SHAO YONG’S PLUM BLOSSOM POEMS
These are a set of ten chinese poems, attributed to the Song dynasty diviner Shao Yong. They describe the dynastic changes in China from the Song dynasty onwards.
Like most of the major chinese prophesies, this poem was first published in a book called 中國二千年之預言 two thousand years of chinese prophesies, from the 1920s, shortly after the fall of the Qing dynasty, when such material could be openly published for the first time.
Reading it in historical context, it becomes clear that the poem is really a piece of anti-manchurian propaganda, perhaps used by anti-qing secret societies to prove that the hated barbarian regieme would sooner or later meet its end. Explanatory notes were provided for the first six poems, (put in brackets in the translation) but none for the last four notes.
About eighty years after the poems were first published, Li Hongzhi, the founder of the notorious Falun Gong sect published his interpretation of the last three poems. There, he takes them to foretell both the persecution of his sect and the eventual collapse of Communist china. Twenty years on, the second part of his prophesy has not come to pass. Nonetheless, it is fascinating to see how this set of poems is being used in much the same context as it was originally composed-- by shadowy, semi-legal secret societies.
I have taken the base text of the poem from wikisource (https://zh.wikisource.org/zh-hant/梅花詩), and added the commentary from the original '2000 years of chinese prophesies' https://www.google.nl/books/edition/中國二千年之預言/dPokAAAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PP98&printsec=frontcover
As mentoned above, poems 7-10 have no commentary in the original, but I have added the Li Hongzhi's commentary on the last three poems to my translation. I have taken his commentary from here https://gb.falundafa.org/chigb/jjyz2_34.htm
Finally, Falun Gong had created a commentary on the entire poem here https://www.epochtimes.com/b5/8/12/24/n2373093.htm. I will perhaps translate it at a later date
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一 One.
蕩蕩天門萬古開.
The Gates of Heaven have been open for eons;
幾人歸去幾人來.
How many people go- how many go?
山河雖好非完璧，（宋室偏安)
The Mountains and Rivers are good, but far from complete (The Song rump state).
不信黃金是禍胎。（金人入寇）
Not believing in Gold is the embryo of misfortune (The Jurchen invasion).
Ed: This poem refers to the Southern Song dynasty. At this point the dynasty lost the northern half of the kingdom to the Jurchens or Jin dynasty. The name the Chinese gave the Jurchens, Jin, means “gold”
二Two
湖山一夢事全非，(建都臨安)
The Lakes and mountains a dream- things are not whole (the capital reestablished in lin’an)
再見雲龍向北飛。（元兵入臨安。恭宗北狩）
Again seeing clouds flying to the north (The Yuan soldiers entering Lin’an; the Emperors’ Northern Hunt)
三百年來終一日，（皇昺）
Three Hundred Years end with a sun (Emperor Bing)
長天碧水嘆彌彌。（帝昺赴海）
The Vast sky and jade waters cry in pain (Emperor Bing entering the sea)
Ed: after an uneasy peace, the Jurchens attacked the southern Song. They successfully entered the capital in Kaifeng, and captured the Emperor Qinzhong and his father (this is probably what was referred to as their ‘Northern Hunt’). The survivors relocated the capital in Lin’an, in what is now Hangzhou. The last emperor of the southern Song was a boy called Zhao Bing. The top part of his given name bing 昺, has the word ‘sun’ on it. When the remnants of the Southern Song were finally defeated, he his advisor, Lu Xiufu leapt to their deaths in the sea to avoid capture.
三Three
天地相乘數一原，(元凡十世)
One multiplication of the numbers of heaven and earth (The Yuan had 10 emperors)
忽逢甲子又興元。（元世祖忽必烈）
Suddenly, on encountering the Wood Rat, the Prime rises again (The Yuan’s Founder. Khublai Khan)
年華二八乾坤改，（元祚八十八年）
Flourishing years two-eight; Qian and Kun alter (The Yuan persisted for 88 years)
看盡殘花總不言。（宦官撲不花）
On seeing the destroyed flowers, what more to say? (The Eunuch Bak Bulhwa)
Ed: The Jin people named their dynasty the Yuan dynasty. The word used to transliterate the syllable of Khublai Khan’s name in Chinese is ‘sudden’ hu. The Eunuch Bak Bulhwa was a powerful influence at court in the last years of the Yuan dynasty.
四Four
畢竟英雄起布衣，(明太祖崛起微賤
Heroes arise from the cloth-wearers (The August Founder of Ming’s humble origins)
朱門不是舊黃畿。（改都金陵
The Scarlet Gate is not the same as the Old Yellow Domain (The capital changed to Jinling)
飛來燕子尋常事，（燕王篡位
It’s a common thing for sparrows to fly around (The prince of yan’s usurpation)
開到李花春已非。（李自成作亂。而明亡矣
When the plum blossoms open, spring is at an end (Li Zicheng’s rebellion, caused the Ming to end)
Ed: Zhu Yuanzhang, the Ming Dynasty’s founder arose from humble origins. His surname, Zhu, literally means “Scarlet”. The Prince of Yan, the later Yongle Emperor, usurped thr throne from his nephew. The Ming dynasty ended with the rebellion of Li Zicheng. Li’s family name literally means “plum”.
五Five
胡兒騎馬走長安，(清兵入關
The Barbarians ride horses entering Chang’an (the Qing forces entering the borders)
開辟中原海境寬。（夷人通商
Opening Up the central plains- how broad is the sea! (Foreign merchants entering china)
洪水乍平洪水起，（洪秀全黎元洪
A surge of waters, peace for a while, then a surge rises [again] (Hong Xiuquan and Li Yuanhong)
清光宜向漢中看。（辛亥八月武昌起義
The Clear light should be sought in the Han (The Wuchang Uprising, in the 8th month of the Metal Pig Year)
Ed: This poem passes through the whole Qing dynasty (1644-1911). The Qing were not Chinese, but Manchurian. The second line probably refers to the treaty ports. The third line refers to two people whose names had the word “surge” hong in them. The first was the leader of the Taiping Rebellion, Hong Xiuquan. Hong was his surname. The second is Li YuanHong, the vice president of the republic of china.
六Six
漫天一白漢江秋，（武昌起義，民軍尚白 。
The Whole Sky is one whiteness; [in the] Han River’s Autumn (The Wuchang Uprising, the People’s army used 尚 the color white)
憔悴黃花總帶愁。（黃興
The Wilted Yellow flowers in all bring sadness (Huang Xin)
吉曜半升箕斗隱，（袁世凱應召，南北講和
The auspicious luminaries half risen, the Sive and Dipper are hidden (Yuan Shikai summoning the north-south conference)
金烏起滅海山頭.
The Golden Bird rises and extinguished at the Sea and mountain’s head.
Ed: I think the first line’s gloss refers to the soldiers in the Wuchang uprsising wearing white uniforms. Huang Xin was one of the founders of the Kuomintang.
At this point, there are no commentaries in the original poem. Comments on poems 8-10 have been taken from Li Hongzhi, here https://gb.falundafa.org/chigb/jjyz2_34.htm
七Seven
雲霧蒼茫各一天，
Clouds and fog boundless- each a day,
可憐西北起烽煙。
Pitiful is the northwest; where the signal fires are lit.
東來暴客西來盜，
Violent visitors from the east—thieves from the west
還有胡兒在眼前。
Barbarians yet are before your eyes.
Ed: No commentary is really necessary for this stanza: it is a nearly transparent reference to the depredations of Japan in the east and the western powers.
八Eight
如棋世事局初殘，
Like in a game of chess, worldly matters start [to] degenerate
解：世上的事历来象一盘棋，一方是共产国际邪恶联盟，一方是自由社会体系。十年前对共产邪恶政权国家一方来讲，就已经是残局一盘了。 LHZ: The history of the world is like a chessboard. On one side is the wicked pact of the Communist Internationale, and on the other is the free world. From the perspective of the deviant autocracies, the past ten years have been their endgame.
共濟和衷卻大難。
Helping each other with unified intent, they overcome the great difficulty
解：共产国际邪恶的联盟彻底解体。百分之九十的国家放弃共产邪恶主义。这对共产邪党来讲真是大难临头。 LHZ: The wicked Pact of the Internationale is disintegrating. Ninety percent of the world’s countries have abandoned the wicked ideology. From the perspective of the Wicked Communist Party, this is catastrophe indeed!
豹死猶留皮一襲，
When a leapord dies, it just leaves its skin
解：苏联象一只豹。共产恶党体系解体了，但是表面却象留了一张皮一样被中国政府继承。因为此时的中国人民也已不相信共产邪恶主义了，只不过是中国当权者想利用恶党形式维持政权而已。 LHZ: The Soviet Union resembles a leapord in shape. The Evil communist party disintegrated, but it left behind a “skin” that continues to be used by the Chinese Government: The Chinese People have ceased to believe in the vile communist ideology, but still the portentiates in the Chinese party continue to use the methods of the wicked party to remain in power.
最佳秋色在長安。
The best autumnal colors are in Chang’an.
解：对于中国目前的当权者来说，自己也不相信中共，很明确的目地是在利用中共恶党的表面形式来控制权力，因此极力的粉饰虚假的所谓大好形势。即使最佳秋色（也是恶党的最后时刻）再好，秋色自然不会长久。长安也指中国的京城，泛指中国。 LHZ:Those currently in power in China have long stopped believing in Chinese Communism. It is obvious that their aim is to use the form of the Vile Party to continue holding on to power. For tha reason they are vigorously whitewashing over the wholly vacuous “Excellent situation”. Even though best autumnal colors (that is, the wicked party’s final hour) appear to recover, [remember] autumnal colors never last long. Chang’an here refers to the capital of China, and china more generally.
九Nine
火龍蟄起燕門秋，
The Fire Dragon awakens from hibernation in the Autumnal Yan gate
解：中共恶党在天上的最低空间中以红色恶龙为表现形式。这一句隐喻“六四”学生与民众在天安门请愿后遭屠杀的事件。 Li Hongzhi: The Wicked Chinese Communist Party, manifested itself as an evil, red dragon in the lowest part of the heavens. This sentence encodes the “June Fourth” incident, where students and the public were massacred in Tian’anmen. Ed: Yan is another way of referring to Beijing
原璧應難趙氏收。
It would be hard for Mister Zhao to collect a completed jade
解：原壁泛指五千年历史的中国，应了这一难。赵紫阳因此而被打压。
LHZ: The “completed jade” refers to China, with its five thousand years of history. Because of this disaster, Zhao Ziyang was placed under house arrest
一院梨花春有主，
A court of pear blossoms has a lord in the Spring
解：一九九九年七月二十日以前，在中国大陆到处是法轮大法弟子，遍及全国，都佩戴法轮功徽章，到处可看到大法法轮图，形如奇花。“春有主”是指某年的春天，遭到迫害的大法弟子会堂堂正正的与师父相见。
LHZ: Before July 20th 1999, Descendents of Falun were all over china. All of them bore the emblems of Falun Gong, everywhere could be seen the emblems of the Falun, which were shaped like flowers. “There is a lord in the spring” refers to the spring of a year, where the persecuted disciples will meet personally meet their master.
連宵風雨不須愁。
Wind and rain for night after night- No need to worry.
解：大法弟子的被迫害，用历史眼光来看，无论邪恶怎么猖狂，如连夜的风雨不须愁。风雨一过天就会大亮。
LHZ: The persecution of the followers should be seen in historical perspective: no matter how wicked or depraved [the persecution], it is like an overnight storm: no need for worry, because the storm will pass and the skies will clear
十Ten
數點梅花天地春，
Count the plum blossoms- spring in heaven and earth
解：经过严冬考验的大法弟子遍及世界、遍及中国大陆，如傲霜雪的梅花展示着春天的到来。那是法正人间的时刻。 LHZ: After the harsh winter of tribulations, the disciples of the Great Law will be found all over the world, all over the Continent of china, just as plum blossoms standing in the snow represent the arrival of spring. That will be the time the true dharma returns to the human realm
欲將剝復問前因。
You wish to pull apart and return, asking of past causes
解：剥复是两个卦的名词。剥极必复，也指物极必反。历史如转轮，有前因必有后果。人类的历史都是为这次正法安排的。
LHZ: “Pulling apart” and “Return” are the names of two hexagrams: Once pulling apart is at its peak, it produces return. It shows that once things have reached their extreme, they will indeed return. History is just like a wheel; past causes will produce future effects. The history of humanity has ordained this for the arrival of the True Dharma.
寰中自有承平日，
The royal domains will naturally come to a peaceful day,
解：大法弟子历尽邪恶的考验，在邪恶灭亡中走向美好的未来。
LHZ: after the disciples of the Great Dharma have endured the harshest trials, a beautiful future will arise from the destruction of the great evil.
四海為家孰主賓。
The four seas will be a family- who will play host or guest?
解：从一九九二年师父出来传法，基本上是四处传法，四海为家。后半句“孰主宾”，隐喻谁是主，谁是宾；在历史的舞台上谁是配角，谁是主角。本次人类的文明都是为大法而造就的，为大法而开创的。
LHZ: from 1992 , when the master started to transmit the dharma, the dharma was transmitted everywhere, making “all in the four seas one family”. The phrase ‘Who will play host or guest’ means who is the host, who is the guest; who are the supporting cast in history, and who is the main player. All the advancements in human civilisation were nurtured by the Great Dharma; were created by the Great Dharma.