Far From The Maddening Crowd

It was getting monotonous at home and we decided to take a spin to the hydrogen gas station in Torrance to fill the car up. While sitting in the car, I looked up from the phone to pause my game and  saw a row of trees by the road swaying in the breeze.  It was like an ocean wave in green traversing down the street. The gorgeous day must have also helped in lifting my spirits…

1 風吹樹搖翠曲波 Trees rippling in the breeze like a song of green,
2 日麗懷暢蔭下坐 Gorgeous is the day and in best of spirits, I sat under the shade.
3 金杯無須玉碟伴 The golden goblet needs no jade plates for accompaniment,
4 只瞰山腰雲烟鎖 Just look down and enjoy the mountainside swathed in clouds.

3 Referring to the poet’s aloofness from politics and material pursuits. Unlike jade which can be shattered easily. Jade here refers to the spineless and corrupt nobility. Or that with only wine in hand, there's no need to have any food around - need not have unnecessary things around.

Tuesday, July 27, 2021

Another Seventh Night Variation

Again from a tango doodle with the brush...

1 柳月微笑洞庭水 The crescent moon smiles softly at the waters of Lake Grotto Court,
2 船舟橫泊甜密醉 Boats and skiffs docked sweetly together like inebriated lovers of the night.
3 七夕未臨怨秋遲 Seventh Night has yet to come, fretting that autumn is always late,
4 鵲橋終聚銀河催 And finally met on the Magpie Bridge, the Milky Way invariably hastens.

1 Literally, the willow leaf shaped moon.  The lake is better known as Dong Ting.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dongting_Lake

3 The story of the Cowherd and the Weaver Maid Stars - Altair and Vega.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qixi_Festival

4 It is said that on that night, no magpie is seen because they had flown to the skies to form a bridge so that the lovers can meet.

Sunday, 25 July 2021

Thoughts Of A Dresser: Autumn Thoughts By The Dresser - Variation V

This poem was inspired on seeing a pale-yellow full moon hanging over the 101 S Freeway as I was driven home. It was not bright but a soft glow like a Chinese lantern.

1 長門落景朝暮歎 The sun is setting  at the Eternal Gate and she sighs from morn till dusk,
2 未央秋夜月色淡 Pale is the autumn moon at the Palace of Not Yet Zenith.
3 妝台寂寞塵烟伴 And dust and mists are companions to the lonely dresser,

4 渡日見淚君夢探 Days spent in tears and dreams of visits from her Lord.

1 落景: rays of the setting sun or the setting sun itself. 長門: Also known as the Long/Tall Gate or Tall Gate, the story of Emperor Han Wu Di and his first empress, Chen Ah Chiao.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chen_Jiao

2 Wei Yang is a Han Dynastic concept of forever reaching the zenith, i.e., always in ascendance for once the zenith is reached, decay and descendance is inevitable.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weiyang_Palace

4 Referring to Emperor Han Wu Ti. 君 is the adjective for 夢.  If used as a verb, then it makes no sense as "My Lord dreams of a visit".

Friday, 23 July 2021

Midnight Tryst

This came suddenly as I was practising my calligraphy by writing different characters as they popped into my mind.

月渡寒江見何人 For who does the moon cross the cold river to see?

橋頭古松看星辰 Upon the bridge head, ancient pines looking at the constellations.
夜掃橫舟醉眠香 Night sweeps across docked boats and  fragrance reeking from a drunken slumber,

黎明東破遍紅塵 The eastern skies are broken as morning spreads across the mortal realm.

Thursday, July 22, 2021

A Cicada in A Cold Night - 寒夜蟬

This poem was inspired by the words, 寒蟬 in a song but I was unable to complete the poem. A few days later, out of the blue, it was suddenly completed unintentionally.

窗外寒蟬夜叫聲 Beyond the window are the cold sounds of cicadas,
攕碎夢界不留情 Shattering borders of dreams without mercy.
莫見燭影覺淚痕 No candle light seen but traces of tears felt.
牛郎依看織女星 The Cowherd still looking towards the Spinning Maid Star.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cowherd_and_the_Weaver_Girl

Saturday, July 17, 2021

The First Time

This came to me during my usual doodling with the brush.  As usual, the first line is the inspiring line.  

This is about the story between the emperor and a courtesan.  The beauty and artistic accomplishments of Li Shishi (李師師) reached the ears of the Emperor Sung Hui Tsung.  He disguised himself as a businessman to see for himself as he could not believe the rumours. After their first meeting, the emperor was infatuated with her talents and it was said that a tunnel was built from the palace to the brothel to avoid further scandalous tongue wagging by the populace.

1 萬花樓閣千客烟 The Pavilion of Ten Thousand Flowers filled with the air of a thousand guests,
2 沉香亭苑無人前 And yet none dare entered the garden to approach the Gazebo of Deep Fragrance.
3 鶯語歌曲彩鳳勝 The mellifluent songs of orioles superior than those the colored phoenix,
4 醉杯月下金龍現 Cups a teeter in tipsiness and under the moon, revealed the golden dragon.

1 Usually the name of a brothel. The numbers here are just an exaggeration to show that there are more women than the frolicking patrons.

2 Another name for a pavilion in the pleasure gardens.

3 The language of orioles is used to describe the lovely voices of the maidens. The phoenix is the queen of birds here we are contrasting the status of the orioles and the phoenix and is synonymous with the Empress.

4 The dragon symbolizes the emperor.

Monday, July 19, 2021

The Final Journey

Another sudden inspiration as I was refining the previous poem...

1 浪平一帆天涯夢 One sailboat upon the calm waves, reached for the ends of the sky,
2 雲深三島海角同 The hazy Three Blessed Isles are cloud enshrouded at the ocean’s edge.
3 過去人生是非遠 Life's rights or wrongs are now far far away,
4 紅塵富貴手提空 Empty handed that I am now from the riches and power of the mortal realm.

1 窮 is used as a verb meaning "to have reached the end point"

2 It is believed that this is the abode of the immortals.

4 All the problems of the world emanate from wealth and power! Automatic translators would render 手提 as handphone!

Tuesday, July 20, 2021