Remembering Jiangnan: How Lovely
How lovely Jiangnan is!
I knew its scenery well long ago.
At sunrise, riverside flowers are redder than fire;
In spring, the river is as green as blue-green dye.
How could I not remember Jiangnan?
Notes
Yì Jiāngnán is a tune pattern; Jiāngnán refers broadly to regions south of the Yangtze. Ān means to know well. “River flowers” are flowers by the water. Lán is a dye plant, used here to evoke the color of the river.
Meaning
The speaker remembers Jiangnan’s familiar beauty: flowers red in the morning sun and spring water colored like dye. How could such a place be forgotten?
Appreciation
The lyric remembers Jiangnan through a bright spring scene, beginning in praise and ending in longing.
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“I knew it well” shows that the scene belongs to memory rather than a first encounter.
Red flowers and green water sit side by side. The closing question expresses affection, not a request for an answer.
Draw the riverside in red and green, then talk about a place you remember.
About the poet
Bai Juyi (772–846), courtesy name Letian, was a Tang poet and official born near present-day Xinzheng, Henan.
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His works include Song of the Pipa Player, Song of Everlasting Sorrow and many poems about daily life.
Sources
Poem and reading reference: Shicile · Poet biography reference · poems-db
Translation and explanations by Poetry Buds; review ongoing.