If a miraculous flower falls in the forest, but no-one sees it...
Wang River Collection no. 18
Magnolia Hollow Wang Wei The water lilies really grow on trees here! Between the hills, these pink buds bloom and splay. A cabin stands deserted; no one sees here Magnolia flowers that bloomed, then fell away. 王维 辛夷坞 木末芙蓉花，山中发红萼。 涧户寂无人，纷纷开且落。
Magnolia flowers resemble water lily flowers.
Note the first three characters of the poem: 木末芙. Wang Wei is having fun using characters that build on a single shape.
He is also recalling an image from Songs of Chu, written a thousand years earlier. In one of the poems, the author is trying to win the love of a goddess, but it seems an impossible task, like rowing a boat through the ice, gathering figs in the river, or picking water lilies from the tops of the trees…
Pei Di's poem at the same site (prose translation): The green bank merges with the spring grass;/ my prince may stay and enjoy himself./Here there are magnolia flowers,/ which from their appearance can be confused with water lilies.
Pei Di's address to "my prince" contains a pun. "Prince" is literally "grandson of the king"; and the word for king is Wang Wei's surname, 王. So the word could also mean, "the young Mr Wang."
There is a wistfulness to this a sadness that speaks to me very directly as would a painting.
Thank you for this. I am sure your translation is much superior.
To understand the poem and learn Chinese i took a try at it.
The tops of the trees with magnolias adorned
amidst the mountains send forth their buds.
The cold stream hut, alone, unmanned,
They opened, blossomed, and fell to their source
Floral trivia: magnolia trees symbolize stability, luck, female energy, and strength. white magnolia flowers represent purity, luck, and stability. Pink magnolia flowers stand for youth, joy, and innocence. And purple and green magnolias can symbolize sending someone well wishes, often for their health. yellow magnolias represent the sun, and purple magnolias represent royalty and religion. magnolia flowers also symbolize longevity, endurance, and perseverance.
CEdict translates it as cotton rose hibiscus. I presume indeed furonghua is magnolia flower.