Yuan Dynasty

普天乐（二）

Pǔ tiān lè (èr)

滕宾

Téng Bīn

Zhòu piān cháng, rén tān shuì.

昼偏长，人贪睡。

Xīn chán gāo shù, rǔ yàn dī fēi.

新蝉高树，乳燕低飞。

Hé dàng zhōng, hú guāng nèi.

荷荡中，湖光内。

Kuǎn zhào lán zhōu xián yóuxì,

款棹兰舟闲游戏，

Rèn wúqíng rì yuè dōng xī.

任无情日月东西。

Diào tóu jǐn lǐ,

钓头锦鲤，

Bēi zhōng měi yùn,

杯中美酝，

Guī qù lái xī.

归去来兮。

Translation

The days grow long, and one lingers in sleep. New cicadas sing high in the trees; young swallows skim low. Among lotus ponds and lake light, a painted boat moves gently in leisure, leaving the indifferent sun and moon to rise and set. Carp at the fishing line, fine wine in the cup—let me return home.

Analysis

This second “Pu Tian Le” continues Teng Bin’s theme of retreat but shifts into summer. Long days, cicadas, young swallows, lotus ponds, and lake light create a leisurely waterside world. The poem’s rhythm deliberately slows down: sleeping late, rowing gently, and playing idly stand against the haste of official life. “Let the indifferent sun and moon move east and west” expresses a release from worldly urgency. The final images of fish and wine make retirement not an abstraction but a tangible pleasure.