The pattern you decribed in your podcast "Red and Green" yesterday, can also been found in the second paragraph of the translation "Green Jade and Green Wax". The pattern, that Yuanchun crosses the wishes and dreams of Daiyu and takes out the Yu/Lin off "Hong Xiang Lü Yu" to get "Yi Hong Kuai Lü", symbolically splitting Baoyu and Daiyu and bringing together Baoyu and Baochai.
"It turns out that Daiyu had made up her mind to show off her talent and crush her competition this evening. However, Jia Yuanchun had only commanded one poem per person, and there was no way she could disobey this rule and compose more. And so she quickly composed a five character regulated verse poem to meet the requirements."
Daiyu wanted to show her talents, but Yuanchun crosses her path with the order "only one poem"! I don't think for a second, that Daiyu could show her talent only by a huge quantity of poems.
Then Baochai corrects Baoyus poem laughing and joking with him and pushes him into the politically correct (sorry for that) direction. Baoyu agrees.
And Daiyu only can help Baoyu with another poem. There is no laughing and communication like between Baoyu and Baichai before and no showing of talent. Daiyu is out here too.
Hi,
The pattern you decribed in your podcast "Red and Green" yesterday, can also been found in the second paragraph of the translation "Green Jade and Green Wax". The pattern, that Yuanchun crosses the wishes and dreams of Daiyu and takes out the Yu/Lin off "Hong Xiang Lü Yu" to get "Yi Hong Kuai Lü", symbolically splitting Baoyu and Daiyu and bringing together Baoyu and Baochai.
"It turns out that Daiyu had made up her mind to show off her talent and crush her competition this evening. However, Jia Yuanchun had only commanded one poem per person, and there was no way she could disobey this rule and compose more. And so she quickly composed a five character regulated verse poem to meet the requirements."
Daiyu wanted to show her talents, but Yuanchun crosses her path with the order "only one poem"! I don't think for a second, that Daiyu could show her talent only by a huge quantity of poems.
Then Baochai corrects Baoyus poem laughing and joking with him and pushes him into the politically correct (sorry for that) direction. Baoyu agrees.
And Daiyu only can help Baoyu with another poem. There is no laughing and communication like between Baoyu and Baichai before and no showing of talent. Daiyu is out here too.
The same foreshadowing.
(And possibly the same overinterpretation)
Frank