The orchids which grow in a secluded valley on the lower reaches of theYangtze River do not have the beauty of the flutter of blossoming branches, but they have an air of elegance and literary dignity. Their fragrance is exuded whether there are people to appreciate them or not, and the frost does not wither them; the orchid truly bears the name “Gentleman of Flowers.”
兰花，生长在长江中下游深山幽谷之中，没有花枝招展的艳丽，却有淡雅高洁、质朴文静的气质，不为无人而不芳，不因清寒而萎缩，故有 “花中君子 ”之称。
The story goes that when the poet Qu Yuan (屈原) was banished by King Huai of Chu due to the machinations of the king’s evil ministers, he took his beloved orchids and bamboo-strip books, and set up a school on Fairy Mountain. One day, the Orchid Goddess of Fairy Mountain, while floating on a cloud, happened to pass a thatched cottage. Inside, Qu Yuan was teaching a class, vigorously promoting righteous conduct for the Kingdom of Chu. The goddess stood outside the window quietly listening, particularly impressed by the poet’s deeply-felt patriotism. She knew that Qu Yuan had always loved orchids, so before she left she endowed three orchids which Qu Yuan had planted under the window with supernatural power.
相传，屈原遭奸臣陷害被楚怀王放逐，带着他心爱的兰花和书简在仙女山上办起了学堂。一天，仙女山的兰花娘娘云游路过一间茅舍，正好发现屈原讲课，于是站在窗外静静地听。屈原正慷慨激昂地向学生们讲授振兴楚国的道理。屈原那赤诚的爱国深情令兰花娘娘特别感动。她知道屈原向来喜欢兰花，临走时便将屈原栽种在窗下的三株兰花点化成精。
One week later, Qu Yuan dragged his weak and sickly body to the school to teach another class. This time, the theme was how evil men had brought ruin to their country and people. Qu Yuan became so emotionally enraged that blood gushed out of his mouth and splashed on the orchids outside the window. The pupils were so upset at this that they had to wipe tears from their eyes.
几天后，屈原继续拖着虚弱的病体坚持给学生们讲课。当他讲到奸佞当道祸国殃民时，心中强烈的愤怒与担忧难以平息，一口鲜血从口中喷出来，恰巧溅落在窗外的兰花旁。弟子们心疼得直抹眼泪。
Early the next morning, the students were astonished to discover that the three orchids had become a huge cluster. When Qu Yuan breathed the fresh odor of the orchids, he became healthier. The students were overjoyed and inspired by the orchids, and they together planted more orchids all around the school.
第二天清晨，学生们惊讶地发现那三株兰花，竟长成一大蓬，足有几十株。屈原闻着淡雅的清香，看着洁白的兰花，身体日渐好起来了。学生们喜出望外，觉得那兰花一定有灵性，一同将兰花移栽到学堂四周。
Marvelous to relate, on the very first day these orchids produced sprigs, on the second day soft buds, and on the third day branches and leaves. On the fourth day, the buds began to sprout, and on the fifth day each one put forth new stems! Qu Yuan led his pupils to plant orchids by a local stream and in mountain gorges. Soon, the hills and valleys were filled with the scent of orchids. The farmers of the area smiled, and said, “Twelve mu (One mu equals 0.7 of a hectare) of land is called one wan. It seems that Master Qu has planted three wan with orchids. We should call this place Orchid Land.”
说来也真奇怪！那兰花第一天就生出根来，第二天便抽出嫩芽，第三天则伸枝展叶，第四天竟绽蕾开花，到了第五天每一株又发出新的根茎来。屈原便率领学生们在溪边、山间移栽，兰花因此香飘山谷。山里老农笑着说：“十二亩称一畹，屈大夫种的兰花，怕有三畹了！我们这里呀，真该改名叫兰花乡了。”
After that, three wan of orchids expanded to six wan, and then from six wan to nine wan, and the stream below Fairy Mountain got the name “Jiuwan (nine wan) Stream.” The orchids growing beside Jiuwan Stream increased in number year after year, and filled Western Ling Gorge with their heady perfume. Their fragrance was wafted as far as Guizhou, and perfumed half the sky over the Kingdom of Chu!
随后，兰花从三畹到六畹，又由六畹到了九畹。从此，仙女山下的这条清溪就叫九畹溪了。九畹溪边的兰花，一年盛似一年，醉人的芳香溢满整条西陵峡，香飘全归州，直至香透了半个楚天！
In the end, Qu Yuan left the mountains, nurturing a burning desire to serve his country in his breast. But, much to the surprise of the local people, on the first day of the fifth month by the lunar calendar that year, all the orchids, which had been growing so luxuriously by Jiuwan Stream and around Zhilan Village suddenly withered and died, leaving behind only a faint hint of their fragrance – like sighs and tears. The villagers had a sense of foreboding and unease, as if something untoward had happened to Master Qu. Sure enough, two days later there came the dire news that Qu Yuan, overwhelmed by a sense of grievance, had thrown himself in the Miluo River, and died. He had sacrificed himself for his country. The people were filled with grief, and the Orchid Goddess of Fairy Mountain wept till her eyes were swollen.
最终，屈原还是怀着一腔报国热情和耿耿忠心出山了。然而，令乡亲们没想到的是，那一年五月的一天，九畹溪畔、芝兰乡里茂盛的兰花，突然全部凋零枯萎而死，只留下阵阵暗香，仿佛阵阵哀叹与哭泣 ……乡亲们预感不祥，心里十分不安，生怕屈大夫发生什么不测。果然，两天之后传来噩耗，就在兰花凋谢的那天，屈大夫含冤投身汨罗江自尽，以死殉国。人们悲痛不已，仙女山上的兰花娘娘也哭肿了眼睛。
Qu Yuan wrote many poems throughout his life in praise of orchids. In his master piece Li Sao, we find a poem in which the orchid is called, “Fragrant Plant Beauty,” signifying his patriotic, pure and high-minded character, and because Qu Yuan’s qualities were so much like those of the orchid, people in ancient times honored him as the “Orchid God.”
屈原一生有无数诗句吟颂兰花，赞美兰花。他的代表作《离骚》独创的 “香草美人 ”意象，代表屈原的爱国深情和独立高洁的人格。屈原就像兰花一样高洁坚贞，古人由此也尊他为兰花花神。
