Small Poem - Translation help please!

[Mat]

Could you please translate this poem for me or help me to get an idea of the meaning? It is signed " 爵山", Yue Shan, but I am not sure if that is the writer or the poet himself. It is incised on a snuff bottle.

 

This is the poem:               "蟋蟀催空捉，黄花开未残。" 

 

Thank you very much for any help,

Mat

 

[stapler]

My interpretation/translation - for what its worth: the poem seems to be describing spring/summer, the time when the crickets come out and can be caught, the time when the yellow flowers have blossomed but not yet withered.

[Publius]

On 10/3/2017 at 10:38 PM, stapler said:

the poem seems to be describing spring/summer

I disagree.

黃花 in Chinese literature usually refers to 菊花 chrysanthemum.

For example, the origin of the idiom 明日黃花 is a line from 蘇軾's poem 《九日次韻王巩》 “相逢不用忙歸去，明日黃花蝶也愁。” 九日 is the Double Ninth Festival, the ninth day of the ninth month in Chinese calendar or October in Julian calendar. The chrysanthemum after the Double Ninth is like Christmas trees after the Christmas.

Another phrase 人比黃花瘦 is from 李清照's 《醉花陰》：

薄霧濃雲愁永晝，瑞腦銷金獸。佳節又重陽，玉枕紗廚，半夜涼初透。
東籬把酒黃昏後，有暗香盈袖。莫道不銷魂，簾卷西風，人比黃花瘦。

It's also about the Double Ninth Festival, traditionally the time for mountain climbing and chrysanthemum viewing.

[lips]

I agree with @Publius.  This is 《行香子·天與秋光》 by 李清照 of the Sung dynasty.

 

天與秋光，轉轉情傷，探金英知近重陽。薄衣初試，綠蟻新嘗，漸一番風，一番雨，一番涼。

黃昏院落，淒悽惶惶，酒醒時往事愁腸。那堪永夜，明月空床。聞砧聲搗，蛩聲細，漏聲長。

 

金英  means chrysanthemum, 重陽 menas the Double Ninth Festival,  and 蛩 means cricket.

[Mat]

Thank you all very much! So you think my poem is also related to the Double Ninth Festival?

Best regards,

Mat