Song Dynasty
蝶恋花·庭院深深深几许
欧阳修
庭院深深深几许，
杨柳堆烟，帘幕无重数。
玉勒雕鞍游冶处，
楼高不见章台路。
雨横风狂三月暮，
门掩黄昏，无计留春住。
泪眼问花花不语，
乱红飞过秋千去。
Translation
How deep, how endlessly deep the courtyard lies. Willows gather like mist, and curtains hang layer upon layer without end. Fine bridles and carved saddles have gone to places of pleasure, yet from the high tower, the road to Zhangtai cannot be seen. At the close of the third month, rain lashes and the wind rages. The gate is shut at dusk, but there is no way to hold spring back. With tearful eyes, I ask the flowers, yet the flowers give no answer. Only scattered red petals fly past the swing and away.
Analysis
This lyric portrays a woman enclosed in a secluded courtyard, caught between longing, abandonment, and the sorrow of late spring. The opening line, with its repeated "deep," creates not only physical depth but emotional confinement. The willows, mist, curtains, and high tower all become images of distance and separation. She stands high enough to look outward, yet still cannot see the road to Zhangtai, a place associated with pleasure and estrangement. The second stanza shifts from enclosed space to vanishing time. "Rain lashes and the wind rages at the close of the third month" gives the fading of spring a violent force. Spring cannot be held back, just as love and youth cannot be recovered. The line "With tearful eyes, I ask the flowers, yet the flowers give no answer" is the emotional center of the poem: the speaker is not truly asking the flowers, but asking fate itself. The flowers remain silent, and the scattered petals flying past the swing become the final answer. The ending is restrained, but devastating.
About the Author
Ouyang Xiu, courtesy name Yongshu, also known as Zuiweng (Old Drunkard) and Liuyi Jushi (Retiree of Six Ones), was a leading Chinese poet, prose writer, historian, and statesman of the Northern Song dynasty. He was a central figure in the literary reform movement and one of the renowned "Eight Great Prose Masters of the Tang and Song." His prose is admired for its natural grace and fluidity, while his ci poetry captures both delicate emotion and broad philosophical reflection. "Butterflies in Love with Flowers · Deep, Deep the Courtyard" is one of his most celebrated works, particularly remembered for the poignant closing image of tears, flowers, and drifting petals.