Chrysanthemum Fence: Plants Appropriate For Male Friends
宜 男 草
篱 菊 滩 芦 被 霜 后。
袅 长 风 万 重 高 柳。
天 为 谁 展
尽 湖 光 渺 渺
应 为 我 扁 舟 入 手。
橘 中 曾 醉 洞 庭 酒。
辗 云 涛 挂 帆 南 渺
追 旧 游
不 减 商 山 杳 杳
犹 有 人
能 相 记 否。
Yi Nan Cao
Li ju tan lu bei shuang hou.
Niao chang feng, wan chong gao liu.
Tian wei shei zhan
Jin bu guang miao miao
Ying wei wo, bian zhou ru shou.
Ju zhong ceng zui dong ting jiu.
Zhan yun tao, gua fan nan miao
Zhui jiu you
Bu jian shang shan yao yao
You you ren
Neng xiang ji pi.
Chrysanthemum Fence: Plants Appropriate For Male Friends
Chrysanthemum fence, frost-covered shoal reeds
Long-blowing delicate wind, again tall willow trees without leaves.
Wonder who made the sky display such a vast expanse of lake scenery.
Caught a flat boat that pushes me along
Amid tangerine trees, hoist up the sail to reach the southern horizons.
Former journeys to and from Mt. Shang seclusions come to mind
Hope my friends still remember this was the place to be away from the evils and corruption.
Notes:
Chrysanthemum Fence: Could be a literary allusion to the famous poem by Tao Yuanming, Drinking Wine No. 5. This poem, his biography and work can also be found on this website.
Southern horizons: An old folktale talks of two old men playing chess, drinking wine inside their front courtyard. Fan uses this story as a metaphor for what he wants for himself and good friends.