The Nomadic Flâneuse

A Winter Night

By Tu Hsiao-Shan (? – 1227)

Translation: Blofeld, John

Painting: Qi Baishi (1864 – 1957)

One winter night

A friend dropped in.

We drank not wine but tea.

The kettle hissed,

The charcoal glowed,

A bright moon shone outside.

The moon itself

Was nothing special –

But, ah, the plum-tree blossom!

寒夜

宋‧杜耒

寒夜客來茶當酒

竹爐湯沸火初紅

尋常一樣窗前月

纔有梅花便不同