Asia Trip 2023 Inspirations VI - Sanzen-In 三千院, Temple Of Trichiliocosm

This poem was inspired when I visited the Sanzen-in garden in Kyoto…

1 莫見石池波動難 ‘tis difficult to see stone waves moving without the rock garden pond,
2 秋時紅楓葉落殘 And autumn’s withering red maple leaves are falling.
3 水滴流聲三千院 The sound of flowing and dripping water of the Temple of Trichiliocosm,
4 清靜隔世避塵凡 Is a serenity that separates the escaped realm of mortals.

1 There is no rock garden at the Sanzen-in. What I was remembering was the one from Ryoanji, 龍安寺 from a previous trip. Another interpretation is that it is not difficult to see the ripples moving in the rock garden because of the double negatives used in the line.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ry%C5%8Dan-ji

2 This line comes from these photos that I took,

• 

3 This line comes from these photos,

三千院 or in Japanese Sanzen-In. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanzen-in 

Textually, the name means three thousand courtyard/institution in Chinese. “Three thousand” is a short for trichiliocosm, a Buddhist term to mean “a concept in cosmology” of a third-order universe containing one thousand second-order clusters which in turn consists of one thousand first-order clusters which in turn is made from a thousand worlds.

4 清靜 must be translated as “serene” and not quietude as this would contradict the previous line in a place of sounds. 凡塵 is the normal way of saying “mortal realm” but is reversed in order to satisfy the rhyming rules.

Thursday, November 23, 2023

Asia Trip Inspirations V - Mt Fuji In Winter

 

Mt Fuji as we passed it on the Shinkansen on our way to Kyoto and was inspired to create a poem to kill time…

1 白頭翠裙富士山 White headed Mt Fuji still wears a skirt of green,
2 頂上冬雪花已殘 And flowers of winter’s snow had  withered already.
3 京都新幹時辰悶 The hours in the Shinkansen to Kyoto was such a bore,
4 陽光透射醉人間 And yet sunshine shafting through, inebriating the mortal world.

3 The trip took two and a half hours.

Wednesday, November 22, 2023

Asian Trip 2023 Inspirations IV - Different Perspectives

I was doodling while having breakfast at the HK Skycity Marriott but finalized on the plane heading to Tokyo on Cathay Pacific. The two stanzas contrast between the different perspective of the sexes.

1 月色醉影花迷魂 Inebriated are the shadows under the moon and souls lost to the flowers,
2 波動銀碎亂心神 Spirit in chaos - shattered by the sounds of waves under the silvery beams.
3 寂寞春宵柳堤音And in spring nights ‘tis lonely to hear the sound of willows on the bund,
4 河畔琵琶獻殷勤 Only the lute can offer diligence to soothe [the aching heart].

5 前殿未央接新歡 Received by the outer palace of The-Zenith-Not -Yet-Reached is the new favorite,

6 後宮椒房棄舊人 And abandoned in the inner quarters of the Pepper Room is the former had-been.
7 廣寒嫦娥塵阿嬌 The celestial Moon Goddess and A-Jiao of the mortal realm,
8 天地夢異同一恨 Dreams of theirs may be different but regrets are the same.

4 Reminiscent of The Ballade of the Wandering Lute, 琵琶行

5 A Han Dynasty concept that once the zenith is reached that decay and descent will be the next step. Thus, never to reach the zenith forever flourishing and improvement. 殿 is the administrative palace where the most important functions takes place – commonly known as the outer palace. 宮 is the private quarters of the emperor and his women, thus the inner palace.

6 The Pepper Room is another Western Han Dynasty concept. It is built with bricks imbued with pepper and other parts of the plant. Not only did they keep the room warm but with hygienic and insect repellent purposes from the aroma. This is usually the abode of the empress.

7 The Palace of Great Cold is the lunar palace where Chang-Er, the moon goddess resides. 塵 is a pun for 陳 which has the same pronunciation - the last name of Emperor Han Wu’s first empress before he disposed her of her position.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chang%27e
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chen_Jiao

8 Dreams refer to their lives for Chinese believed that life is but a dream.

Tuesday, November 21, 2023

Asia Trip 2023 Inspiration III - When Sunshine Stealing In

While lying in the hotel bed, this first line in black came into my mind but could not go further even though there were many ideas…  The poem was refined and completed in the next few days.

1 春風鳥語金屋外 Outside the house of gold are twittering birds in the spring air,
2 靜塵獨看銀鏡内 In the silver mirror are silent dust are seen gathering.
3 妝台莫見多年影 So many years had nary a shadow be seen at the dresser table,
4 一道朝陽竊進來 And yet a shaft of morning sunlight stealing into the room.

1 Allusion to the story of the First Empress of Emperor Han Wu Ti

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

2 Either the dust on the mirror or the reflected image of the dusty room.

Tuesday, November 13, 2023

Asia Trip 2023 Inspiration II - A Lute Melody For One

While having breakfast at the Hilton Hua Hin Executive Lounge, I had an inspiration on this poem… refined during the trip back to Bangkok and completed in Le Meridien...

1 明月散盡夜黑空 The bright moon dispels the darkness of the sky,
2 荷塘水冷花去紅 Lotus pond waters are cold now that the red had faded from its blossoms.
3 燭搖影纏難入眠 ‘tis difficult to sleep with annoying shadows from the candle,
4 琵琶一曲高樓夢 One melody from the lute for a dream in the tall tower.

1 The bright moon represents the vibrancy of youth. The dark represents the no longer youthful. In other words, the person had been replaced by someone new.

2 The coldness not the waters infer to the ardor of the man’s heart now that the once desired object is no longer young.

4 This line hints that either the lady in question is the unattractive wife of some wealthy person or that she is no longer a popular and desirable courtesan. This is because brothels are usually multi-storied buildings.

Saturday, November 11, 2023

Asia Trip 2023 Inspiration I - Eternal Spring Shrine

This was inspired by the scenery at the Shrine of Eternal Spring.

1 朝雲山影翠綠橫 Morning clouds casting shadows on mountain swaths of green,
2 立霧碣石清溪閑 And on the rocks the fog stood with the clear stream in leisure.
3 飛巖浮紅長春祠 Floating red of the Shrine of Eternal Shrine floats upon sheering cliffs,
4 月照無人水流行 The water still flows even when the moon shines upon no one.

3 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eternal_Spring_Shrine

Thursday, November 2, 2023

Translation Inspiration

“Like a morning dream dissipating into whispers of memory” came from a Facebook post. It was a challenge for me to translate into classical Chinese. ChatGPT's: 晨梦散成留影聲. Not bad but not good idea. In the end, I came up with one and thus a poem to go along with it.

1 如夢朝散語影中 Like a morning dream dissipating into whispers of memory,
2 花香回味縹緲紅 And lingering fragrance of flowers reminded me of their heyday beauty.
3 雲厚霧輕歲月流 Clouds are thick and mists became dissipates as time progresses,
4 古松依舊看窅蓬 And yet ancient pines still gazing quietly at the reeds.

2 Red represents the color of youth.
3 Some are long buried while others, in the process of being forgotten.
4 Compared to pine trees, reeds have shorter lifespan - the beautiful die young and old and ugly doesn't!

Sunday, November 5, 2023