A romantic ditty

If the road's too hard to walk, then why not lay down a while, handsome stranger?

A modern painting of a Tang dancing girl. Call me a cynic, but I think it’s also possible they may have worn skimpier costumes to sing this song.

A Hard Road to Walk
Zhang Hong

Oh Lords, do you not see this trothing mirror framed with jade?
Press it on a lovely maid
Once and once again.
Oh Lords, do you not see these venerable Xiangru strings?
Strum and slap them till they ring
Like a phoenix sings.
In life we must find passion early on,
Don’t disappoint a heart that wants some fun.
The King of Chu performed Princesses Swooned,
The songs went on till night was almost done.
Politely live in halls of red and silver,
But emerald grass is running wild beneath.
When spring nights bring you wine, don’t hesitate,
Our moments face to face are all too brief.
The wind grows still, the swallows come, the season
Declares itself exactly what you want;
Then damp grass yellows, geese fly south, and autumn
Draws in the dark to tell us we must part.
In life, things change, contentment cannot last,
And beauty is no guarantee
The future will be drama-free.

张纮  行路难
君不见温家玉镜台，提携抱握九重来。
君不见相如绿绮琴，一抚一拍凤凰音。
人生意气须及早，莫负当年行乐心。
荆王奏曲楚妃叹，曲尽欢终夜将半。
朱楼银阁正平生，碧草青苔坐芜漫。
当春对酒不须疑，视目相看能几时。
春风吹尽燕初至，此时自谓称君意。
秋露萎草鸿始归，此时衰暮与君违。
人生翻覆何常足，谁保容颜无是非。

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I’m not sure how saucy this poem is. For a while I was reading it as just out-and-out smut (there’s plenty of that in the Tang), but the two other poems that we still have by Zhang Hong don’t suggest anything quite that naughty. (Precious little is known about him other than these three poems.) There are certainly some lines that a dancer would sing with a come-hither look - press it on a lovely maid once and once again, exactly what you want. But I think most of the song is romantic rather than directly sexual in meaning.

This is one of the few poems I’ve done without the benefit of other people’s translations into modern Chinese. I may have got it wrong! In particular, I’m not at all sure what the last line means. But the general message is straightforward: as with many poems/songs of this title, it’s a carpe diem poem, telling the listener to take his pleasures early, because everything changes.

Notes:

The trothing mirror is a gift given to a prospective bride. In the source it’s actually “Wen Jiao’s jade mirror,” and there’s a whole tale of tricked cousin marriage attached… but in this poem, the mirror simply stands for a way to get yourself a woman.

Xiangru strings: Sima Xiangru was a major Han Dynasty poet and qin player.

The King of Chu is noted for spending all his time dallying with women. Princesses Swooned was a lovesong.

Halls of red and silver: The red halls were the women’s quarters - a harem if the man was rich enough.

The swallows come: The spring. These markers of seasons in the natural world were very important, and connect to the themes of the poem: the swallows would be in pairs when they migrate north, and would be mating and hatching young.