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07-03-2006, 12:46 AM | #1 |
Wet Nurse's Aide
Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 40
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7 Chinese poems, critique welcome
Hello,
Following are my translations of 7 classical chinese poems (i noodled on them). But i'm not a native speaker of english, and have never created any creditable english poems. I'd appreciate it if u could share your opinions with me. All criticisms are welcome. Thank u. Poem One Visiting Monk Guang Xuan at the Red Tower but Not Finding Him By Li Yi Persimmon leaves flapping, red with frost and autumn. Against a liquid blue sky silhouette of the red tower. Bamboos framed in the window, lovely and alone. Why not send to ask the neighbor for the key! Poem Two A Song of the Southern River By Li Yi Since I was married to a merchant of Qutang, He has each day stayed out longer than my expectation. Had I known sooner the tides are regular I might have married a wave rider. Poem Three Staying at the Luos’ Pavillion and Thinking of Friends By Li Shangyin Bamboo groove and waterside railings dustless and clean. My longings wander afar over towns and towns. Autumn gloom will not lift, and frost flies into the night, Leaving the withered lotus listening to the sound of rain. Poem Four The Wandering Oriole By Li Shangyin The oriole wanders, your wings flapping and flapping, To whatever fields and streams you happen to find. How is it possible that you warble not what you means A fine day may not be the right time. From windy dawn to dewy dusk, whether it rains or shines, And when a thousand doors open and close, you sing! I once could not bear to listen, lamenting the passing of spring. Where is there in the City of Phoenix a flowered perch? Poem Five Seeing Shen Zifu off to the East of Changjiang River By Wang Wei In the ferry of willows, travelers are scarce. The fisherman plies his oars toward the winding shore. Only the thoughts of you, like the colors of spring, Shall follow you, north and south of the river, all the way home. Poem Six Song of a Painting—Presented to General Cao Ba By Du Fu You, General Cao, descendant of Emperor Wu of Wei, Now live a commoner’s life, plain and humble. Rival warlords once carved up the country. The cultural brilliance and style still survive. You learned calligraphy first from Lady Wei, Regretting that you are second only to Wang Xizhi. “Brushwork leaves me unaware that old age is coming; To me wealth and fame are but floating clouds.” In the reign of Kaiyuan you were often presented at court, And many a time granted audience in Southern Scent Hall. Faces of the heroes were fading in the Gallery of Fame. And your touches brought back their freshness. All the wise ministers are now crowned with Jin Xian coronets, And fierce generals have plumed arrows strapped to the waists. The Duke of Bao and the Duke of Er, their hair bristles, Valiant and courageous, as if in the heat of battle. The late Emperor’s imperial horse, Jade-Flower, None of the mountain of painters captured his true essence. One day he was led to the palace gate, below the scarlet steps, His head held high, inspiring awe and wonder. At the Emperor’s command you stretched the white silk. In no time, out of your artful mind and painful attention, The true dragon was born, from the nine-fold heavens, Erasing, at one stroke, all earthly horses of ages. One Jade-Flower hung above the throne, and one by the steps, They two stood proudly gazing into each other’s eye. The Emperor, smiling, pressed to offer a reward of gold. The stablemen and grooms were all sadly amazed. Your pupil Han Gan has long since learned your art. He too can paint horses in all their diverse guises. But Gan pictures only the flesh, not the bone, And even deprives the legendary Hualiu of its spirit. You, the General, a fine painter with divine strokes, Never failed to portray each worthy man. Now the troubled times have left you wandering, And sketching from time to time the common passersby. Frustrated and helpless, you are scorned by commonners. And none in the world has been so poor as you. But just look at men of great fame, in all ages, Distress and misery have haunted them all their life. Poem Seven Moon over River Tower By Li Bai Jialing River winds her way into the Winding River Lake. The moon is the same, and we are separated from each other. A night of scenes slip into the thoughts of you. The two places, far apart, may rain or shine, but we never know. Who could tell when you are at riverbank thinking of me tonight, I am at the same time by lakeside looking right at you. We talk today together, only to regret simultaneously Our past ignorance of passionate friendship. and we should have exchanged poems earlier. |
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