Chinese poetry

[Len]

Here's my take on it. Comments and corrections welcome.

Counting-Number Poem

Zhuo Wenjun

After one single parting,

in two lands, we're lovesick.

You said it would just be three or four months –

who could have known it would be five or six years?

I haven’t the heart to play the seven-stringed qin;

I've no way to send you an eight-lined letter.

Our rings of nine links are torn from their hubs;

at the ten-mile pavilion, I gaze till my eyes water.

A hundred thoughts,

a thousand memories –

ten thousand frustrations to blame you for!

I’ve got ten thousand phrases and one thousand words –

far more than I can say;

I’ve been bored a hundred times,

and leaned over the rail ten more.

Climbing high on the Double Ninth,

I see wild geese all alone;

in the eighth month, at Mid-Autumn,

though people aren’t, the moon’s whole.

In the seventh month, burning incense,

I hold candles to ask Heaven questions;

in the sixth month, at the height of summer,

everyone’s waving fans, but my heart’s cold.

In the fifth month, fiery pomegranates

meet the cold rain that waters the flowers;

in the fourth month, unripened loquats –

with my heart in a mess, I look in a mirror.

Hurriedly, hastily,

third-month peach blossoms follow river turnings;

fluttering, scattered,

second-month kites break their strings.

Ah! Husband, my husband, in the life to come

may you come back as a woman, and I as a man.

[skylee]

I would suggest -

兩地相思 - We are lovesick in two places

七弦琴 - seven-stringed qin

八行書不可傳- there is no way to deliver my eight-lined letter to you

十里長亭望眼欲穿 - at the ten-mile pavilion I look forward to your coming so hard that my eyes are strained

萬般無奈把郎怨 - I have ten thousand frustrations to blame you for

百無聊賴十倚欄 - a hundred times of boredom, to withstand it I lean on the balcony ten times

巴不得下一世你為女來我為男 - I wish that in the next life you would be a woman and I would be a man (so that you would know how I feel)

[Len]

Edited. Thanks skylee!

[Bryant]

Len and Skylee... lots of thanks for the translation. I appreciate it.

[florazheng]

Well, I would like to share my favorite classical Chinese poem here, to be more exactly, it is the Song Lyric named 念奴娇by 张孝祥．

I think the perfect classical Chinese poem should be the trinity of painting, music & poem as well as the best content. That is what most of us Chinese stress 意境. Hmm, what is the English for 意境？And there always leaves room for readers to imagine after reading it.

The lyric by Zhang is greatest for me.

There is a beautiful picture of nature in his depiction 玉鉴琼田三万顷，著我扁舟一叶。素月分辉，明河共影. What a beautiful night ! A sail dotted on the boundless lake. Bright moonlight…

I can hear the traditional Chinese instrument Xiao 萧 is playing…

The patriotic poet was so lonely, his guests were the moon, stars….

洞庭青草，近中秋、更无一点风色。玉鉴琼田三万顷，著我扁舟一叶。素月分辉，明河共影，表里俱澄澈。悠然心会，妙处难与君说。

应念岭表经年，孤光自照，肝胆皆冰雪。短发萧骚襟袖冷，稳泛沧浪空阔。尽吸西江，细斟北斗，万象为宾客。扣舷独笑，不知今夕何夕？

[skylee]

I just picked up a book on my bedside last night and it was poetry and I read this one and was amazed by its beauty, simplicity and aftertaste. The poem was written in Song Dynasty by Sima Guang (scholar/statesman) about 1000 years ago but is still very applicable today. I think It vividly depicts how a person feels after meeting his/her ex-lover whom he/she has not quite forgotten at a party. Another way to interpret it, which I've read on the web, is that a man thinks about a woman whom he's met at a party.

《西江月》司馬光

寶髻鬆鬆挽就

鉛華淡淡妝成

紅煙翠霧罩輕盈

飛絮遊絲無定

相見爭如不見

有情還似無情

笙歌散後酒微醒

深院月明人靜

[hsiezhiyuan]

Instead of the great Tang poem, many people today just like the Song poetry, as a large part of them are soft-toned, I mean those so-called "delicate restraint" style, among the best known are Liu Yong, Yan Su and Li Yu.

Here, I would like to share with you a beautiful Song poem by Xin QuJi, who was know just for his "heroic abandon" style instead.

辛棄疾：漢宮春

============

春已歸來，看美人頭上，裊裊春幡。

無端風雨，未肯收盡余寒。

年時燕子，料今宵，夢到西園。

渾未辦，黃柑荐酒，更傳青韭堆盤。

卻笑東風，從此便薰梅染柳，更沒些閑。

閑時又來鏡里，轉變朱顏。

清愁不斷，問何人會解連環。

生怕見，花開花落，朝來塞雁先還。

Xin Qiji (1140-1207): to the tune "Spring in the Han palace"

================================================

Spring is back, on all the maidens' heads the springtime papercuts.

Ceaseless wind and rain, and still a little bit of cold.

The seasonn when the swallows breed chicks is come, but in the night, I walk in dream in Kaifeng's West Garden. (Kaifeng was the then capital of Song dynatsy)

No finished yet the orange liqueur, we first serve the green scallions plate.

Now we laugh with the eastwind, perfuming plums and coloring willows, to have more leisure time.

In leisure time then we look again in the mirror, to change the rouge on our cheeks.

But our simple sadness never ceases, asking who can loose these chains?

I'm afraid to see again this place in my life. Opening flowers, falling flowers - the dawn impedes the geese to fly home.

[skylee]

Bump, for this post, as the Chong Yang Jie (重陽節) is approaching.

[skylee]

I've just come across this poem, engraved on Tang bronze unearthed not too long ago, author unknown. And I like it so much. So plain, so easy to understand, so intriguing and so old.

君生我未生　我生君已老

君恨我生遲　我恨君生早

君生我未生　我生君已老

恨不生同時　日日與君好

我生君未生　君生我已老

我離君天涯　君隔我海角

我生君未生　君生我已老

化蝶去尋花　夜夜棲芳草

[studentyoung]

I would like to add an easy but philosophic poem, too. I like the last two words very much.

杨万里

Yang Wanli

宋朝

Song Dynasty

《送德轮行者》

Seeing off Monk Delun

沥血抄经奈若何,

So hard copying those Buddhist classics, for what?

十年依旧一头陀。

For the past ten years, you have been still a monk.

袈裟未著愁多事,

Bothered by so many troubles before you take a Buddhist robe,

着了袈裟事更多。

When you are on it, you realize that the troubles are even more.

Thanks!

[valentina]

同学们好

I love these beautiful chinese poems!

I always wonder why ancient chinese poet were so talent to write this kind of poem so easy.As the great literature Hong lou meng described,even Xianglin(a maidservant) could write a poem in just 5 minutes...

Why most of your posts just focous on the love poems?

There are also a lot of amazing poems that describe the beautiful landscape of ancient china.

here is my favorite one by Bai ju yi:

It's not only portray the beautiful scene in just five sentence,but also expressed the strong feeling that the poet missed Jiangnan so much.

忆江南

唐－白居易

江南好，

风景旧曾谙。

日出江花红胜火，

春来江水绿如蓝。

能不忆江南。

　　白居易（772－846），字乐天，号香山居士，他是李白、杜甫以外事名最大的唐代诗人，他写诗敢为百姓诉苦，敢批评皇帝官僚，内容丰富多彩，语言通俗易懂，在当时，妇女和獐都能欣赏。他的作品不仅在国内广泛流传，而且很快传到朝鲜、日本等国。白居易是最早写词的诗人之一，《忆江南》就是一首词。

①忆江南――既是标题，也是词牌名。

②旧曾谙――从前很熟悉。

③江花――江边的花。

④蓝――蓝草，叶子青绿，可制染料。

白居易曾在江南杭州和苏州做官，很受当地群众的爱戴。这首词是他回忆江南景物的作品，艺术上很有特色。先说选材。这首词就是写春天日出时的江南风光。江南风光之美，在于她的秀丽明艳，而最美丽的是那碧绿的江水，最明艳的是那鲜红的江花。可以说，写江南的“日出江花”和“春来江水”，正是写最美的地方，最美的时刻，最美的景色。

再说修辞。形容花红和水绿的两句诗，都是比喻：春风吹拂的满江绿水，就像青青的蓝草一样绿；晨光映照的岸边红花，比熊熊的火焰还要红。这样形象的比喻，把江南的春天渲染得多么绚丽多彩，多么生机勃勃啊！那迷人醉人的春色，当年在苏杭是曾经金属锰览过的，而今却没有那样的机会了。诗不禁叹息地说：叫人怎能不怀念江南呢？结尾这个反问句，诉说了诗人对江南的深深的热爱，也激发着读者对那美丽风光的深深的向往。

[valentina]

Thanks for all the poems above,here is my favorite one written by Bai ju yi,

忆江南

【唐】白居易

江南好，

风景旧曾谙。

日出江花红胜火，

春来江水绿如蓝，

能不忆江南。

It's short,but consummate,the poet use three words of color to describe the beautiful scene of Jiangnan (refer to the southeast of china,Jiangsu and Zhejiang province etc.)

And it also express the poet's strong emotion of missing and dreaming of Jiangnan.

[purepearl]

Maybe we can try translating it into English.

What a miracle South China is----

With all its sceneries in my dreams!

Flaming red flowers at sunrise

And verdantly green rivers at spring---

How can we not miss South China!

[skylee]

verdantly green ...

[purepearl]

Why do you see things so directly? Poetry is not so rational, and poetry reading is not to rationalize everything you read in the lines.

Just imagine the verdantly green vegetations in the spring and their reflections in the crystally clear river surface.

[skylee]

All I said was "verdantly green ...", and how do you know that I saw things SO directly?

我還是藏拙吧。

[valentina]

Purepearl,Thanks for the translation,It's great!

But the english poem is much more like another poem.

I think the translation of a ancient chinese poem can only help people to understand the general meaning of the poem.Unless you read the original chinese poem word by word,you won't get the deeper sensation and how amazing emotion the poem bring to you.Chinese and English are so different,especially the ancient chinese.

对仗（how to say in english? Comparison and homologous?）is very important in chinese poetry.

Here in the poem 江南好,the 蓝 refers to a kind of plant which name is 蓝草,it's a noun,just corresponds to the 火 in the previous sentence.

And also,the 出 and 来 are a pair，花 and 水，红 and 绿，胜 and 如.

[studentyoung]

形容花红和水绿的两句诗，都是比喻：春风吹拂的满江绿水，就像青青的蓝草一样绿；晨光映照的岸边红花，比熊熊的火焰还要红。

some pictures of 西湖.

http://image.baidu.com/i?ct=503316480&z=3&tn=baiduimagedetail&word=%CE%F7%BA%FE&in=45&cl=2&cm=1&sc=0&lm=-1&pn=44&rn=1

http://image.baidu.com/i?ct=503316480&z=3&tn=baiduimagedetail&word=%CE%F7%BA%FE&in=63&cl=2&cm=1&sc=0&lm=-1&pn=62&rn=1

http://image.baidu.com/i?ct=503316480&z=3&tn=baiduimagedetail&word=%CE%F7%BA%FE&in=225&cl=2&cm=1&sc=0&lm=-1&pn=224&rn=1

http://image.baidu.com/i?ct=503316480&z=3&tn=baiduimagedetail&word=%CE%F7%BA%FE&in=278&cl=2&cm=1&sc=0&lm=-1&pn=277&rn=1

And verdantly green rivers at spring---

I wonder if “蓝” in “春来江水绿如蓝” means verdantly green. In my opinion, this “蓝” doesn’t means the green plant called “”蓼蓝indigo plant”or green color, but the blue color taken from it. It seems that “蓝” here means dark blue or shinning blue.

Thanks!

[purepearl]

"I think the translation of a ancient chinese poem can only help people to understand the general meaning of the poem.Unless you read the original chinese poem word by word,you won't get the deeper sensation and how amazing emotion the poem bring to you."

If there can be no translated poetry, then why have so many people of letter tried to translate them again and again? I believe that it is necessary and possible to translate an ancient Chinese poem well and in a poetic way.

Thank you for your comment, which is very valuable. I agree that until we read the original poems we cannot really feel the intense emotions and poetic images as the author created. But I also feel that unless the readers are Chinese, the people from other cultures won't find the original ancient Chinese poetry in the Chinese language relavant or of any value at all.

Therefore we still need to translate poetry between languages, so that we may feel the charm of different languages and the varied ways of self-expression.

[purepearl]

"我還是藏拙吧。"

I didn't mean any harsh criticism at all. I just felt so alone and lonely with that "not so good" translation posted here and no comments at all. Sorry...