Butterfly Loves the Flower (Tears Dampen Silken Robes, Powder Fades) - Li Qingzhao
/蝶恋花(泪湿罗衣脂粉满) - 李清照/
Where Tears, Memory, and Unspoken Yearning Converge
【A Representative Reconstruction in Li Qingzhao’s Style】
蝶恋花(泪湿罗衣脂粉满)
泪湿罗衣脂粉满，
剪尽云鬟，窗外声声乱。
未许清尊同夜饮，
谁与灯前理旧弦？
香阁重门寒月浅，
怕问离情，怕说红笺短。
试倚阑干风露冷，
依依影里黯消魂。
【Literal English Rendering (Line by Line)】
Butterfly Loves the Flower (Tears Dampen Silken Robes, Powder Fades)
Tears soak my silken robes, blurring the faint cosmetics;
I’ve undone my cloud-like tresses, while outside, chaotic sounds echo.
No chance to share night’s wine from a crystal cup—
Who now will tune the old strings before the lamp?
Inside the fragrant chamber, behind closed doors, a pale moon lingers;
I dare not speak of parting sorrows, nor mention how short the letter was.
Leaning on the railing, chilled by wind and dew,
I watch my own wavering shadow—grief quietly consumes me.
蝶恋花(泪湿罗衣脂粉满)
泪湿罗衣脂粉满，
剪尽云鬟，窗外声声乱。
未许清尊同夜饮，
谁与灯前理旧弦？
香阁重门寒月浅，
怕问离情，怕说红笺短。
试倚阑干风露冷，
依依影里黯消魂。
【Literal English Rendering (Line by Line)】
Butterfly Loves the Flower (Tears Dampen Silken Robes, Powder Fades)
Tears soak my silken robes, blurring the faint cosmetics;
I’ve undone my cloud-like tresses, while outside, chaotic sounds echo.
No chance to share night’s wine from a crystal cup—
Who now will tune the old strings before the lamp?
Inside the fragrant chamber, behind closed doors, a pale moon lingers;
I dare not speak of parting sorrows, nor mention how short the letter was.
Leaning on the railing, chilled by wind and dew,
I watch my own wavering shadow—grief quietly consumes me.
While Li Qingzhao indeed composed several ci poems to the tune “Die Lian Hua” (蝶恋花), no definitive historical record confirms a version titled “泪湿罗衣脂粉满.” The text above is offered as a **literary reconstruction**, written in the spirit of Li Qingzhao’s style. It captures her characteristic fusion of inward sorrow and subtle, everyday imagery:
1. **Emphasis on Personal Space**
- The opening lines evoke an intimate scene—a boudoir or chamber where tears mingle with cosmetics, suggesting emotional upheaval barely masked by daily routines.
2. **Symbolic Gestures**
- “剪尽云鬟” (undoing or cutting her cloud-like hair) alludes to a gesture of despair or readiness to cast aside conventional adornment. In traditional Chinese poetry, hair often symbolizes youth or cherished identity.
3. **Evening Atmosphere**
- Mentions of “night’s wine,” “lamplight,” and “pale moon” situate the poem in a contemplative nocturnal setting—classic Li Qingzhao territory, where hush and darkness amplify longing.
4. **Understated Lament**
- Instead of overt wailing, the poet opts for small, telling details: a short letter that cannot contain all she wants to say; a breeze that chills both body and heart. This restraint heightens the emotional impact.
5. **Indelible Yearning**
- The final couplet underscores the poet’s isolation: leaning on a railing in the wind, watching her own shadow. This posture, quiet and solitary, epitomizes Li Qingzhao’s gift for capturing the ache of separation in a single, resonant image.
By merging these elements—domestic objects, nuanced emotional states, and the hush of evening—the poem speaks to the bittersweet flavor so central to Li Qingzhao’s verse: that love and sorrow often intertwine, leaving one to navigate depths of feeling in the silent intervals of night.
Key points
• Illustrates the hallmark Li Qingzhao blend: household details (hair, robes, letters) as vessels for deep emotion.
• Places the speaker in a secluded, night-bound interior, heightening her sense of solitary reflection.
• Uses restrained language—gentle hints of parted hair, a short letter, an untuned instrument—to evoke longing.
• Concludes on an open, contemplative note: sorrow endures beyond the poem’s final lines.
