Slanting sun and cold grass by the layered gate;
Green moss fills the pot after the rain.
Jade captures its spirit—hard to match its purity;
Snow is its flesh—it steals the soul away.
Its tender heart, a single dot, delicate and frail;
Its lovely shadow at midnight bears the moon's mark.
Do not say this white fairy can ascend to heaven—
With feeling she keeps me company, singing in the dusk.
English titles, text, and notes are AI-assisted for reading only; for scholarship cite the Chinese and authoritative editions.
Annotation
Written in Chapter 37 when the Begonia Poetry Club was founded. Tanchun uses 'jade' and 'snow' to evoke the begonia's whiteness, and 'tender heart, a single dot' for the pistil. The style is elegant and bright, befitting Tanchun's sharp and spirited character.
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