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