Petal Rain - 花瓣雨

As I was laying down on the chaise lounge on a sunny spring afternoon in relaxation, I espied a few white petals of the Nandina Domestica falling and swept up in dance by a gust of wind. Thus the first line was born,

風微雨花醉日長

Petals raining in the gentle breeze, inebriating all day long,

翠蔭波浪送天香 

Waves of green shades in waft delivering the fragrance of heaven.

倦壓閨房氣悶困 

Trapped in the boudoir of annoying lethargic boredom,

閑徑枝上作紅娘

Let the reds on the boughs of the idle path be my little matchmaker.

Note: 紅娘 is the name of the maid in 西厢記, "The Romance of the Western Chamber", who played the pivotal role of a matchmaker.

Friday, April 26, 2019

Honest Words of Truth - 真言實語

The first line was penned on the completion of this poem but was not completed and finalized until today. Another variation on the same theme. Originally, it was to be just an essay on the fly but somehow halfway, it got morphed into the current structure.

01.二十年間紙上黃, In the course of twenty years, the paper had yellowed,
02.一字一句意中黑. Each word, each phrase, its meaning still steeped in inky black.
03.時光無急不覺去, Time a lazing, unaware that it had slipped by,
04.黎首而今雪蒼白. A Stygian head of then but of now, snowy white.

05.窗外柳插已成蔭, Outside the window, a shafted willow sprig, now a shade provider is,

06.後人高飛遐舉策. The young had flown the coop in search of success afar.
07.夫妻同林比翼鳥, Husband and wife, lovebirds of the woods, flying in togetherness,
08.大限到頭長相隔. Till the Ultimate Demise comes for each other to bid goodbye…

09.舊朋若視空堂孤, To see former classmates, just return to the empty classroom of one,
10.故友重逢地下百. Of old friends once more met, Hades aplenty!
11.盡孝不過眼前烟.Utmost filial the children may be, are like mists before thee.
12.渴望來至終亦客. Eager for their visits but alas, guests they shall only be.

13.富在深山自遠親, Dwelling in the deepest mountains, relatives of the rich come a banging.
14.貧於鬧市送誰帛. As for the poor in the hustle and bustle of the city, none comes bearing gifts.
15.莫恐三更寂寥臨, Fear not of loneliness comes a visiting at the hour of the third watch,
16.好比曲行冷無擇. ‘tis far better than the choice of calling the cold crooked lane home.

17.帳帷暖醉風燭暗, Amid the soft draperies, slumbering in warmth of one’s waning years,
18.難信蓬勃曾一刻. Difficult to believe that once of strength and vigor filled.
19.流離顛沛但己泣, Frittering a life away, hath oneself to weep,
20.真言何須冰心摘. Honest words need no cold-heartedness in choices maketh.
    
1. 上 is a verb not a preposition; hence the pronunciation is different.

2. What was written then is still valid today.

4. From the “Thousand Character Classic”, 愛育黎首.  Who says such arcane study is of no use? “feed the army for three years but used for a moment”

06. Literally, “people of later”. “Flying the coop” is more colorful than just “soaring away”. I chose the meaning of 遐舉 as "attaining cultivation and becoming an immortal" 得道升仙 to mean success. Using the other meaning of 高飛 is redundant.

①遠揚      ：頌聲遐舉。

②高飛      ：遐舉如云雲鵠｜雲無心兮遐舉。

③指得道升仙：修真遐舉    ｜飄然遐舉。

④死的婉辭  ：彼二子之遐舉｜誰不為之痛心哉!

07. 比翼 literally means “adjacent wings” or “wing to wing”.  山海經, “Of Mountains and Oceans Classic”, mentions a kind of birds that has only one wing on one side of its body.  Thus, it cannot fly by itself.  To do so, it needs to pair up with another with a wing on the other side. Later it becomes a synonymous term for loving and inseparable couple.

08.  Literally, the “Ultimate Limit”.  長相隔, “eternal separation”.  To me, “saying goodbye” is more succinct.

09. Peering into the past in one’s mind.

10. 故友 can also mean “deceased friends”.

13.  This has more punch than just “have relatives come a visiting”.

14. Literally, “fine silk”

15.  The third of the five night-watch, i.e. midnight. 

16.  It is harder to see through a crooked lane

17.  Literally, “flickering candle in the wind”, any moment being snuffed out.

19. Again from “Thousand Character Classic”, 顛沛匪虧

Wednesday, April 24, 2019

A Contrasting Spring Like Dream - 對比一塲春夢似

When the previous poem, was completed, this was in the works as a contrast. Also my first time in trying my hand at writing in a lyrical style.

曾經幽徑小路 Once it was a path small and of quietude,

充滿烟霧     Permeated only by fog and mist.

伸指不得見   To which outstretched fingers nary seen,

奈何知曉前途 Alas, alas, how would the road be fared?

今刻車流廣道 Now carriages coursing through this broadened road,

景色全無     But scenery colors are no more.

遊龍飛花盡   The wandering dragon and dancing flowers are of the past,

眷戀往日壯豪 Yearning the then days of vigor.

Tuesday, April 23, 2019

A Dream Like Spring 一塲春夢似

Originally this poem was written without anyone in mind. I was lying on the chaise lounge in my gardening enjoying the fragrance of the mock orange and trying for a nap. However, when a friend texted me, I suddenly had an inspiration and massaged the poem to suit him.  After this was completed, a idea of a contrasting one was conceived.

1. 春光麗質蜂蝶勤 Spring, a gift of beauty as bees and butterflies work hard,

2. 翠竹蔭下醉眠人 Under the lush bamboo shade, a person in drunken sleep.

3. 一陣穠芳撲醒來 Along comes a gust of intense dream-waking fragrance,

4. 半清半疑夢中宸  Half Argus-eyed, half wondering if still in a house of splendors.

5. 殘霞漸退彩欲散 Alas, weakening clouds slowly retreat in fading colors,

6. 黄昏難持無限恨 Twilight, with boundless regret, leaves in reluctance.

7. 花落非意枝莫復 Falling flowers of no return, not of desire to abandon any bough,

8. 惟願明月接相近 If only in willingness be, of nearness is the bright moon.

1.Spring by itself is not beautiful but due to the diligence in making it.  Fritter not the precious time you have.

2. The sleeping person is not really drunk but in deep slumber squandering away his youth.

3. The fragrance refers to the sweetness of his dreams.

4. 宸 means a room in a far secluded place area or the place where the God of the North Star resides.  This star is associated with the emperor since its position is unchanging.  Extended to mean imperial apartments etc or an abode of magnificience.

5-6.  Like Rip Van Winkle, to find the years had gone by too quickly, too late for regrets.

7. Old age is something no one wishes for and returning to the past is impossible.

8. How often would Youth desire the company of the penniless?  Foolish whims!
  

Tuesday, April 23, 2019

Moments - 時刻

This photo inspired the English poem which in turn inspired the Chinese version. However, failed to produce one in a lyrical style.

Moments such as these...

Greatly warms the cockles of my heart with such ease.

Too soon, they hurriedly fleet,

Remaining in the dusty corridors of my mind in tease.

光陰連綿此刻時 This moment in the continuous flow of time,
無盡心暖莫自恃 My heart in boundless warmth but rely it not.
瞬目一別太匆去 Too soon in abruptness they shall leave,
腦海道上撩塵絲 Stirring up threads of memory in my mind’s dusty corridors.

A Dialogue - 對談

   

This poem came to me suddenly when I remembered an earlier poem of mine, also a dialog between  white clouds and the green mountain.

On a deeper level, this is an imaginary dialog between the clouds and the traveller is about experienced advice to the nescient youth.

1.上有白雲下有我 There are white clouds above and I below,

2.今日相逢同路過 Today we met on the same road.

3.問余海角天涯至 Asking thee, “To which ends of the earth thouest going?”

4.此刻遮頭到山坡 And I sayeth, “This moment to the mountain slope shading thee.”

5.緣盡辭別各人志 And when our kismet ends, each to his own road of ambition,

6.登峰觀世是一賀 Ascending to the mountain top for a world view is worthy of praise.

7.勤學得進桂堂入 Study diligently and make something of thyself,

8.披彩騰飛参嫦娥 And as for me, clad in radiance flying to see the Moon Goddess.

1.      The stations of the experienced and the nescient is evident.

3.      Youth is awed by the experience of the aged; The aged is mesmerized by the innocence of youth.

4.      Under the protection of the higher ups.

6.      To reach the pinnacle of success

7.      Here 進 does not mean “to enter” but to become the Number One Scholar 進士. There are three meanings of 桂堂,Osmanthus Hall and all of them are apt to the poem:

a.      Hall made from Osmanthus wood, a magnificent hall of the rich and powerful

b.      The Lunar Palace. This will tie in with the last line.

c.      Family of the Number One Scholar

8.      All the successful needed is to don their finery and go dallying with the moon in form of colored clouds.  This can also be advice offered.

Wednesday, April 17, 2019

Half Moon Inspiration - 半月靈感

This was inspired by the keywords of 半月,half-moon from Sophina Kuan’s poem,

半輪月

今夜又是月半輪

朦朧之間雲隱約

月是絕情雲難了

苦海無邊返不了

情愁入腸愁更愁

莫再回眸莫情愁。

1.月半天半沉 Half is the moon and half the sky is setting,

2.滿杯滿愁飲 Full is the cup and drinking away in full sorrow.

3.欲至口前止 Just before to my lips, I paused,

4.風起雨滴臨 For the wind had risen and droplets of rain came.

5.嫦娥冷顧世 The Goddess of the Moon, a cold distance to the world,

6.酒熱不暖人 And hot wine warms no one.

7.舊事難相忘 Old happenstances are difficult to forget mutually,

8.烟水睽孤吟 Separated, staring blankly into the mists, I sighed alone,

1.      Of course, the firmament is fixed.  Just the celestial objects are giving the illusion.

4.   The rain can also be a metaphor for tears.

5.  Both literally and figuratively.

6. Chinese likes their wine warm.

7. The author cannot forget his past and neither does the past forget him.  Hence, always paying a visit to his mind.

8. 吟 can also means recitation as in reciting a poem, which is also apt in this situation.
     

Decamping Regrets of No Sorrows - 離恨莫愁

  

I had wanted to write a couplet for my garden using the words, "莫愁" and "離恨" but ended with this instead.

曲徑誤入離恨苑 A crooked path misleading into the Garden of Decamping Regrets,

凊風掃盡萬世怨 And cool breezes sweeping away all of life's woes.

紅塵隔別漸莫愁 Far from the mortal world, sorrows slowly ebbed.

瀘滴陽光灑人暖 Filtered sunlight sprinkling and warming the person.

彩蝶逐舞鳥歌啼 Fluttering butterflies in tow, birds in sing-along,

流水殷勤化解勸 And flowing waters murmuring in solace.

前有蘭亭借一息 An orchid pavilion lies ahead and fragrance awaits to be borrowed,

不刻神怡豈再倦 And soon afterwards, how spirits still be in languish?

Youthful Gaze - 青春望

  

The title is ambiguous.  This poem was inspired by a photo I took of Lam during our Grand Canyon section of the trip.

窅然危坐聽谷音

Relaxing in a dangerous pose, listening to the valley sounds,

赤壁青衣點蒼林

Red cliffs clothed in green forests touching the heavens.

景前靜觀萬劫宏

Viewing the grand majesty of the millennia changes before thee,

非覺時刻黄昏沉

And not realizing that time is passing and twilight deepening.

妬忌各下休閑態

Envy abound in your carefree manners,

初日春光背影金

Even in the back shadow of youth a thousand piece gold of worth.

宴盡酒闋念歌還

When merriment is gone and wine no more, I yearn for songs to return,

芝麻人生懺而今

An insignificant life, now in remorse.

夜穹越黑星更明

Darker the night vault, the brighter stars be,

寒来一風刺骨針

But along comes a bone chilling wind...

銀河雖廣眼力退

Vast is the Milky Way but my eyesight, not as sharp of yore,

何憂年華夢無斟

Fret not that dreams won't come pouring in for the young.

莫羨神仙慕鴛鴦

Jealous not of immortals but of lovers envy be,

寂寞淚滴滿胸襟

And lonely tears go drip drip, bosom soaked.

此說不知老人痛

This sort of talk knows nary of aged pains,

豈問勿識舊路尋

"Why seek not of your old way back?", you naively asked.

On the surface, the first stanza describes the scenery but the undertones point to the elements of the theme.  Notice the color of the shirt is similar to the greenery of the distant forest and his white hat... Of floating clouds representing a crown of white hair. This underlying subtlety is about youth reaching for the sky and dreams and like the aeons of change as he courses through, the passage of time unfurling to different outcomes and regrets of youth.

The second stanza deals with the poet's projection onto of what he saw before him. It is not the majesty of the mountains that moved him but of the grandeur of youth before his aged eyes; yearning for the loss and to return to the golden moments. Unfortunately, trapped in the woe of the present.

The third and fourth stanzas deal with an imaginary dialogue between the poet and an imaginary youth -   perhaps of his former self; trying to console the older self but with each consoling, comes a few retorts until the exasperated youth cried out and asked sarcastically.  Youthful naivety of no understanding! A silent last shot from the older self.

表面上,首闋描寫景意,但暗示詩中主題.致細看看,相中青年的服色與遙遠的綠林相似,白帽子如浮雲的豐滿蒼髮.其實詩人要說的是在少年時,氣壯志高,夢想如在萬古變化的路程中,時光展開無定的結果與青春時的遺憾.

二闋投射詩人所見的一切,在其衰弱眼視前,非山脈的威嚴,只是青春的豪華雄壯,慾望能回當年黄金歲日,但困在今時之哀.

最後三四節是関於詩人與幻想中的一個青年的對白 - 也許詩人舊身. 每一安慰獻上, 來兩三反駁. 終於懊惱了青年,反唇相譏一問,何為不尋舊徑回去? 天真無知小子何得懂! 詩人最後反擊的默針.

Thursday, April 11, 2019

Words of the Red Queen - 赤后言

This all started with the sentence, "Keep Your Friends Close and Your Enemies Closer" - 朋友要近, 敵人更緊密.

01.人之本, Of all that maketh a man,

02.緒在首. His state of mind comes first.

03.孝即忠, Filial piety is loyalty,

04.可信也. And thus he  can be trusted.

05.知音者,Whoever knows your mind,

06.比心清. Is clearer than your own heart.

07.友雖遠,Though friends may be far away,

08.敵必近.Enemies must be kept close.

09.治國策, Ruling strategies:

10.先自强. First self-sustaining strength be.

11.文獲善, Civility begets good,

12.武得護.And Might protects.

13.太仁道, Too benevolent in the ways of virtue,

14.天下亂. The world will descend into chaos.

15.氣義氣喪,When righteousness dies,

16.事難成. Nothing's accomplished.

17.陰陽衡, Balance in Ying and Yang,

18.乾坤和. Then the universe be in harmony.

19.水東流, Just like rivers flow east,

20.日西沉. And the sun sets west.

21.宇宙轉,The universe will change,

22.品性移. Character be transfigured.

23.銀河情, Love at the Milky Way,

24.一朝完. Will one day be gone.

37.理豈易, How can logic not be absolute?

38.光速定. Just as the speed of light is a constant.

39.貴賤永,Hierarchy forever be,

40.生死恆.Where there's life, death shall be.

41.若仗勝, To have the war won,

42.通進退. Be well versed in advance and retreat,

43.以柔弱, Use even one's softness and weakness,

44.克剛硬. To subdue the strong.

45.貪色昏,Lustfulness becomes befuddlement.

46.萬不保.Nothing can be defended.

47.舉止正, Nobility in conduct,

48.判斷公,Fairness in judgment

49.當局明, Clear in the situation,

50.何禁忌. Nothing's dreaded.

51.聖會誤, Even the saints will get misled,

52.神亦錯, So too will the Gods be wrong!

53.莫固執. Obstinacy shall never be.

54.休容顏 Forget about face saving!

55.有過改,Faults be changed,

56.學無盡, No end to learning.

57.赤后言,What the Red Queen says,

58.非偽語.False words never be.

59.世上間. In this world,

60. 能幾多?How many would there be?

Saturday, 06 April, 2019

1: To be human.

2: When one is in a good mood, a fart smells nice.  In a foul mood, even a compliment seems like ass kissing.

3-4: If a person cannot be filial to one's parents, how trust from others can be established?

5-6: Lies will always escape. 知音, "knowing the sound" refers to a vibrating string caused by the resonance of another string with the same frequency.  The heart can feign and cajole even to oneself!

10: Without health, nothing can be done, without strength nothing can be started.

11-12: Just look at Athens and Sparta.

13-14: Too much of anything is seldom

good.  以仁治天下, "let benevolence rule all under heaven" never works in practice.  Just look at the histories of the Sung or Ch'ing dynasties.

15-16: There's honor among thieves.

17-20: Doctrine of the Mean. When there is balance, equilibrium will be achieved. Everyone is happy - thus no rocking of the boat. Rivers in China flow eastwards. Unless some cosmic cataclysm, the sun will continue to set in the west.

21:40: Absolute and relative truths.  When the aeons finally run its course, things won't be hanging around

any longer.  However there are things like 1 + 1 = 2 or the constant speed of light remain true. Others remain constant along as their context or environment sremains unchanged.  Ranking will exist as long as are humans are involved. The love here refers to the love story of the eternal love of the Divine Cowherd and The Fairy Spinning Maid.  What happens when Altair and Vega are gone?

41-44: Make use of whatever you have, whether they are strengths or weakness.

45-56: Whether success or failure be, depends on one's moral character and

ruthlessness used at the right place and right time. Chinese history is replete with examples when one gives in to desires.