#rui rambles

十年前

Ten years ago,

东海一决

during the duel of the eastern sea,

李某蒙兵器之利

this unworthy Li made benefit of whetted blade

借沉船之机与君一战犹不能胜

and capsizing boat whilst battling thee but was yet unvictorious.

君武勇之处

Thy martial prowess and valiance

世所罕见

are unexampled in this world.

心悦诚服

Mine heart delights in it, and by mine own will yields to thine eminence.

今事隔多年

The affairs of today are by many years separated.

沉疴难起

By pains alone would a lingering malady be cured.

剑断人亡

The sword hath broken—the man hath perished,

再不能赴东海之约

and can no more honour the accord to duel by the eastern sea.

谓为憾事

Such is the cause for most sincere regret.

余感念君所赠之忘川

I recall in deepest gratitude the flower of oblivion bequeathed by thee,

然终有负君之所望

yet did forsake all thou hadst longed for in the end.

江山多年

The rivers and mountains of this land have many years endured,

变化万千

their changes reckoned in the tens of thousands.

去去重去去

Partings upon partings, farewells upon farewells;

来时是来时

the coming times shall be the coming times.

方多病习我之功法

Fang Duobing hath been studied in my skills,

资质上佳

and his own endowments of the utmost excellence.

不暇多日

Shouldst he not keep idle days,

定不在明月沉西海之下

he shall surely be not beneath the bright moon sinking into the western sea.

君今无意逐鹿

Thou hast not now any desire to pursue the throne,

但求巅峰

but instead to seek the height of skill.

李某已去

This unworthy Li hath since gone;

若君意不平

if thy desire be not appeased,

足堪请其代之

he shall suit, shouldst thou bid him succeed me.

李相夷绝笔

Thus end the last words of Li Xiangyi.

footnotes

i've translated this letter into (my best attempt at) early modern english to try and reflect the formality li lianhua is writing in. also because he uses 君 for di feisheng throughout, which is a literary second-person pronoun, and i wanted to emphasise that. i know thou is actually the informal pronoun, but given how archaic it sounds in comparison to you, the actual formal pronoun in early modern english, i thought it a better fit. (for all the feihuas out there: 君 was also used by women to address their husbands, so actually i thought the informality might work in my favour here LOL)

if you saw this post before, you might have noticed that my translation of the third and fourth lines changed slightly lmao. ty to @/presumenothing for the reminder and ofc my fav @/bat1lau4can4 for talking through it with me and being the 文言文 expert i need <3

for the purposes of my goal in the above footnote, i've had to take some creative liberties in my choice of vocabulary. for example: unexampled is not quite an accurate translation of 罕见, which actually means rarely seen.

i phrased 心悦诚服 as mine heart ... yields but that's a somewhat liberal interpretation of the phrase lol. there is a heart in it; it's just maybe not the thing that's yielding, to be precise. close enough imo though!

江山 literally translates to rivers and mountains but is often used as a metaphor for a country as a whole, hence my translating it as the rivers and mountains of this land.

grammar is not as important as Vibes.

逐鹿, which i've translated as pursue the throne, literally means to chase the deer, and stems from the 《史记》 / records of the grand historian.

transcription:

Which of Li Lianhua’s hair ornaments in Mysterious Lotus Casebook do you like the most?

Lotus seedpod hairstick: In the first and last episodes, Li Lianhua wore the same hair ornament. Lotus seedpods allude to a fate of longevity; I hope that Li Lianhua will be unbothered by illness and live a long hundred years of age.

Lotus leaf hairstick: lotus leaves allude to a quick wit, cleverness, quiet and calm. When Li Lianhua encounters an incident, he remains cool and collected. When solving a case, he’s sharp enough to spot even the minutest detail [1], and his predictions are of divine accuracy. A lotus leaf hairstick fits detective!Li Lianhua very well.

Lotus flower hairstick: lotus flowers symbolise purity, nobility, eternal friendship, and that one’s desires will be gratified. This lotus flower hairstick only appears once in the entire show. At the time, Li Lianhua said: “Before I die, I will find shixiong.” What Li Lianhua felt for his shixiong then was a close attachment and brotherly affection [2].

Threaded lotus vine hair ornament: this hair ornament alludes to the continuance of Li Lianhua’s life and endurance.

Threaded lotus seedpod vine hair ornament: Li Lianhua’s hair ornaments are all largely related to lotuses. The lotus has too many good meanings; what is worn on Li Lianhua’s head is the lotus in question.

Threaded lotus leaf string hair ornament: this hair ornament was what Li Lianhua wore while solving the Lotusbank Manor case; truly a perfect match with his ink-green robes—noble, pure, and it does not detract from his elegance.

Bamboo joint, silver leaf, and fish-head hairstick: when Li Lianhua spoke about his past, he said: “Back then I was penniless and injured. The only thing of value I had, I pawned for fifty taels of silver—it was that token of the Sentinel Sect’s leader that can bestow life and death, unknown to none in the martial realm.” This hairstick alludes to well-being, wealth, and status. I hope for Li Lianhua to simply be safe and sound.

Threaded pinecone vine hair ornament: pinecones symbolise good fortune and delightful beauty. Li Lianhua’s ten-year lifespan is too short; I hope that Li Lianhua can live on, safe and sound.

Dual bamboo joint hair ornament: this hair ornament appeared the most frequently in the show. Bamboo is a plant that is evergreen in the four seasons of the year; it has an indomitable vitality. Bamboo symbolises a willingness to break but not bend; even when battered by the wind and snow, it will not lower its head. No matter if he is Li Lianhua in the drama or Cheng Yi in real life, that spirit of unbending efforts of his is hard-won and to be treasured.

Lotus root joint peach wood hairstick: lotus root joints allude to auspice, longevity, blissful love, and carefree independence. Peach wood symbolises warmth and tenacity. Li Lianhua wore this hairstick while meeting with A-Mian in the Temple of Deliverance because he too once had a blissful love.

Pine branch hairstick: pinewood represents everlasting verdancy and alludes to longevity. Li Lianhua wore this hairstick while using the Stillness of Yangzhou to save A-Mian. Each time Li Lianhua uses his internal power, he shortens his lifespan. How I hope that even as he saves everyone, he can save himself as well.

Lotus heart [3] and root joint tea needle hairstick: lotus hearts can be brewed into tea to cleanse the heart, and represent a simple and steady character and attitude towards life. This hairstick was only worn in the Women’s Residence. In the Women’s Residence, gold can be taken as toys; there are delicacies from land and sea, there is fine wine, there are beauties. From beginning to end, Li Lianhua only ever seeks a simple life; being able to visit the mountains and enjoy the waters, drink tea and fish would be enough.

Curved lotus seedpod hairstick: this hairstick was worn during the Women’s Residence case. Lotus seedpods and lotus flowers are the same—they grow out of the muck unsullied [4]. Sacred and pure, peaceful and clean, unaffected and simple, exactly like the simple life Li Lianhua seeks. Tranquility yields profoundness; to be unmoved by worldly ways, to be untempted by fame and gain, to be undisturbed by worldly desires.

Black gauze flower bud hair ornament: this is the most unique hair ornament worn [by him] in the entire show. It was only worn during the Stoneld Village case. In ancient times, black gauze was said to avert death; Li Lianhua saved Xiaobao twice in the Stoneld Village case, exposing his identity the second time, even though he knew every time he used his internal power, he would shorten his lifespan.

Black bamboo joint hair ornament: black bamboo represents steadfast resolution, tenacity, unsullied nobility, and the quality of neither bending nor yielding. It bears the epithet of “gentleman.” This hair ornament was worn during the imperial palace case, the last of the show. On the road Li Lianhua took to get here, he broke many strange cases and risked losing his life often, and finally uncovered Shan Gudao’s scheme.

Lotus root tea-pusher [5] hairstick: this hairstick was worn by Li Lianhua as he was rescuing Di Feisheng. The two of them were once sworn enemies, but now they are each other’s salvation, having unknowingly established a special friendship.

Jade-inlaid coronet to tie up the hair: this is Li Lianhua using Li Xiangyi’s identity to return to the Sentinel Sect and save Yun Biqiu. The same person, the same attire—yet the characters presented are entirely different.

White jade needle hairstick: “Partings upon partings, farewells upon farewells; the coming times shall be the coming times.” Ten years ago, Li Xiangyi was buried in the eastern sea; ten years after, Li Lianhua was reborn. Li Lianhua didn’t die—he’s living the life he wishes to live.

footnotes:

“Minutest detail”—秋毫 / [something as small as] an animal’s autumn down.

“Close attachment and brotherly affection”—情同手足 / to be as close in affections as one’s hands and feet.

“Lotus heart”—莲须, which refers to the 花蕊 / stamen and pistil of the lotus flower. I’ve rendered it as lotus heart because 蕊 has three 心 / heart radicals.

“Grow out of the muck unsullied”—出淤泥而不染, a quote from the famous prose piece 《爱莲说》 / on the love of the lotus by 周敦颐 Zhou Dunyi. here’s a translation by @/sevenseas.