Bai and Liu compete for spring weirdness

Bai Juyi experiments with tone

A Spring Song
Bai Juyi

by the garden studio
trees dappling flowers of
spring comes in
flashes in her eyes
of sadness 
leaned against the railing 
with her back to the parakeet 
why doesn’t she turn

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In this rather brilliant poem, a gauzy, maudlin, soft-focus spring scene is suddenly and jarringly brought to life by the appearance of a parakeet. Paired with a poem by Liu Yuxi.

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白居易  春词

低花树映小妆楼，春入眉心两点愁。

斜倚栏杆背鹦鹉，思量何事不回头？