Yuan Dynasty
天净沙·春
白朴
春山暖日和风，
阑干楼阁帘栊，
杨柳秋千院中。
啼莺舞燕，
小桥流水飞红。
Translation
Spring hills, warm sunlight, and gentle wind mingle together. Railings, towers, curtains, and latticed windows stand in soft light; willows sway by the swing in the courtyard. Orioles sing, swallows dance, and over the little bridge, flowing water carries fallen petals.
Analysis
This lyric is a compact spring painting. It contains almost no narrative, only selected images placed in sequence. The composition moves from landscape and weather to domestic architecture, then to living motion: orioles, swallows, water, and falling petals. The final phrase gives the poem its emotional depth. The flying red petals are beautiful, but they also suggest transience. Bai Pu’s spring is bright, graceful, and slightly fragile.