In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

104 Cantonese Love Songs Can I allow the fierce wind to rend it asunder, making it worse than mud or sand [i.e. of no value]? Look at the moon. Now it is so fully round; but it will change. Even if you had a thousand gold, you could not buy ninety years of youth. If I exhorted you to suppress your feelings, you would certainly hate me. Even though your spring sorrow were as deep as the sea, your sighs would be in vain. It is better that I, another ill-fated willow-blossom, weep together with you. Oh! Let the wind howl! The fallen catkins [i.e. the patrons of the house of entertainment] have no desire to change. Let me for ten thousand flowers weep tears that will reach the horizon. Song 33 Flowers in the Mirror I do not want to look in the mirror, nor do I envy flowers; The reflection of flowers in a clear mirror lasts only as long as the twilight mist and cloud. The mirror pities fragrance [i.e. us courtesans] and it loves us to form our portrait there. The flowers secretly close their eyes in sleep, and make the mirror their home. Sometimes the flowers can speak and I ask them to speak to me behind the screen. If by chance they are adorning themselves, then we can watch them. If there is a mirror but no flowers, the spring scene loses some of its value; If there are flowers but no mirror, it will be hard to find spring's promise. Why is the mirror always fully round, but the flowers are not yet married?90 90 'The mirror is always fully round' refers to the story of Princess Lok Cheung (~~:L}±), the daughter of the last emperor of the Chan (~*) dynasty (557-89). 104 Cantonese Love Songs Can I allow the fierce wind to rend it asunder, making it worse than mud or sand [i.e. of no value]? Look at the moon. Now it is so fully round; but it will change. Even if you had a thousand gold, you could not buy ninety years of youth. If I exhorted you to suppress your feelings, you would certainly hate me. Even though your spring sorrow were as deep as the sea, your sighs would be in vain. It is better that I, another ill-fated willow-blossom, weep together with you. Gh! Let the wind howl! The fallen catkins [i.e. the patrons of the house of entertainment] have no desire to change. Let me for ten thousand flowers weep tears that will reach the horizon. Song 33 Flowers in the Mirror I do not want to look in the mirror, nor do I envy flowers; The reflection of flowers in a clear mirror lasts only as long as the twilight mist and cloud. The mirror pities fragrance [i.e. us courtesans] and it loves us to form our portrait there. The flowers secretly close their eyes in sleep, and make the mirror their home. Sometimes the flowers can speak and I ask them to speak to me behind the screen. If by chance they are adorning themselves, then we can watch them. If there is a mirror but no flowers, the spring scene loses some of its value; If there are flowers but no mirror, it will be hard to find spring's promise. Why is the mirror always fully round, but the flowers are not yet married?90 90 'The mirror is always fully round' refers to the story of Princess Lok Cheung (~~:L}±), the daughter of the last emperor of the Chan (~*) dynasty (557-89). The Songs 105 Alas! Is it a reality or an illusion? See how the ever-green laurel tree loves to live in the splendour of the moon.91 Song 34 Flowers Shed Tears Flowers shed tears, but the moon remains unscathed. o moon! You see how shrunken our flower-faces are. Piteous it is that when you, 0 moon, are perfectly round, we flowers begin to fade. Though your laurel tree be fragrant92 and you be round, you are merely a shadow with no root [i.e. are unsubstantial]. I know the season of blossoming comes but once a year; and how easily it comes to an end. The mad wind and the driving rain [i.e. love affairsI break my whole body. Then you in the ninth heaven beyond the clouds and I, we are indeed kindred...

Share