Sparse are the branches, splendid are the blooms;
Spring-dressed maidens vie in luxury.
The quiet courtyard's curved balustrade holds no lingering snow;
Flowing water and empty mountains catch the fading glow.
A hidden dream chills beside the red-sleeved flute;
A wandering fairy's fragrance floats on the Crimson River raft.
In a former life she was surely planted on the Jade Terrace—
No more doubts about differences in hue.
English titles, text, and notes are AI-assisted for reading only; for scholarship cite the Chinese and authoritative editions.
Annotation
Xue Baoqin's red plum poem. Baoqin's extraordinary talent shines through this bright and vivid composition. 'In a former life planted on the Jade Terrace' compares the red plum to a celestial flower, also alluding to Baoqin's own exceptional bearing.
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