My Five-Times Beautiful Gardenia

If I were crystal water

In little golden channels,

So you could wash your white neck,

My five-times beautiful gardenia.

So you could wash your face,

Your golden-blond hair,

You would make the sun grow dim

With all your beauty.

If only you would let me

Caress your golden hair,

If only I could enchant you

As your beauty enchants me.

To be grafted like a young shoot

Deep within your heart,

So I too could be

A small piece of your beauty.

And when the south wind blows,

To hold you tightly,

You would lean down and kiss me,

And I would admire you.

Small notes on meaning (important for this poem)

• “Five-times beautiful” literally means five-times beautiful — a traditional village way of saying “very, very beautiful”.
• “To be grafted like a plant shoot” = to be grafted like a plant shoot — this is a very village (rural) metaphor, meaning to become part of your heart/life.
• “South wind” = the south wind, often symbolizing warmth, passion, longing.