A daffodil tale

姚姥住長離橋，十一月夜半大寒，夢觀星墜於地，化為水仙花一叢，甚香美，摘食之。覺而產一女，長而令淑有文，因以名焉。觀星即女史，在天柱下，故迄今水仙花名女史花，又名姚女花。

There was an elderly woman of the Yao family living at Long-Parting Bridge. In the middle of a freezing night of the eleventh month, she dreamt that the Gazing Star fell to earth and transformed into a cluster of daffodils, very fragrant and beautiful. She picked the daffodils and ate them. Upon waking, she gave birth to a daughter, who grew up into a fine, cultured girl. [The elderly woman] named her daughter accordingly. The Gazing Star is [also known as] Lady Scribe [1], located beneath Celestial Pillar [2]. For this reason, the daffodil is also called the flower of Lady Scribe, or the flower of Yao’s girl.

* From Neiguan ri shu 内觀日疏 in Tao Zongyi 陶宗儀 (fl. 1360-1368) and Tao Ting 陶珽 (b. 1575) ed., Shuofu 說郛 (1646 Wanwei shantang 宛委山堂 edition), scroll 31.

[1] Lady Scribe corresponds to the ψ star in Draco in modern constellations.

[2] Celestial Pillar is an asterism corresponding to five stars in the Draco and Cepheus constellations.