陳與義《櫻桃》“Cherries” by Chen Yuyi (1090-1139)

四月江南黃鳥肥，

櫻桃滿樹燦朝暉。

赤瑛盤裏雖殊遇，

何似筠籠相發揮。

In the fourth month in the South of the [Yangtze] River, as orioles grow plump,

Cherries crowd the tree, glistening in the morning sun.

Grand indeed is the honour of presenting them on a ruby dish,

Yet how it pales beside their interplay of radiance in a bamboo basket!

* From Chen Menglei 陳夢雷 (1650-1741) ed., Gujin tushu jicheng 古今圖書集成 (Beijing: Zhonghua shuju, 1934 [reprint]), “Bowu huibian; Caomu dian” 博物彙編•草木典, 279.13b.

A backyard treat, only for a very limited period