My concubine often sat quietly with me in her fragrant bedchamber to sample or judge famous incense. The so-called "palace incense" is seductive in quality, while the popular way of preparing aloeswood is vulgar. The ordinary people often set aloeswood right on the fire and its fragrant fume is soon put out by the burning resin. Thus not only has its fragrance failed to be brought out, but it also leaves a smoky, choking odor behind around one's body. The hard quality with horizontal grains called hengkoch'en has a superb fragrance, being one of the four kinds of aloeswood, but distinguished by having horizontal fibers. There is another variety of this wood, known as p'englaihsiang, which is the size of a mushroom and conically shaped, being not yet fully grown. We kept all these varieties, and she burned them on top of fine sand over a slow fire so that no actual smoke was visible. Its subtle perfume permeated the chamber like the smell of chianan wood wafted by a breeze, or like that of dew-bedecked roses, or a piece of amber rubbed hot by friction, or of fragrant liquor being poured into a horn cop. When bedding is perfumed by this method, its fragrance blends with that of the woman's flesh, sweet and intoxicating even in one's dreams.
jī měi yǔ yú jìnɡ zuò xiānɡ ɡé , xì pǐn mínɡ xiānɡ 。 ɡōnɡ xiānɡ zhū pǐn yín , chén shuǐ xiānɡ sú 。 sú rén yǐ chén xiānɡ zhù huǒ shànɡ , yān pū yóu nì , qǐnɡ kè ér miè 。
姬 每 与 余 静 坐 香 阁 , 细 品 名 香 。 宫 香 诸 品 淫 , 沉 水 香 俗 。 俗 人 以 沉 香 著 火 上 , 烟 扑 油 腻 , 顷 刻 而 灭 。
wú lùn xiānɡ zhī xìnɡ qínɡ wèi chū , jí zhù huái xiù jiē dài jiāo xīnɡ 。 chén xiānɡ jiān zhì ér wén hénɡ zhě , wèi zhī " hénɡ ɡé chén " ,
无 论 香 之 性 情 未 出 , 即 著 怀 袖 皆 带 焦 腥 。 沉 香 坚 致 而 纹 横 者 , 谓 之 " 横 隔 沉 " ,
jí sì zhǒnɡ chén xiānɡ nèi ɡé chén xiānɡ wén zhě shì yě , qí xiānɡ tè miào 。 yòu yǒu chén shuǐ jié ér wèi chénɡ , rú xiǎo lì dà jūn , mínɡ " pénɡ lái xiānɡ " , yú duō xù zhī 。
即 四 种 沉 香 内 革 沉 香 纹 者 是 也 , 其 香 特 妙 。 又 有 沉 水 结 而 未 成 , 如 小 笠 大 菌 , 名 " 蓬 莱 香 " , 余 多 蓄 之 。
měi màn huǒ ɡé shā , shǐ bú jiàn yān , zé ɡé zhōnɡ jiē rú fēnɡ ɡuò ɡā nán , lù wò qiánɡ wēi , rè mó hǔ pò , jiǔ qīnɡ xī jiǎ zhī wèi 。
每 慢 火 隔 砂 , 使 不 见 烟 , 则 阁 中 皆 如 风 过 伽 楠 , 露 沃 蔷 薇 , 热 磨 琥 珀 , 酒 倾 犀 斝 之 味 。
jiǔ zhēnɡ qīn zhěn jiān , hé yǐ jī xiānɡ , tián yàn fēi chánɡ , mènɡ hún jù shì 。
久 蒸 衾 枕 间 , 和 以 肌 香 , 甜 艳 非 常 , 梦 魂 俱 适 。