Song Dynasty
蓦山溪·赠衡阳妓陈湘
黄庭坚
鸳鸯翡翠，小小思珍偶。
眉黛敛秋波，尽湖南、山明水秀。
娉娉袅袅，恰近十三余，
春未透。花枝瘦。正是愁时候。
寻花载酒，肯落谁人后。
只恐远归来，绿成阴、青梅如豆。
心期得处，每自不由人，
长亭柳。君知否。千里犹回首。
Translation
Like mandarin ducks and kingfishers, a young heart longs for a cherished mate. Her dark brows gather autumn waves; all the beauty of Hunan's mountains and waters seems held in her face. Graceful and delicate, just past thirteen, spring has not yet fully opened. Like a slender flower branch, she is at the very age of sorrow. Seeking flowers, carrying wine, who would willingly fall behind? I only fear that when I return from afar, green shade will already be thick, and young plums will have grown like beans. Where the heart places its hope, one often cannot decide for oneself. Willows by the long pavilion, do you know? Even a thousand miles away, I shall still turn back to look.
Analysis
"Moshanxi · For Chen Xiang, a Courtesan of Hengyang" is a farewell lyric. The first stanza portrays the beauty of a young woman, while the second turns to the melancholy of parting. The opening uses paired birds — mandarin ducks and kingfishers — to suggest a young heart longing for a true companion. "A young heart longs for a cherished mate" is lightly stated yet captures the dawning of romantic feeling. The line describing her brows gathering "autumn waves" and condensing the beauty of Hunan's mountains and waters is deliberately hyperbolic but full of charm. "Graceful and delicate, just past thirteen" gives her age; "spring has not yet fully opened. Like a slender flower branch, she is at the very age of sorrow" suggests that spring — both seasonal and metaphorical — has just begun, yet sorrow is already present. "Slender flower branch" evokes both physical delicacy and emotional susceptibility. The second stanza shifts from portraiture to parting. "Seeking flowers, carrying wine, who would willingly fall behind?" seems carefree, but it quickly gives way to the fear that time is irreversible: when he returns from afar, spring will have passed, green shade will have thickened, and the young plums will have grown. Neither the person nor the moment can be preserved. "Where the heart places its hope, one often cannot decide for oneself" is the emotional core. It articulates the most helpless truth of human feeling: we may desire, but we cannot control outcomes. The closing image of the willows by the long pavilion — a traditional symbol of farewell — gives the poem its lasting resonance. The final "turning back to look even a thousand miles away" transforms immediate beauty into enduring longing.
About the Author
Huang Tingjian was a leading poet and calligrapher of the Northern Song dynasty, courtesy name Luzhi, also known as the Daoist of Shangu and, in his later years, the Old Man of Fu. He was the central figure of the Jiangxi School of poetry, and his calligraphy is counted among the "Four Masters of the Song" along with Su Shi, Mi Fu, and Cai Xiang. Huang Tingjian's ci poetry is stylistically diverse, ranging from crisp and vigorous to subtle and delicate. "Moshanxi · For Chen Xiang, a Courtesan of Hengyang" exemplifies his tender, refined treatment of feminine grace and parting sentiment.