The Osmanthus Ballad
Translated by：He Wu; Sarah Higbee-Tindell
If your nose is keen,
You will immediately smell our fragrance
As the Mid-autumn Day approaches.
If your vision is not so bad,
You will definitely not miss our elegance
When we begin to emerge.
Around the Mid-autumn days, you can see
Not only the yellow of chrysanthemums and rice grains,
But also our clusters of golden yellow
Among the leaves of green.
What you enjoy on Mid-autumn Day
Are not only the clear, full moon and delicious cakes,
But also a sweet aroma
Wafting over the tranquil courtyard.
You’re right, that’s me and my friends.
We are the fairy of flowers —
Guihua trees with the Latin name Osmanthus.
We are found across the whole country,
We are greening both courtyards and roads.
In addition to beautifying and shading,
We also shoulder a special duty:
To create an atmosphere for the Mid-autumn Festival.
At this time, we will release the beauty
We have accumulated all year round.
Some of us are crisp white, some are pale yellow,
Yet others golden red,
Shimmering as crystal among green leaves.
Looking good, however, is not our only strength.
We are even more proud of our fragrant scent.
Every year in our blooming season,
The highest compliment for us
Is “My goodness, what a heavenly smell!”
Storms might come unexpectedly from any direction,
And the moon will wax and wane.
Some years, we will bloom fiercely;
Some years, we are not so vigorous.
It’s expected with these ups and downs,
But what’s unexpected is, this year,
The season is ending with no bloom at all.
So strange, totally strange,
This year’s Guihua trees
Seem to have been cursed!
Without a doubt,
This has brought distress to humanity.
But we Osmanthus,
Don’t we have our own pain and panic?
Once one could rhyme:
“Guihua blooms with silver and gold,
Its fragrance intoxicating every household.”
How beautiful it sounds, this nursery rhyme,
But overnight,
It has been replaced by rumors:
“Anomalies in nature mean calamity in the future.”
“Guihua’s failure to bloom signals a coming doom.”
All those “prophecies”
And whispered conspiracies,
Send a chill down peoples’ spines.
Because of the unusual weather
And the consequent lack of bloom,
We Guihua trees have suffered a deep harm.
Once the rumors get to spreading,
Passed by people foolish,
Or treacherous,
We are hurt a second time.
In truth and fact,
There is no conspiracy or plot at all,
Behind our absence this year.
If I really have to say a word of conspiracy,
Then likely, it might be an open conspiracy.
Because, of course,
The causal relationship between “this” and “that”
Is really crystal clear.
Just before our eyes,
The human population has been growing incessantly,
Human beings’ desire, too, seemingly,
Is a deep ravine that can never be filled.
Temperatures are rising endlessly;
Droughts go on for weeks and weeks.
On this earth that is long since overladen,
What is suffering tragedies
Is not only us Osmanthus.
Don’t you see
The Goldenrain trees looming on campus?
As the loudest voice to welcome new students each fall,
They’re now disheartened with failure to bloom.
If humans do not behave better immediately,
If their greed remains so insatiable,
Forget about this years’ bloom,
In the near future, I’m afraid,
We might perish completely.
Intelligent humans,
Please be quick to return to your rationality,
And make use of your scientific brain.
Urge people to live a simple life,
Urge people to be more friendly to the environment,
And hence help the earth to lower its temperature.
If you can do this,
The so-called “anomalies in nature”
would gradually decrease;
And the rumors concerning Osmanthus
Would become groundless.
Don’t you see it?
As the sun gradually moves southward,
As the rain finally comes pouring down,
As gardeners begin to replant seared seedlings,
We Osmanthus trees, although a little too late,
Are doing our best to bring you our bloom.
We believe,
If people care more about the environment,
When the earth returns to its livability,
In the vast universe of stars,
On this planet
With its land and ocean, misty and sparkling,
During the Mid-autumn days,
You will definitely see again —
The vigorous blooming of Osmanthus.
By then,
Filled with the joy of harvest,
Mooncakes in hand, facing the full moon,
You will be enjoying the cool breeze,
And the insects’ joyful chirps.
Encircling your nose,
You’re certain to smell a good scent,
So fragrant, presented by us, Osmanthus!
Postscript
In 2024 AD, a Jia Chen year in the lunar calendar, China was widely seized by subtropical high pressure, and in many areas the accompanying high temperature and drought lasted for a prolonged time, resulting in the withering and searing of vegetation. Trees such as Osmanthus didn’t bloom in season, causing public anxiety and even horrid rumors. In fact, whether or not flowers bloom is decided by natural resources such as light and humidity. With lasting drought and high temperature, Osmanthus stops blooming; this is a natural phenomenon. The Earth is saturated with people, with waste emissions in drastic increase, temperatures rising steadily, and weather becoming more unpredictable year by year, which causes all things in the world to change correspondingly. To cope with these changes, humans should not believe or spread rumors, but instead promote the spirit of science and take practical actions to help protect the earth’s environment and maintain the unique livable quality of this planet. Upon thinking about this issue, I wrote this small poem in the voice of Osmanthus.
October 7th, 2024, at Yulanyuan, Southwest University
作者、译者简介：
何武：西南大学外国语学院教授，英语系主任。Email: hewuhw@swu.edu.cn。
王雅丽（Sarah Higbee-Tindell）：西南大学外国语学院教师，美国佛罗里达州人。
Email: sarahhigbeetindell@yahoo.com。
编辑：谢凌云
初审：吴坤
终审：张玫
