Yuan Dynasty
碧玉箫·笑语喧哗
### 标题
度柳穿花，院后那娇娃。
可喜煞，巧笔难描画。
Translation
Laughter and voices rise within the wall — whose house can it be? Through willows and flowers comes a lovely young woman in the back courtyard. With a charming air she straightens her crimson gauze; the green ornament in her hair trembles slightly. She is so delightful that even the finest brush could hardly paint her. There she is, leaning drowsily against the swing.
Analysis
This lyric builds its charm from a glimpse. The speaker first hears laughter behind a wall, then follows the sound into an imagined courtyard where a young woman appears among willows and flowers. The poem’s power lies in its immediacy: it does not describe an ideal beauty from afar, but catches a living moment. The reduplicated phrases “mei-zi-zi” and “chan-wei-wei” give the scene texture and movement. They suggest both the woman’s charm and the trembling of her hair ornament. The closing image, with her leaning against the swing, softens the whole piece. She is not presented as an abstract beauty, but as a vivid figure in a private courtyard, caught between playfulness and drowsy ease.
About the Author
Guan Hanqing was one of the greatest dramatists and sanqu writers of the Yuan dynasty, later honored as the “Sage of Yuan Drama.” He is usually placed first among the Four Great Masters of Yuan drama. Although many details of his life remain uncertain, his works show deep familiarity with urban life, performance culture, and the emotional worlds of ordinary people. His major plays include The Injustice to Dou E, Saving the Courtesan, and The Single-Sword Meeting. Guan’s language is direct, vivid, and theatrical, often combining social sharpness with earthy humor and emotional immediacy.