This poem was the result of a mistake. I misheard the words sung in 鴛鴦江月夜(春江花月夜) by Lisa Wang (汪明荃). I mistook 江前 (river front) to be 花鈿 (Tang Dynasty flower ornaments for the glabella). What a lucky mistake. Other keywords I took from the song were 寒蟬 (cold cicada) and 舊盟 (old pact).
The song and complete lyrics can be found at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDzo2g7FNqQ&list=RDwDzo2g7FNqQ&start_radio=1
I came to know of her when played the role of Pearl Concubine in the Hong Kong TV series of 清宮殘夢 (Shattered Dreams of the Ch'ing Palace) in 1975. I was still a teenager then... Sigh...
沉星冷月照花鈿 The setting stars and the cold moon are shining on the glabella flower inlay,
曉日寒蟬門外纏 In the morning sun, the shivering cicadas are becoming pesky outside the door.
東紅難守夢中盟 As the east glows redder, our pact in my dreams are more difficult to fulfill,
不聞夜鶯1再盡憐 No longer do I hear the utmost
sympathy from the mockingbird.
1. Actually, 夜鶯 means nightingale. However, no matter beautiful a song it may be, it becomes annoying when one gets no sleep! It is just like a rose in the middle of the wheat field is a weed rather than a prized ornamental plant.
No comments:
Post a Comment