Tune: Green Jade Table (Ouyang Xiu)
Text
English translation
Original Chinese text
一年春事都来几，早过了、三之二。绿暗红嫣浑可事，绿杨庭院，暖风帘幕，有个人憔悴。
English translation
How much of spring remains in a year? More than two-thirds has already gone. Deepening green and bright red blossoms should make a pleasing scene, yet within the willow-shaded courtyard and warm-moving curtains, someone is wasting away.
Original Chinese text
买花载酒长安市，又争似家山见桃李？不枉东风吹客泪，相思难表，梦魂无据，惟有归来是。
English translation
Buying flowers and carrying wine through Chang’an—how could that equal seeing peach and plum blossoms in one’s home country? The east wind draws tears from the traveler for good reason. Longing cannot be fully spoken, dreams offer no certainty; only returning home seems right.
词句注释 · Notes
上片 · First stanza
上片以“早过了三之二”明确写春将尽，再用繁盛春景反衬“有个人憔悴”。“浑可事”意为看来都还好、都可赏，但心境并未因此好转。
The stanza states that more than two-thirds of spring has passed, then contrasts its flourishing colors with a person growing thin. “All seems pleasing” describes the scene, not the speaker’s inner state.
下片 · Second stanza
下片从长安赏春转到“家山”，把思乡之情落在桃李景物上。“惟有归来是”给出明确的归乡愿望，但“梦魂无据”也说明眼下仍无法确定归期。
The stanza turns from spring in Chang’an toward the blossoms of home, making homesickness concrete. “Only to return” states the wish clearly, while “dreams offer no evidence” admits that the return date remains uncertain.