zǎo bèi chán juān wù,
yù guī lín jìng yōng。
chéng '
ēn bù zài mào,
jiào qiè ruò wéi róng。
fēng nuǎn niǎo shēng suì,
rì gāo huā yǐng zhòng。
nián nián yuè xī nǚ,
xiāng yì cǎi fú róng。
Knowing beauty my misfortune,
I face my mirror with a sigh.
To please a fastidious emperor,
How shall I array myself?....
Birds flock and sing when the wind is warm,
Flower-shadows climb when the sun is high –
And year after year girls in the south
Are picking hibiscus, dreaming of love!