Tune: Gathering Mulberry Leaves (Ouyang Xiu)
Text
English translation
Original Chinese text
群芳过后西湖好，狼籍残红，飞絮濛濛，垂柳阑干尽日风。
English translation
West Lake still has its charms after the flowers have passed: fallen petals lie scattered, willow fluff drifts in a haze, and the drooping willows stir all day in the wind.
Original Chinese text
笙歌散尽游人去，始觉春空，垂下帘栊，双燕归来细雨中。
English translation
The music and songs end, and the visitors depart; only then does the spring scene feel empty. The lattice curtains are lowered, and a pair of swallows returns through the fine rain.
词句注释 · Notes
上片 · First stanza
“群芳过后”点出暮春。词人没有只写花落的凄凉，而是细看残红、飞絮和垂柳在风中的景致，题眼“好”包含对春末景物的欣赏。
“After the flowers have passed” places the scene in late spring. Rather than dwell only on loss, the poet attends to fallen petals, drifting fluff, and willows in the wind; the word “good” signals appreciation of the season’s quieter beauty.
下片 · Second stanza
下片由热闹散场后的空寂转到室内。结尾的双燕和细雨安静、轻柔，说明“春空”并非一味悲伤，词中仍保留从容观景的心境。
The stanza moves indoors after the lively gathering has dispersed. The pair of swallows and fine rain are gentle images, so the sense of emptiness is tempered by a calm, attentive mood.