xuěméi
雪梅
Lú Méipō (Sòng)
卢梅坡(宋)

Méi xuě zhēng chūn wèi kěn xiáng,
梅雪争春未肯降,
sāo rén gē bǐ fèi píng zhāng.
骚人搁笔费评章。
Méi xū xùn xuě sān fēn bái,
梅须逊雪三分白,
xuě què shū méi yí duàn xiāng.
雪却输梅一段香。

Evaluation

梅花和雪花都认为自己是早春最漂亮的,谁也不肯服输。诗人都很为难,写不出评议梅雪高下的文章,只好放下笔。(说句公道话,)梅花没有雪花的晶莹洁白,雪花却没有梅花的清香。
The plum blossom and snowflake both think they are the most beautiful of the early spring, both unyielding in their opinion. Poets, when composing works, find it difficult to comment on their relative superiority or inferiority, seeing no better option than to set down their brush (To be fair), plum blossoms are not as sparkling and crystal-clear as the snowflake, while the latter is not fragrant as is the plum blossom.

梅和雪都是冬去春来的象征,大部分诗人会同时赞美两者。而在这首诗中梅雪争春,不肯相让,连诗人也无法分出高下,是很新颖的写法。作者在后两句巧妙地说出了梅雪的长处与不足:梅不如雪白,雪没有梅香。通过这样的说明,诗人想告诫人们,人也一样,都有各自的优点和缺点,要有自知之明,吸收别人的长处来弥补自己的短处。
Both the plum blossom and the snowflake are symbols of the fading winter and approaching spring. Most poets praise both. In this poem, the poet’s portrayal of the plum blossom and snowflake – their unyielding ambition for prominence in spring, and his own inability to establish their relative superiority – is innovative in its approach.. In the last two lines, the poet cleverly indicates the futility of his endeavor by suggesting the merits and demerits of both: plum blossoms are not as white as snow, while snow is not fragrant as are plum blossoms. By means of such a description, the poet indicates the relative strengths and weaknesses that exist among people. He admonishes us to have a thorough knowledge of ourselves yet also to learn from others, allowing their strengths to compensate for our lack.

Explanation
(xiáng) v. give in
骚人 (sāorén) n. poet
(gē) v. put down
评章 (píngzhāng) n. essay or poem to appraise something
(xùn) a. inferior
为难 (wéinán) v. feel awkward
公道 (gōngdào) a. fair
晶莹 (jīngyíng) a. sparkling
象征(xiàngzhēng) n. symbol
新颖 (xīnyǐng ) a. new and original
自知之明 (zì zhī zhī míng) n. a through knowledge of oneself

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