Translation for Maybe Japanese?

[dragondances]

Hello linguaphiles!

My in-laws recently gifted us with a folding screen, which has a cherry blossom design and some writing in what I'm guessing is Japanese?

Any ideas what this could mean? I just hate to be the person who has a decoration and no idea what it says...

Comments

[orpheus_samhain]

shouldn't you take the picture from the other side?

[moa1918]

I don't think so, from the other side the characters would be the wrong way...
/Moa

[dragondances]

This is the "display" side of the screen, but I honestly wouldn't know whether it's backwards or not based on the characters. So... maybe? :P

[moa1918]

That's what I meant. Sorry if I were being unclear!
/Moa

[moa1918]

I think it is Chinese. I googled the beginning 一树寒梅 and found this page: http://baike.baidu.com/view/4959710.htm
According to that page, it is a poem from the Tang Dynasty, written by someone called 张谓 /Zhang Wei. The poem is called 早梅 zao3mei1, which means early plum (flower).
I'll leave it to more skilled people to attempt a translation.
/Moa

[amiyuy]

Sounds like it would fit, I found the screen advertised as having plum blossoms on it.

[dragondances]

Plums rather than cherries, ah! Thank you!

[flemmings]

Found this translation. Hope it helps.

[dragondances]

That's exactly what I needed, thank you! I figured it was probably a poem or song. :)

[flemmings]

Glad I could help.