This wondrous art in the human realm
rivals nature's skill:
concocting formulas, igniting lanterns,
turning night to day!
Willow catkins flutter downwards,
carpeting earth in white;
peach blossom petals drop and scatter,
covering courtyards with red.
Bursting, spreading, scintillating —
just like stars that fall;
bubbling, boiling, roaring, blasting —
like warfare by fire!
Some other night, again you will unfurl brocade of flowers:
no need to grieve that they have scattered in the eastern wind.