[Introduction] Li Xuying’s closest friend was Xia Yuru 夏玉如. Xia was skilled in poetry and prose, with a bold personality and lofty ambitions. Li Xuying often received help from her when facing difficulties. However, Xia Yuru herself had an unfortunate marriage, and her child died in infancy. Her ambitions were unfulfilled, and she lived in sadness and loneliness. Despite this, she still cared deeply about national affairs. After the outbreak of the Sino-Japanese War, she also wrote poems to express her patriotic and anti-enemy sentiments. In 1944, Xia passed away due to breast cancer. Li Xuying, filled with grief, composed a poem to mourn her. This poem, “Lament of Shattered Jade,” along with Xia Yuru’s poem “A Spontaneous Reflection on the Incident in Northeast China” were both published in the 4th issue of the first volume of Woman’s Voice Biweekly.
【简介】李旭英最要好的朋友是夏玉如，她擅长诗文，性格豪放，志气凌霄。旭英遇到困难，多次得到她的帮助。然而，她本人婚姻不幸，小孩又在襁褓中死去，自己的志向未得施展，郁郁寡欢。尽管如此，她还是很关心国事，日本侵略中国的战争爆发后，也曾写诗表达她的爱国仇敌心境。1944年，夏玉如因乳腺癌辞世。李旭英悲痛之余，赋诗悼念。这首《玉碎吟》及夏玉如的《东北事发有感偶成》都发表在《妇声半月刊》第一卷第四期。
《玉碎吟》
吾友玉如女士，能诗工书，风姿绰约，才调不凡。惜遇人不淑，岁次甲申，郁结病癌而亡。感怀旧念，成玉碎吟于春暮。今日点检旧稿，如对故人。并为介绍遗作一则，慰诸天上。
惜花难禁妒花风，怎向天涯悼落红？
种子悔将仇里种，绿杨又绕隔墙东。
墙东柳色望凄迷，燕子不来芳草齐。
锦字尚书浮碧纸，绣鞋仍着踏青泥。
玉蕊香残发露严，闲庭冷落碧纱笼。
今宵一样柳梢月，屋在人亡两不同。
生小玲珑美玉姿，城西负笈忆儿时。
放歌狂笑骄窗友，提笔属文惊校师。
壮志凌霄不识愁，何难巾帼觅封侯。
青云未展鹏程志，憔悴关鸠赋好述。
良人走马章台逐，襁褓有儿殇不育。
何处频年駐玉骢，藏娇不筑黄金屋。
烈日风云腾地起，胡儿万骑临关里。
家亡国破集忧伤，郁结难舒甘就死。
可惜聪颖咏絮才，苍毫离披委尘埃。
可怜绰约如花貌，金粉飘零玉镜台。
沧海桑田多变幻，花开花落少知音，
长埋傲骨无处寻，怀旧神伤玉碎吟。
“Lament of Shattered Jade”
My friend, Ms Yuru, was skilled in poetry and calligraphy, with a graceful demeanor and extraordinary talent. Unfortunately, she met an unworthy man, and in the year of Jiashen (1944), burdened by sorrow, she passed away from cancer. Moved by old memories, I composed this poem “Lament of Shattered Jade” in the late spring. Today, as I review the old manuscripts, it feels like I am in the presence of my old friend. I also present one of her posthumous works to comfort her spirit in heaven.
Oh, how I pity the blossoms, their beauty outshone by the envious wind,
How can I mourn the fallen petals that drift to the edge of the sky?
Seeds of regret were sown in the fields of strife,
The green willows curve around the wall to the east.
East of the wall, the willows’ color evokes a desolate allure,
The swallows do not come, the grass grows wild.
On the light blue paper, the characters shine like the finest silk,
And embroidered shoes still tread on the green mud of spring.
The fragrance of flowers lingers as dew drops,
Courtyard deserted, green curtains swaying.
Tonight, under the same moon hanging on the willow tips,
The house remains, the person is gone, and the scene is not the same.
Born with delicate beauty and graceful figure, like a piece of jade,
She carried her books to school, memories of childhood in her heart.
Bold songs and laughters stunned her schoolmates,
Pen in hand, her writing awed her teachers.
Her ambitions soared skyward, she knew no sorrow,
Why should a woman not aspire to achieve greatness?
The blue sky had yet to reveal the path of the soaring eagle,
The frail dove sang, its song sad and beautiful.
Her man chased pleasures in silken chambers,
Her child in the cradle passed, unyielding to life.
Where now, the years of riding a white horse?
Her beauty hidden, not in a golden house.
The fierce sun rises, the storms gathered,
Barbarians came to the gates of the city.
The country is destroyed, the family is lost, her sorrows were overwhelming,
Her heart was heavy, she could not find peace, and death seemed sweet.
How I pity the genius who could compose poems with ease,
Now her talents are buried, her writings covered with dust.
How I pity the woman of charm and grace, like a flower,
Her fragrant powder scattered, her mirror of jade broken.
As seas turn to mulberry fields,
As flowers bloom and fade, no one else understands me.
Her bones, long buried, cannot be found,
As I mourn the past, my broken heart lamenting this shattered jade.
《东北事发有感偶成》
夏玉如
连天峰火起辽西， 白山黑水鸟怯啼。
塞北风云悲暗澹, 江南卉木亦清凄。
满腔块垒填胸臆， 何日边城息鼓鼙？
尝胆卧薪谁雪恨？ 斜阳衰草总低迷！
A Spontaneous Reflection on the Incident in Northeast China
The flames of war rise in the sky of Liaoxi,
The birds on the Black Mountains and White Waters are afraid to sing.
The wind and clouds in the northern frontier are gloomy and desolate,
The grass and trees in the south of the river are also clear and sad.
My heart is filled with anger and resentment,
When will the drums and horns of war stop in the border towns?
Who will endure suffering and avenge these wrongs?
The setting sun casts shadows over withered grass, lost in despair.