English中文
Washing Creek Sand: Boudoir Feelings
绣面芙蓉一笑开，
斜飞宝鸭衬香腮。
眼波才动被人猜。
Her face, a lotus, opens in a smile; the slanted flying-duck ornament sets off her fragrant cheeks. No sooner do the waves of her eyes stir than someone guesses.
一面风情深有韵，
半笺娇恨寄幽怀。
月移花影约重来。
Her whole bearing is full of charm and grace; half a sheet of paper carries her tender grievance, her secret heart. The moon moves the flower shadows — she promises to come again.
Reading notes
This lyric is traditionally attributed to Li Qingzhao, but some early anthologies leave it anonymous and later editors differ over its authorship. 宝鸭 has been interpreted as a duck-shaped hair ornament or an incense burner; the translation here follows the ornament reading.