical close—"how many such moments?" (人生得几何)—lays bare Feng's hard-won wisdom: political futility dissolved in poetic immediacy.
Holistic Appreciation
This ci poem paints the scenery of a spring garden with a fresh and lively brush, where the first half resembles a painting and the second half flows like a song, seamlessly blending scene and sentiment. The poet unfolds the scene amidst misty willows and drifting catkins, then stirs reflections on life through the songs of swallows and orioles, embodying a dual sentiment of "cherishing spring while delighting in it."
Though ostensibly depicting scenery and spring outings, the poem carries profound insights into life’s brevity and the passage of time. Feng Yansi, known for his lyrical ci style, here combines grace with boldness, revealing resilience within tenderness and grandeur within delicacy—a testament to his contemplative and enlightened perspective on nature, life, and fate.
Artistic Merits
- Emotion Embedded in Scenery, Scene and Sentiment Intertwined
Through delicate depictions of mist, wind, willows, and catkins—classic spring motifs—the poet constructs a poetic backdrop, using aging swallows and orioles to evoke musings on time, naturally weaving emotion into the scenery. - Skillful Contrasts and Transitions
The first stanza is serene and ethereal, while the second speaks directly from the heart, guiding the poem from scenery to emotion and deepening its sentiment—a seamless shift from lyrical restraint to unrestrained expression. - Elegant Language, Melodic Rhythm
The lines are balanced in structure, smooth in cadence, and rich in musicality and imagery, reading like flowing clouds and murmuring streams—pleasantly melodious. - Philosophy Woven into the Mundane
While seemingly recounting a casual spring outing, the poem subtly reveals deeper reflections on life’s transience, embedding philosophical wisdom without obscurity.
Insights
This ci not only captures the beauty of spring but also touches on profound themes—life’s fleetingness and the rarity of reunion. Through the natural transitions of misty willows, drifting catkins, and the songs of swallows and orioles, it stirs sorrow over time’s passage and a call to cherish the present. Feng Yansi presents a profound outlook: even while acknowledging life’s brevity, he chooses to "carry wine and sing aloud," embracing joy in the moment. This spirit—optimism tinged with clarity, resilience softened by tenderness—teaches us to savor every beauty in life, to seize encounters, to hold onto the present, and to treasure those "how many such moments do we get in life?"
About the Poet
Feng Yansi (冯延巳 903 - 960), courtesy name Zhengzhong, was a native of Guangling (modern-day Yangzhou, Jiangsu) and a renowned ci poet of the Southern Tang during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. Rising to the position of Left Vice Director of the Department of State Affairs (Zuo Puye Tongping Zhangshi), he enjoyed the deep trust of Emperor Li Jing. His ci poetry forged a new path beyond the Huajian tradition, directly influencing later masters like Yan Shu and Ouyang Xiu, playing a pivotal role in the transition of ci from "entertainment for musicians" to "literary expression of scholar-officials."
