The back is a poem in 詞/词 (ci) form by the Northern Song poet 蘇軾/苏轼 (Su Shi) titled 水调歌头·明月几时有. Wikipedia has a translation of it (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Su_Shi#Poetry) as "When will the moon be clear and bright?" The original can be read on sites like this one, baike.baidu.com/view/538467.htm (it's in simplified Chinese only, sorry)
Google Translate's rendition of parts of the text on that page is solid gold:
The summer solstice, to buy the fan. A large number of special "plum, orchid, bamboo, chrysanthemum," the fourth and painting on the fan.
Plum in front of the word: the snow high branches reflect Leifei scared Jamie and Zoran Qi destroy eyebrow.
Lan words: net Eladrin Ada extraordinary, deep mountain stream, grace more elegant.
Words: bamboo before stabbing the sky refused to swing floating the root ganglion solid, with an open mind the most outstanding.
Daisy in front of the word: thank best the flowers blossoming wild public opinion, spring and summer go, Shuangda, Chi Yan Qu.
The early thought 15 characters Cipai, after suddenly and Wu, "set by leaders to make the first word to enlarge resting on. These first words, each of the first sentences rhyme or third sentence oblique tones also need to co-rhyme. A lot of character, an impulse, filled four, and talk for a smile.
"the snow high branches reflect Leifei scared Jamie and Zoran Qi destroy eyebrow."
Oh Google. They've gotten much better with their translations but this harkens back to the good old days when they spit out priceless comedy. I'm crying.
The passage actually says something like this:
Summer, bought a fan. The face of the fan has four super large words "plum, orchid, bamboo, chrysanthemum" and painting(s).
Before (the word) plum, there is ci poetry: snow falls, high branches and something about buds, frightfully/surprisingly pure and beautiful, something about eyebrows
Before (the word) orchid, there is ci poetry: elegant soul something extraordinary, deep mountain ravine, scenery more elegant
Before (the word) bamboo, there is ci poetry: stabbing toward the clouds resisting swinging, root(s) rigid, humble? heart most outstanding
Before (the word) chrysanthemum, there is ci poetry: thank very much hundred flowers growing in chains? in the wild, spring and summer have passed, frost battering something about sorrow?
The poem basically describes the virtues of the plants as winter, spring, summer and fall flowers. A far cry from the autotranslation.
Somewhere out there, surely, there must be a t-shirt that says "The summer solstice, to buy the fan." on it. Then underneath as a subheader, "floating the root ganglion solid" and then "Est. 1969."
...I swear I have OWNED t-shirts like this, as a child!
tuuli_chan) wrote in 
linguaphiles,
February 17 2013, 20:49:45 UTC 3 months ago Edited: February 17 2013, 20:58:05 UTC
Front: Four small poems 令 (16 characters each, 16th character is header here). Headers: 梅 — plum, 蘭 — orchid, 竹 — bamboo, 菊 — chrysanthemum.
Back: Cursive writing, it needs time and skills for deciphering.
Here is description of fan similar to yours with text of poems:
http://9155926.blog.hexun.com.tw/526246
February 17 2013, 22:01:54 UTC 3 months ago
February 18 2013, 05:00:50 UTC 3 months ago
February 18 2013, 05:59:53 UTC 3 months ago
February 18 2013, 18:19:22 UTC 3 months ago
Oh Google. They've gotten much better with their translations but this harkens back to the good old days when they spit out priceless comedy. I'm crying.
The passage actually says something like this:
Summer, bought a fan. The face of the fan has four super large words "plum, orchid, bamboo, chrysanthemum" and painting(s).
Before (the word) plum, there is ci poetry: snow falls, high branches and something about buds, frightfully/surprisingly pure and beautiful, something about eyebrows
Before (the word) orchid, there is ci poetry: elegant soul something extraordinary, deep mountain ravine, scenery more elegant
Before (the word) bamboo, there is ci poetry: stabbing toward the clouds resisting swinging, root(s) rigid, humble? heart most outstanding
Before (the word) chrysanthemum, there is ci poetry: thank very much hundred flowers growing in chains? in the wild, spring and summer have passed, frost battering something about sorrow?
The poem basically describes the virtues of the plants as winter, spring, summer and fall flowers. A far cry from the autotranslation.
February 19 2013, 08:40:51 UTC 3 months ago
February 19 2013, 17:13:46 UTC 3 months ago
February 21 2013, 05:42:25 UTC 3 months ago
...I swear I have OWNED t-shirts like this, as a child!