Weekly post of translated Chinese poetry
Apr. 8th, 2012 12:22 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
Hi! I have been posting Chinese poetry and their English translation on my journal, to celebrate the poetry month. To not to spam the com, I 'm doing a sum up and hope you can enjoy it.
- 轻衣社 · 梅 文 / 沈鱼 Plum Blossoms·Light Garment Society by Shen Yu
- 夏日印象 / 沈苇 The Impression of Summer by Shen We
- 轻衣社·浮云 文 / 沈鱼 Drifting Clouds·Light Garment Society
- 塔尔寺之花 文 / 青海湖 / A Petite Flower in Taer Monastery by Qinghai Lake
- 官道梁:草药年代
文/ 天涯女子 Guandao Ridge: Herbal Years by A Female Wanderer - 寂静制造了风 / 池凌云 Stillness Creates the Wind By Chi Lingyun
- 在民国
文/夜鱼 In the Early Period of the Republic of China by Nocturnal Fish
A Song of Unending Sorrow by Bai Juyi
Jan. 14th, 2012 02:40 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
Historical background: late in the 40-odd year riegn of Tang Emperor Xuanzong, a Turkish-born general named An Lushan became a favorite of both the emperor and his beautiful concubine, Yang Guifei. As the result of political in-fighting with her cousin, the chancellor, An Lushan revolted in 755 and the next year captured the capital of Chang'an (in modern Shaanxi province). As the emperor fled over mountains to Sichuan, his guardsmen blamed the Yang family for the uprising and forced him to have Yang Guifei executed.
Needless to say, this is a Highly Romantic (and romaticized) event.
In 806, Bai Juyi wrote this poem about the affair. The translation below by Witter Bynner (1929) calls it "A Song of Unending Sorrow," but is more commonly known in English as "Song of Everlasting Regret."
China's Emperor, craving beauty that might shake an empire,
Was on the throne for many years, searching, never finding,
Till a little child of the Yang clan, hardly even grown,
Bred in an inner chamber, with no one knowing her,
But with graces granted by heaven and not to be concealed,
At last one day was chosen for the imperial household.
If she but turned her head and smiled, there were cast a hundred spells,
And the powder and paint of the Six Palaces faded into nothing.
...It was early spring. They bathed her in the FlowerPure Pool,
Which warmed and smoothed the creamy-tinted crystal of her skin,
And, because of her languor, a maid was lifting her
When first the Emperor noticed her and chose her for his bride.
The cloud of her hair, petal of her cheek, gold ripples of her crown when she moved,
Were sheltered on spring evenings by warm hibiscus curtains;
But nights of spring were short and the sun arose too soon,
And the Emperor, from that time forth, forsook his early hearings
And lavished all his time on her with feasts and revelry,
His mistress of the spring, his despot of the night.
There were other ladies in his court, three thousand of rare beauty,
But his favours to three thousand were concentered in one body.
By the time she was dressed in her Golden Chamber, it would be almost evening;
And when tables were cleared in the Tower of Jade, she would loiter, slow with wine.
Her sisters and her brothers all were given titles;
And, because she so illumined and glorified her clan,
She brought to every father, every mother through the empire,
Happiness when a girl was born rather than a boy.
...High rose Li Palace, entering blue clouds,
And far and wide the breezes carried magical notes
Of soft song and slow dance, of string and bamboo music.
The Emperor's eyes could never gaze on her enough--
( Till war-drums, booming from Yuyang, shocked the whole earth )
( Chinese text )
See also this line-by-line prose version from Wikimedia. Wengdu has a version with automatic dictionary lookups of the modern meaning of each character.
---L.
Needless to say, this is a Highly Romantic (and romaticized) event.
In 806, Bai Juyi wrote this poem about the affair. The translation below by Witter Bynner (1929) calls it "A Song of Unending Sorrow," but is more commonly known in English as "Song of Everlasting Regret."
China's Emperor, craving beauty that might shake an empire,
Was on the throne for many years, searching, never finding,
Till a little child of the Yang clan, hardly even grown,
Bred in an inner chamber, with no one knowing her,
But with graces granted by heaven and not to be concealed,
At last one day was chosen for the imperial household.
If she but turned her head and smiled, there were cast a hundred spells,
And the powder and paint of the Six Palaces faded into nothing.
...It was early spring. They bathed her in the FlowerPure Pool,
Which warmed and smoothed the creamy-tinted crystal of her skin,
And, because of her languor, a maid was lifting her
When first the Emperor noticed her and chose her for his bride.
The cloud of her hair, petal of her cheek, gold ripples of her crown when she moved,
Were sheltered on spring evenings by warm hibiscus curtains;
But nights of spring were short and the sun arose too soon,
And the Emperor, from that time forth, forsook his early hearings
And lavished all his time on her with feasts and revelry,
His mistress of the spring, his despot of the night.
There were other ladies in his court, three thousand of rare beauty,
But his favours to three thousand were concentered in one body.
By the time she was dressed in her Golden Chamber, it would be almost evening;
And when tables were cleared in the Tower of Jade, she would loiter, slow with wine.
Her sisters and her brothers all were given titles;
And, because she so illumined and glorified her clan,
She brought to every father, every mother through the empire,
Happiness when a girl was born rather than a boy.
...High rose Li Palace, entering blue clouds,
And far and wide the breezes carried magical notes
Of soft song and slow dance, of string and bamboo music.
The Emperor's eyes could never gaze on her enough--
( Till war-drums, booming from Yuyang, shocked the whole earth )
( Chinese text )
See also this line-by-line prose version from Wikimedia. Wengdu has a version with automatic dictionary lookups of the modern meaning of each character.
---L.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
crossposted to
poetry
Chen Qiuyu (鄭愁予) is a famous modern Taiwan poet noted for his use of tradition Chinese images..
錯誤 (鄭愁予)
我 不 是 歸 人 , 是 個 過 客 …
Mistake by Chen qiu yu
I come from Jiang Nan, The face that waits in the season bosoms and falls like the water lily.
The East wind doesn't come, March's willow leaves don't fly
Your heart is like a lonely little town
The stone-pave street at night
Don't come The foot steps , March's Spring curtain doesn't unveil
Your heart's like little window shut close.
The tapping sound of my horse is a beautiful mistake.
I am not the one to stay. I only pass by.
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
Chen Qiuyu (鄭愁予) is a famous modern Taiwan poet noted for his use of tradition Chinese images..
錯誤 (鄭愁予)
我 打 江 南 走 過
那 等 在 季 節 裏 的 容 顏 如 蓮 花 的 開 落
東 風 不 來 , 三 月 的 柳 絮 不 飛
你 底 心 如 小 小 寂 寞 的 城
恰 若 青 石 的 街 道 向 晚
音 不 響 , 三 月 的 春 帷 不 揭
你 底 心 是 小 小 的 窗 扉 緊 掩
我 不 是 歸 人 , 是 個 過 客 …
Mistake by Chen qiu yu
I come from Jiang Nan, The face that waits in the season bosoms and falls like the water lily.
The East wind doesn't come, March's willow leaves don't fly
Your heart is like a lonely little town
The stone-pave street at night
Don't come The foot steps , March's Spring curtain doesn't unveil
Your heart's like little window shut close.
The tapping sound of my horse is a beautiful mistake.
I am not the one to stay. I only pass by.
禁色 (Forbidden colour)
Apr. 26th, 2011 11:13 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
禁色 was a Cantonese song sung by an Hong Kong indie band 達明一派 in 1980's, and it was believed to be about asking for a more open attitude about homosexuality, back when its decriminalization was a hot topic in 1980's in Hong Kong. The video I chose is a cover by a local singer 何韻詩。
The video:
( cut for the video )
Lyric in Traditional Chinese
( Lyric in Traditional Chinese )
Transliteration in pin yin
( Transliteration in pin yin )
My own translation
( My translation )
The video:
( cut for the video )
Lyric in Traditional Chinese
( Lyric in Traditional Chinese )
Transliteration in pin yin
( Transliteration in pin yin )
My own translation
( My translation )
April is for Poetry - 夜行者 by 戴望舒.
Apr. 23rd, 2011 01:11 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
I've been posting my own translation of various modern Chinese poems in this tag for the April Poetry Month. Come take a look. Constructive criticism is welcomed.
For more legitimacy, here is the poem for today:
Original Text:
( Original text in Simplified Chinese )
Transliteration in pinyin: ( Transliteration in pinyin )
My translation:
( My translation )
For more legitimacy, here is the poem for today:
Original Text:
( Original text in Simplified Chinese )
Transliteration in pinyin: ( Transliteration in pinyin )
My translation:
( My translation )
(no subject)
Jan. 30th, 2011 11:02 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
My personal translation project right now is to translate 숙향전 (淑香傳), or Tale of Sukhyang, and I'm currently up to part 12 of the first volume:
volume 1, parts 1-3
volume 1, parts 4-6
volume 1, parts 7-9
volume 1, part 10
volume 1, parts 11-12
I will post more links as I progress further into the story!
volume 1, parts 1-3
volume 1, parts 4-6
volume 1, parts 7-9
volume 1, part 10
volume 1, parts 11-12
I will post more links as I progress further into the story!
(no subject)
Nov. 13th, 2010 02:16 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
I just posted an English translation of a pre-modern Korean essay written by a woman during the late Joseon period in my journal, and I thought I'd link here, in case anyone is interested:
조침문 (弔針文), or Elegy for a Needle
조침문 (弔針文), or Elegy for a Needle
(no subject)
Apr. 2nd, 2010 05:11 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
One of the songs I'm listening to now:
( Love of a lifetime )
你是我胸口永远的痛 - You are my eternal chest pain! (XD XD)
( Lyrics, literal translation, and less literal translation here! )
( Love of a lifetime )
你是我胸口永远的痛 - You are my eternal chest pain! (XD XD)
( Lyrics, literal translation, and less literal translation here! )