Chinese Poetry

I offer Chinese poetry in English, so that may interest you, Pratterson. Or maybe not.

And Bennise, by pure coincidence, I found out a possible explanation of the five nasty little creatures that your daughter made for the Dragon Boat Festival. The five creatures should be scorpion, toad, centipede, snake and newt/spider (it varies with different areas). They're very nasty (duh), and so on the Dragonboat Festival, people use different ways to get rid of them. One would be pasting paper cuttings of them at different places, and putting a needle through the paper, thus "killing" the animal.
 
Well, haven't translated anything in a looong time. So if anyone is still interested, here's a new poem.


Oh Heavens

Oh heavens,(1) I will know him and be true to him, onto the end of my life; (2)
Till the mountains no longer have peaks, and rivers run dry;
Till thunder roars in winter and snow falls in summer;
Till the heavens and earth become one; (3)
Only then will I divorce him.​
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Footnotes:
(1) She is calling upon the heavens to witness her oath.

(2) This sentence is not the direct translation, but only the basic meaning. My mind is not working at the moment and I have no reference materials at hand.

(3) That is, when the world comes to an end.

Background
Well, no known author here, so that will save me some typing. :p
This poem was written in the Han Dynasty (202BC to 220AD). It is one of the many poems we call Yuefu. These poems were originally written as songs. They were folksongs, probably written by the working people (mainly farmers and their families) instead of scholars. Thus they are known for their simple, straight forward writing; unlike many poems by scholars which often use vague references that only the learned can understand. But as time passed, the music was lost, and the lyrics were preserved as a form of poetry.
As an after thought, folksong/poems often use the first line as a title.
 
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Well, lots of the poetry in ancient China were originally written to music, so hopefully to clear up confusion, here’s a list of dynasties and their dominant form of poetry:
(though many of these poems are written to music or written as songs, the music was lost over time, and the lyrics were preserved as a form of poetry.)


Zhou (1122 - 221BC) : Shi Jing. A collection of three hundred poems (earliest collection of poetry in China). Most of them folk songs, but also quite a few by nobles and officials. The foundations of Chinese Literature. Many future poems make references to these poems.

Han (206BC -220AD) : Yuefu. These poems were originally written as songs. They were folksongs, probably written by the working people (mainly farmers and their families) instead of scholars. Thus they are known for their simple, straight forward writing.
As an after thought, folksong/poems often use the first line as a title.


Tang (618 - 907AD) : Poems in the Tang dynasty were usually not written to music, but often people will write music to go with poems and sing the poems. Seeing as many poems in the Tang dynasty had the same number of words and similar tones, one piece of music can be sung with any number of poems.

Song (960 - 1279) : Ci. Sort of developed from the trend of singing poems in the Tang Dynasty. Poems were written to music, and there were a few favorite tunes which I’ve seen any number of poets use. In Ci, the rules regarding the meter and tones are very very strict, though some poets tend to disregard the rules.

Yuan (1279 - 1368) : Qu. Very similar to Ci, but very loose with rules. Poets can freely add words that don’t fit in the music (A line of music may have five notes, but the poet may use seven words). These extra words were written in smaller print and sung softly and quickly, so as not to mess up the rhythm so much. Also, while Ci was mainly just short songs, Qu can be written as either songs, or as musicals. (And just another random note, during the Yuan Dynasty, scholars were at the bottom rung of society, their status was just beneath that of a prostitute and above that of a beggar. I get angry just thinking of it! )
 
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beautiful

Lossëndil said:
Well, haven't translated anything in a looong time. So if anyone is still interested, here's a new poem.


Oh Heavens

Oh heavens,(1) I will know him and be true to him, onto the end of my life; (2)
Till the mountains no longer have peaks, and rivers run dry;
Till thunder roars in winter and snow falls in summer;
Till the heavens and earth become on; (3)
Only then will I divorce him.​
--------------
Footnotes:
(1) She is calling upon the heavens to witness her oath.

(2) This sentence is not the direct translation, but only the basic meaning. My mind is not working at the moment and I have no reference materials at hand.

(3) That is, when the world comes to an end.

Background
Well, no known author here, so that will save me some typing. :p
This poem was written in the Han Dynasty (202BC to 220AD). It is one of the many poems we call Yuefu. These poems were originally written as songs. They were folksongs, probably written by the working people (mainly farmers and their families) instead of scholars. Thus they are known for their simple, straight forward writing; unlike many poems by scholars which often use vague references that only the learned can understand. But as time passed, the music was lost, and the lyrics were preserved as a form of poetry.
As an after thought, folksong/poems often use the first line as a title.
Click to expand...

Hi Lossëndil
thank you for another beautiful poem, one that I will want to share with my best friend/husband :)
 
Lossendil, what you say about extra words in Qu reminds me of how Shakespeare would sometimes bend his iambic pentameter a little, in order to fit extra syllables in lines. This was often because proper iambic pentameter ends each line on an accented syllable, but sometimes Shakespeare wanted a line to end on an unaccented syllable, such as "Then imitate the action of the tiger" from "Henry the Fifth." If I'm not mistaken, Chinese does not have our clear distinction of accented syllables; but of course a poet could still need to fit in more words.
 
I'm glad you liked it. :) Here's one of my favorite poems, though I can’t say I agree with its philosophy. (Wonder if I'll get more readers now that this is in the Lampost? That's wishful thinking...)


Summer Rain upon the Lotus Leaves (1)

I follow the deep cool shade of thick green leaves,
Cast upon pavilion and its pond.
The pomegranates are newly blooming: (2)
Every one of them wears a new red gown.
The newborn swallows and nightingales chatter,
And upon the willows high,
In reply, the cicadae sing. (3)
After a summer shower, pearls are scattered,
Upon the new lotus leaves.

How often is there in life,
Such good times and beauty?
Oh, let it not go a waste!
For whether wealth or humbleness,
Has already been decided by Fate. (4)
Why strive in vain for such?
I order my friends and invite my guests
To come in play…
I sing softly before my cup of fragrance, (5)
Now let us be drunk!
What of the sun and moon,
That they come and go as the weaver’s loom? (6)

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Footnotes:
(1) A Qu of the Yuan Dynasty. “Summer Rain etc.” is the title of the music that this poem was written to. Originally the music had some other title, but the line “After a summer shower, pearls are scattered, upon the new lotus leaves” was so impressive that people adopted it instead of the original title.

(2) Pomegranates: see link (Wikipedia).
Pomegranate.jpg


(3) Cicada: see link (Wikipedia).
Cicada.jpg


(4) In the original version (untranslated), the line was “… has already been decided by our former lives” which is based on the belief that doing good in one lifetime will lead to a good, wealthy and easy life in the next lifetime. So if you were bad in your last life, this life isn’t going to be easy, and vice versa.

(5) Cup of fragrance: that is, cup of wine.

(6) The sun and moon fly quickly across the sky as the weaver's loom; that is, time flies quickly.
 
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I'm still here for you!

When the Psalmist wrote that the heavens declare the glory of God, he was addressing an audience which already knew there WAS a God for the heavens TO declare the glory of. Simplistic interpretations of Romans 1, assuming that "everyone really knows," overlook the fact that societies can wander very, very far away from the knowledge of the true Creator, so that new generations are taught assumptions which prevent them from readily seeing the glory as you and I see it. This is not because it is wrong to see God's glory in the creation, but because the unaided creation by itself cannot preserve the explicit lesson. Or as Mr. Lewis put it, "Nature does not teach."

This latest poem illustrates what I mean. There are phenomena of nature which might inspire you or me to say, "Look what a brilliant designer God is!" But for this Chinese gentleman, lacking the knowledge of the Word of God, the very same natural phenomena only produced the response, "Let's have a good time while we can." I do not thereby look on that Chinese gentleman as wicked; I see him as underprivileged.
 
I'm glad I still have my loyal reader. :)

And it's kind of depressing when you think about how many unprivileged people there were in China. At least all the poets I know of just for a start. :(
 
Someday I'm going to live in a nice cozy house in the countryside with a little stream in my backyard. And next to my little stream I'm going to put up a sign with this poem on it:

(this is Yuefu peom)


Do not cross the river, sir!
But you did cross the river, sir!
Then you fell into the river and drowned, sir!
And what could I do about it?
​



Legend says that one day, a mad man came walking by a river with a skin of wine in his hands, and his wife came chasing after him "Do not corss the river!" she cried. But he either did not hear her, or did not listen. He attemtped to cross the river, fell in, and drowned. The woman was distraught, and weeping, she sang this song. After that, she lept into the river to join her husband in death. A poet who just happened to pass that way heard the song and wept too. He recorded the song, and all who heard it wept.
 
These are all such beautiful poems,Lossy.And your translation is excellent!I sometimes translate Polish into English,and that's hard.I wonder how hard Chinese is too translate,then!
 
Oh, let it not go a waste!

I've been catching up on your poems-in-translation, Lossëndil. Thank you so much for posting! I especially liked these lines from Summer Rain:

How often is there in life,
Such good times and beauty?
Oh, let it not go a waste!

What a wise reminder to not miss the beauty of today in life and in others! May we never grow too busy to live in wonder at beauty. My mom is very sensitive to the beauty in flowers; your poem is inspiring me to pick some up for her soon.
 
Thank you for reading, Dryad. I'm glad to have gained a new reader. :) Translating is hard, but fun. Sometimes I just use a loose translation when I can't come up with an accurate one, because I find that sometimes being too accurate, and having too many footnotes, just sort of takes away the fun of reading a poem... But sometimes I stick to the original, because straying to far takes away its beauty... Still looking for the right balance here. :o

Thank you for reading, Benisse. I'm glad you liked it. That's the reason I liked the poem too. ;) I hope your mother likes your flowers. :)
 
I thought I'd bump this thread up for those who weren't on the forum when it was posted. :) The translations are really interesting.
 
Thank you for bumping the thread, Glen. :) I probably ought to do more translations when I have time. Oh boy, which ones should I start with??
 
Lossëndil said:
Some of my attempts at translating the Chinese poems I love.
And also several contributed the loyal readers who keep this thread worth while. Thanks guys. :)

Contents (dynasty):

The Joy of Meeting (Nan-tang)

Dinking Beneath the Moon (Tang)

On a Gate-Tower at Yu-chou (Tang)

Random facts on Chinese Rhyme ;)

Remembering the Fair Lady . Reflecting on Ancient Times at Chibi (Song)

Standing at the Edge of the Waters (Ming)

On hearing a Flute at Luo-yang on a Spring Evening (Tang)

Benisse: To the Tune 'Glittering Sword Hilts' (Tang)

Benisse: The River Merchant's Wife: A Letter (Tang)

Narnian Pirate: Grass (Tang)

Benisse: Old Age (Tang)

The Fisher Father (Zhou)

Thoughts on a Quite Night (Tang)

Song of the Plum Blossom Hut (Ming)

Oh Heavens (Han)

Some dynasties and their dominant form of poetry ;)

Summer Rain upon the Lotus Leaves (Yuan)

Newest: Do not cross the river, sir (Han)
Click to expand...

So far i've been reading still is Some dynasties...:)
 
Glad to have a new reader!

And surprise! A new poem!
But this was done during my history readings, so it really does not live up to the original. :( Still, I figured I'd post it, and get some feedback from the poets here. Please, perhaps with your help this could be more beautiful.


To the Tune of Jiang Chengzi: A Dream on the 12th Day of the First Month of Year 62 (1)

Ten years of life and death shrouded in mist …
Not trying to remember, but how could I forget?
Your lonely grave lies a hundred leagues away, (2)
Where could I confess my sorrows?
Even if we met, you would not know me:
Age has covered my face with dust; my hair is white as frost.

In a dream that came with night,
I suddenly find myself home again.
You are painting your face by the little screened window.
We lock eyes, but could not speak for a thousand silent tears.
O! every year this pain tears at me,
Beneath the moonlit nights,
Beneath the mountain pines! 3​


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Footnotes:

(1) Song poem, I refer you here. I'm not sure what the meaning of Jiang Chengzi is, but I think it means "City by the River." It is the title of the melody, while "A Dream on..." is the actual title of the poem.

(2) I'm rather proud of this (:p), because a hundred leagues is rather close to the actual measurement he used, it was originally a thousand li (里).

(3) Most notes I've looked at say this refers to the wife's tomb. The poem itself doesn't say anything to that effect, so make of it what you will.

A little back ground?
The poet is Su Shi. I've already posted on poem by him (see here), so I'll just re-quote that.
Su Shi (1037-1101AD), one of my favorite poets, lived in the Song Dynasty. He is also the most well known poet of that period. Like the Tang Dynasty, poems can roughly be divided into two groups. (I guess you are now hopelessly confused about the Tang and Song Dynasty, sorry about that. :o ) Anyway, Su Shi is a representative of the hao fang style. He managed to basically revolutionize poetry of the Song Dynasty. He and his father and brother were known as “The Three Su” (Su’s the family name), they were also three of “The Eight Great Writers of Prose in the Tang and Song Dynasties.” I haven’t read much of his prose, but I love his poems.
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This poem is one of his most famous poems, and was written in remembrance of his first wife, who had died ten years earlier.
And for reference, here's another translation of the poem:
http://www.chinapage.com/poet-e/sushi2e.html#010
I don't know why the whole internet has only this translation. But apparently such is the case.



Again, this was a rather rough piece of translation. I caught the basic meanings, but I'm afraid this is lacking in poetic flavor. Please, comment critically and offer suggestion. Especially on a more poetic way to say "doing make up"!
 
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Lossëndil said:
Again, this was a rather rought piece of translation. I caught the basic meanings, but I'm afriad this is lacking in poetic flavor. Please, comment critically and offer suggestion. Especially on a more poetic way to say "doing make up"!
Click to expand...

"You powder your face" or "You are painting your face?" Without knowing any Chinese or anything about Chinese make-up, I'm not sure what would fit best. A beautiful poem, though!
 
“Wide River”

Who says the river is wide?
I would cross it upon a leaf.
Who says that Sung is far?
I can see it on tiptoes.

Who says the river is wide?
It cannot hold even the littlest boat.
Who says that Sung is far?
I could reach it before breakfast.​

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Background:
This is from the Poetry, or Shi Jing (the Book of Poems), the first collection of Chinese poetry, dating back to before 500 BC. The writer was probably someone from the Sung nation who was living in the Wei nation: very far from home, somewhere across a very wide river. (China was dozens of tiny, feuding nations back then.)
 
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