Yuan Dynasty

普天乐（一）

Pǔ tiān lè (yī)

滕宾

Téng Bīn

Liǔ sī róu, suō yīn xì.

柳丝柔，莎茵细。

Shù zhī hóng xìng, nào chū qiáng wéi.

数枝红杏，闹出墙围。

Yuàn yǔ shēn, qiū qiān jì.

院宇深，秋千系。

Hǎo yǔ chū qíng dōng jiāo mèi,

好雨初晴东郊媚，

Kàn ér sūn yuè xià fú lí.

看儿孙月下扶犁。

Huáng chén yì wài,

黄尘意外，

Qīng shān yǎn lǐ,

青山眼里，

Guī qù lái xī.

归去来兮。

Translation

Willow strands are soft, and the grass is fine. Several red apricot branches burst lively beyond the wall. The courtyard is deep; a swing hangs tied there. After good rain clears, the eastern fields are lovely. One imagines children and grandchildren guiding the plough under the moon. Worldly dust lies outside the heart; green mountains fill the eyes. Let me return home.

Analysis

This song combines spring scenery with a longing for retirement. The first half presents a graceful domestic scene: willows, grass, apricot blossoms, a deep courtyard, and a swing. The cleared rain opens the view toward the countryside, where the imagined scene of descendants ploughing under moonlight gives the ideal of retreat a concrete life. The closing triad contrasts worldly dust with green mountains and ends with a deliberate return. It is not despair but a chosen withdrawal from fame and profit.