Minor Cold

Minor Cold corresponds to Dalü, one of the twelve ancient pitch standards, and joyful magpies begin building new nests. They gather food and search along bends in the river, carrying twigs in their beaks and circling the treetops. Hawks beneath the frosty sky approach the northern hills, while calling pheasants hide among dense reeds. Do not blame the bitter cold for cutting so deeply—for the meeting of spring and winter is already approaching around the turn into the first lunar month.

Yuan Zhen’s poem on Minor Cold comes from his 咏廿四气诗 and is distinguished by its precise observation of seasonal phenomena. “小寒连大吕” links the solar term to the ancient musical system: Minor Cold falls in the twelfth lunar month and corresponds to “大吕”, one of the twelve pitch standards, giving the line rich cultural resonance. “欢鹊垒新巢” corresponds to “鹊始巢”, “magpies begin to nest,” one of the three seasonal phases of Minor Cold. The magpies sense the stirring of yang qi and begin constructing new nests, while the character “欢”, “joyful,” captures their liveliness. The second couplet, “拾食寻河曲，衔柴绕树梢”, further describes the concrete actions of nest-building: searching for food by river bends, carrying twigs, and circling treetops, all observed in close detail. The third couplet, “霜鹰近北首”, writes of hawks in the frosty sky approaching the northern hills, while “雊雉隐丛茅” describes calling pheasants hidden among clumps of reeds. One is a hawk, one a pheasant; one visible, one concealed, revealing different states of birdlife during Minor Cold. The final couplet, “莫怪严凝切，春冬正月交”, says not to blame the bitter cold for cutting so deeply, because the meeting of spring and winter is already near the turn of the first lunar month. Within the severe cold, the message of spring is already contained. The entire poem records the subtle changes of Heaven and Earth during Minor Cold through detailed seasonal observation.