林以宁，生卒年均不详，约清圣祖康熙中前后在世。她是进士林纶之女，监察御史钱肇修之室。与其姑顾玉蕊，均工诗文骈体。玉蕊曾集合当地能诗女子，组织蕉园诗社。当时所谓“蕉园五子”。即指以宁及徐灿、柴静仪、朱柔则、钱云仪五人。以宁于归后，继续姑志，重组蕉园七子社。七子为五子中加入张槎云、毛安芳、冯又令、顾启姬，而徐灿、朱柔则不在内。当时七子之名，颇蜚声于西子湖滨。又擅长书画，尤长于墨竹。
Lin Yining, whose birth and death years are unknown, lived around the time of Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty. She is the daughter of Jinshi Lin Lun and the supervisor of the imperial censor Qian Zhaoxiu’s office. Compared to Gu Yurui, he was skilled in both poetry and prose. Yurui once gathered local poetic women and organized the Jiaoyuan Poetry Society. At that time, it was called the “Five Sons of the Banana Garden”. It refers to the five individuals of Yining, Xu Can, Chai Jingyi, Zhu Rouze, and Qian Yunyi. After returning home, Ning continued to pursue her aspirations and reorganized the Seven Sons Society of Jiaoyuan. Among the seven sons, Zhang Chanyun, Mao Anfang, Feng Youling, and Gu Qiji were added, while Xu Can and Zhu Rou were not included. At that time, the name of the Seven Sons was quite famous by the West Lake. He is also skilled in calligraphy and painting, especially in ink and bamboo.
Lin Yining’s “Grain Rain” (which may refer to “Grain Rain II”, as the poem directly named “Grain Rain” is not explicitly written by Lin Yining in search results, but its content description matches “Grain Rain II”) is a poem that depicts the rural scenery during the Grain Rain season. Through delicate brushstrokes, it presents a vibrant pastoral painting, expressing the poet’s love for nature and longing for rural life.
林以宁·《穀雨》
一
镜台流影射窗纱，风到檐前柳脚斜。
竹架整书除脉望，春池洗砚乱蘋花。
桑浓蚕子犹悬箔，日暖蜂干早放衙。
童子佩壶寻涧水，涤瓯明日试新茶。
二
草草深闺度岁华，生平不解问桑麻。
沿篱野豆初牵蔓，绕砌山桃半欲花。
细雨渍成杨柳色，暖风催放牡丹芽。
村姬结束新螺髻，傍晓比邻唤采茶。
Spring Rains for the Crops
Lin Yining
I
A shaft of liquid light from the mirrorstand pierces windowsilk;
Where breezes blow along the eaves willow tips hang at angles.
I tidy the books on bamboo shelves and rid them of silverfish;
When I wash inkstones in a spring pond they get splattered with duckweed blossom.
Mulberry leaves are lush, silkworms still hang on their frames;
Sun warming, the queen bee has already sent out her drones.
The boy hangs a pot at his waist and goes after streamwater;
We clean cups in the sunshine for tasting the new tea.
II
I’ve spent my youthful years thoughtlessly back in the women’s quarters;
My whole life, I’ve never known anything about cultivating mulberry and hemp.
Along the brushwood fence, wild pea vines are putting forth first tendrils;
Around the steps, the mountain cherry is on the verge of blooming.
Fine rains soak into branches to become the willow’s color;
Warm sun nudges into bloom the budding peonies.
Village girls do up their hair in the latest elaborate style
And just before dawn call out to their friends next door,
“Let’s pick tea!”
（Maureen Robertson 译）
