惊时最是梅。
Plum-blossoms catch the eyes at earliest date.
衔霜当路发，
They start to bud along the road in frost,
映雪拟寒开。
Blooming in the cold with snow as its mate.
枝横却月观，
The temples are surrounded by their twigs;
花绕凌风台。
The terraces are encircled by their bloom.
朝酒长门泣，
At this sight, Sima Xiangru wrote sad poems
夕驻临邛桥。
And happy poems as well, I can presume.
应知早飘落，
Plum-blossoms know that they're the first to fall,
故逐上春来。
Therefore, they are the first spring blooms of all.