Yuan Dynasty
一半儿 · 四景
胡祗遹
轻衫短帽七香车，
九十春光如画图。
明日落红谁是主？
漫踌躇，
一半儿因风一半儿雨。
纱幮睡足酒微醒，
玉骨冰肌凉自生。
骤雨滴残才住声。
闪出些月儿明，
一半儿阴一半儿晴。
荷盘减翠菊花黄，
枫叶飘红梧干苍。
鸳被不禁昨夜凉。
酿秋光，
一半儿西风一半儿霜。
孤眠嫌煞月儿明，
风力禁持酒力醒。
窗儿上一枝梅弄影。
被儿底梦难成，
一半儿温和一半儿冷。
Translation
In light robes and a short cap, riding a fragrant carriage, the ninety days of spring are like a painted picture. But tomorrow, when the red petals fall, who will be their master? I linger in vain hesitation: half because of wind, half because of rain. Behind the gauze curtain, sleep is full and wine is faintly sobered; from jade bones and icy skin, coolness naturally arises. The sudden rain has just stopped dripping. A little moonlight flashes out: half cloudy, half clear. Lotus leaves have lost their green, chrysanthemums have turned yellow; maple leaves drift red, and the paulownia trunks grow pale. Even the paired-duck quilt cannot keep out last night's chill. Autumn light is being brewed: half west wind, half frost. Sleeping alone, I resent the moon for being so bright; the strength of the wind overcomes the strength of wine and wakes me. On the window, a single plum branch plays with its shadow. Under the quilt, dreams are hard to form: half warm, half cold.
Analysis
"One Half · Four Scenes" is a four-part seasonal song on spring, summer, autumn, and winter. Each section ends with the tune's characteristic "one half… one half…" structure, which perfectly suits the poem's theme: the seasons are never pure or fixed, but always in transition. The first section presents spring. Light clothing, a short cap, and a fragrant carriage suggest spring outings and refined pleasure. Yet the line "tomorrow, when the red petals fall, who will be their master?" turns joy into the awareness of loss. Spring is beautiful precisely because it cannot be held. The ending, "half wind, half rain," explains both the falling blossoms and the speaker's hesitation. The second section turns to summer. The speaker wakes behind a gauze curtain after sleep and wine. A sudden shower has just ended, and moonlight appears through the broken clouds. The mood is cool, drowsy, and unstable. "Half cloudy, half clear" captures both the weather and the mind after sleep and wine. The third section is autumn. Lotus leaves lose their green, chrysanthemums turn yellow, maples redden, and paulownia trunks grow pale. The paired-duck quilt, a symbol of warmth and intimacy, cannot resist the chill of the previous night. "Half west wind, half frost" shows autumn deepening toward winter. The fourth section is winter. The speaker sleeps alone, but the moon is too bright, the wind wakes him from wine, and a plum branch casts its moving shadow on the window. The scene is elegant but cold. "Half warm, half cold" describes the physical sensation under the quilt, but also the divided emotional state of loneliness. The genius of the piece lies in its use of partial states: wind and rain, cloud and clarity, wind and frost, warmth and cold. Hu Zhiyu does not write the seasons as fixed categories. He writes the thresholds between them. That makes the poem feel delicate, transitional, and psychologically precise.
About the Author
Hu Zhiyu, courtesy name Shaokai and literary name Zishan, was a Yuan dynasty writer and official from Wu'an in Cizhou. He served under Kublai Khan in a number of posts, including Hanlin literary appointments, Taichang scholar-official, judicial commissioner, and regional administrative positions. He was known as a capable and upright official. His collected writings, Zishan Daquanji, preserve important materials for the study of Yuan literature and drama. His sanqu are clear, refined, and elegant, combining literati sensibility with the natural speech rhythm of Yuan song. The Ming critic Zhu Quan described his lyrics as "like a solitary moon over an autumn pool."