“開到荼蘼花事了。”
“The flowers have bloomed to the point of collapse.”
– 王淇 • 《春暮游小園》
– Wang Qi • Spring Evening Stroll in a Small Garden
There’re eleven metaphoric poems appear in the main male character’s dream in the fifth chapter. These poems indicates the tragic fates of the twelve female characters’(Twelve Beauties of Jinling, 金陵十二釵). P.S. The first poem is shared by two characters.
Based on the eleven poems, I created eleven images of 3D modeling using Nomad to show the scenarios in my head when I read the poems and my understanding of each female characters after I read the whole novel.
寶玉見是一個仙姑，喜得忙上來作揖，笑問道：「神仙姐姐不知從那裏來，如今要往那裏去﹖也我不知這裡是何處，望乞攜帶攜帶！」那仙姑笑道：「吾居離恨天之上，灌愁海之中，乃放春山遣香洞太虛幻境警幻仙姑是也：司人間之風情月債，掌塵世之女怨男痴。因近來風流冤孽，纏綿於此處，是以前來訪察機會，布散相思。今忽與你相逢，亦非偶然。此離吾境不遠，別無他物，僅有自採仙茗一盞，親釀美酒一瓮，素練魔舞歌姬數人，新填《紅樓夢》仙曲十二支，試隨吾一遊否﹖」寶玉聽了喜躍非常，便忘了秦氏在何處，竟隨了仙姑，至一所在。有石牌橫建，上書「太虛幻境」四個大字，兩邊一副對聯，乃是：
假作真時真亦假，無為有處有還無。
轉過牌坊，便是一座宮門，上面橫書四個大字，道是：「孽海情天」。又有一副對聯，大書云：
厚地高天，堪嘆古今情不盡；痴男怨女，可憐風月債難償。
寶玉看了，心下自思道：「原來如此！但不知何為『古今之情』，又何為『風月之債』﹖從今倒要領略領略。」寶玉只顧如此一想，不料早把些邪魔招入膏肓了。當下隨了仙姑進入二層門內，只見兩邊配殿皆有匾額對聯，一時看不盡許多，惟見有幾處寫的是：「痴情司」、「結怨司」、「朝啼司」、「夜哭司」、「春感司」、「秋悲司」。看了，因向仙姑道：「敢煩仙姑引我到那各司中遊玩遊玩，不知可使得﹖」仙姑道：「此各司中皆貯的是普天之下所有的女子過去未來的簿冊，你凡眼塵軀，未便先知的。」寶玉聽了，那裏肯依，復央之再四。仙姑無奈，說：「也罷！就在此司內略隨喜隨喜罷了！」寶玉喜不自勝，抬頭看這司的匾上，乃是「薄命司」三字，兩邊對聯寫的是：
春恨秋悲皆自惹，花容月貌為誰妍﹖
︎ Thumbnails︎︎︎
︎ Poems + Full Images︎︎︎
1. 林黛玉 Lin Daiyu & 薛寶釵 Xue Baochai:
可嘆停機德，
堪憐永絮才。
玉帶林中掛，
金簪雪裡埋。
The jewel in the casket bides till one shall come to buy.
The jade pin in the drawer hides, waiting its time to fly.
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2. 賈元春 Jia Yuanchun:
二十年來辯是非，
榴花開處照宮闈。
三春爭及初春景？
虎兔相逢大夢歸。
You shall, when twenty years in life’s hard school are done,
In pomegranate-time to palace halls ascend.
Though three springs never could with your first spring compare,
When hare meets tiger your great dream shall end.
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3. 賈探春 Jia Tanchun:
才白清明志自高，
生於末世運偏消。
清明涕泣江邊望，
千里東風一夢遙。
Blessed with a shrewd mind and a noble heart,
Yet born in a time of twilight and decay,
In spring through tears at river’s bank you gaze,
Borne by the wind a thousand miles away.
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4. 史湘雲 Shi Xiangyun:
富貴又何為，
襁褓之間父母違；
展眼吊斜暉，
湘江水逝楚雲飛。
What shall avail you rank and riches,
Orphaned while yet in swaddling bands you lay?
Soon you must mourn your bright sun’s early setting.
The Xiang flows and the Chu clouds sail away.
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5. 妙玉 Miao Yu:
欲潔何曾潔，
云空未必空！
可憐金玉質，
终陷淖泥中。
For all your would be spotlessness,
And vaunted otherworldliness,
You that look down on common flesh and blood,
Yourself impure shall end up in the mud.
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6. 賈迎春 Jia Yingchun:
子系中山狼，
得志便猖狂；
金闺花柳质，
一载赴黄粱。
Paired with a brute like a wolf in the old fable,
Who on his savior turned when he was able,
To cruelty not used, your gentle heart.
Shall, I a twelvemonth only, break apart.
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7. 賈惜春 Jia Xichun:
勘破三春景不長，
緇衣頓改昔年妝；
可憐繡戶侯門女，
獨臥青燈古佛傍。
When you see through the spring scene’s transient state,
A nun’s black habit shall replace your own.
Alas, that daughter of so great a house,
By buddha’s altar lamp should sleep alone.
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8. 王熙鳳 Wang Xifeng:
凡鸟偏从末世来，
都知爱慕此生才；
一从二令三人木，
哭向金陵事更哀。
This phoenix in a bad time came;
All praised her great ability.
“Two” makes my riddle with a man and tree:
Returning south in tears she met calamity.
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9. 賈巧姐 Jia Qiaojie:
勢敗休云貴，
家亡莫論親。
偶因濟劉氏，
巧得遇恩人。
When power is lost, rank matters not a lot;
When families fall, kinship must be forgot.
Through a chance kindness to country wife.
Deliverance came for your afflicted life.
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10. 李紈 Li Wan:
桃李春風結子完，
到頭誰似一盆蘭？
如冰水好空相妒，
枉與他人作笑談。
The plum tree bore her fruit after the rest,
Yet, when all’s done, her Orchid was the best.
Against your ice-pure nature all in vain,
The tongues of envy wagged; you felt no pain.
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11. 秦可卿 Qin Keqing:
情天情海幻情身，
情既相逢必主淫；
謾言不肖皆榮出，
造釁開端實在寧。
Love was her sea, her sky; in such excess.
Love, meeting with its like, breeds wantonness.
Say not our troubles all from Rong’s side came;
For their beginning Ning must take the blame.
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