Another inspiration during my brush writing practice...
1 鵲橋急急渡霄漢 The magpies in haste to span a bridge across the heavens,
2 斜照江水秋月寒 While the cold nadir moon shines upon the river waters.
3 歌曲長樂醉嫦娥 Songs, an eternal joy to inebriate the lunar Goddess,
4 萬朶華燈映花黄 In the reflected glow of countless lanterns, colors of flowers fade away.
5 來風一陣掃夢破 A sweeping wind startled my dream of revelry,
6 莫似天淚霎時亁 Unlike streaks of heaven’s tears, ‘tis difficult for mine to dry.
7 低歎楚曲千首奏 In lowered sighs, a thousand southern melodies I sang,
8 沉星力盡寢西岸 Till lethargic slumbering stars descend into the western banks.
1 On the Seventh Night, magpies form a bridge for the Cowherd and the Spinning Maid to meet once again. 霄漢 actually means the heavens and the Milky Way.
3 長樂 can also mean long pieces of music with a change of tone in the pronunciation of 樂. The moon Goddess, Chang-O is a lonely deity living in the lunar palace, called the “Great Cold” with the jade rabbit, the three legged toad and an Osmanthus tree. The earthly gaiety of the mortal world reminded of her past.
4 Yellow in this case refers to the brown yellowish color of withered flowers. I lifted an opening line from “Princess Flower” 帝女花, a Cantonese opera - 倚殿陰森奇樹雙, 明珠萬顆映花黃.
1 鵲橋急急渡霄漢 The magpies in haste to span a bridge across the heavens,
2 斜照江水秋月寒 While the cold nadir moon shines upon the river waters.
3 歌曲長樂醉嫦娥 Songs, an eternal joy to inebriate the lunar Goddess,
4 萬朶華燈映花黄 In the reflected glow of countless lanterns, colors of flowers fade away.
5 來風一陣掃夢破 A sweeping wind startled my dream of revelry,
6 莫似天淚霎時亁 Unlike streaks of heaven’s tears, ‘tis difficult for mine to dry.
7 低歎楚曲千首奏 In lowered sighs, a thousand southern melodies I sang,
8 沉星力盡寢西岸 Till lethargic slumbering stars descend into the western banks.
1 On the Seventh Night, magpies form a bridge for the Cowherd and the Spinning Maid to meet once again. 霄漢 actually means the heavens and the Milky Way.
3 長樂 can also mean long pieces of music with a change of tone in the pronunciation of 樂. The moon Goddess, Chang-O is a lonely deity living in the lunar palace, called the “Great Cold” with the jade rabbit, the three legged toad and an Osmanthus tree. The earthly gaiety of the mortal world reminded of her past.
4 Yellow in this case refers to the brown yellowish color of withered flowers. I lifted an opening line from “Princess Flower” 帝女花, a Cantonese opera - 倚殿陰森奇樹雙, 明珠萬顆映花黃.
3-4 While earthly joy may be short lived, the eternal loneliness of the heavens is eternal.
7 楚歌 originally means the songs from the State of Chu. It can also mean a forlorn mood as one steps into danger. This came from 四面楚歌 when the founder of the Han Dynasty, Liu Pang used the native songs of his adversary, Hsiang Yu in the night to distract his troops by making them long for their hometown and lose their zeal for battle the next morning. As the state of Chu is situated in the south, it can also mean songs from the south as in 楚天, the southern skies of Chu.
Thursday, August 19, 2021
7 楚歌 originally means the songs from the State of Chu. It can also mean a forlorn mood as one steps into danger. This came from 四面楚歌 when the founder of the Han Dynasty, Liu Pang used the native songs of his adversary, Hsiang Yu in the night to distract his troops by making them long for their hometown and lose their zeal for battle the next morning. As the state of Chu is situated in the south, it can also mean songs from the south as in 楚天, the southern skies of Chu.
Thursday, August 19, 2021
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