本書收〈明湖居雜詩〉一小詩集與〈長生殿〉洋歌劇腳本；都是閒來信筆塗抹而又敝帚自珍的修定稿。〈雜詩〉不多，自述懷舊、閒居快遊、歷史時事、遊藝遐想各體粗略具備。〈長生殿〉劇中死不見屍的楊玉環還陽，替唐明皇招魂而後追隨以俱去，是遊戲筆墨，或可算做翻案文章。律體詩的平平仄仄，其系統跟作者的母語沒多大差別。在這古老的詩國裏南腔北調，古今詞彙與方言歷來都是「現代」文學語言的源泉；書中遂照樣雜揉文白與俚語。詩體老舊，但長存於一般人日常的口耳之間，舊瓶不妨裝新酒；況且無律的古體與失律的打油，除了用韻，堪稱自由。雖無深意，寫現實不顯隔閡。
This book of verse consists of a volume of miscellanies and an opera libretto, composed by the amateur author whose profession is the historical Chinese linguistics. There are biographic, nostalgic, historical writings, travel notes, and a certain fantasia. As his mother tongue is fitting for the tonally regulated poetry, all the pieces are in the vintage poetic forms. The blend of colloquialism with traditional and dialectal expressions as well as the street talks in one pot somehow helps to bring closer the gap between the archaism and the modern life.
