Now that the backlog of last year's poems had been finished, I am now tackling the ones I had written so far this January of 2022. With this, I am all up to date...
#1
This was again inspired by the magical beauty of Catalina on a sunlit day with mists hovering at the foot of the mountains.
1 蓬山脚下雲烟霧 Mists and fog at the foot of the Mt. Penglai,
2 晚春莫至桃源島 Where spring never grows old in paradise.
3 歲月停流花不落 Where time stands still and blossoms never wither,
4 凡塵金風又一露 Only in the mortal world where autumn comes and goes.
1 The mountain in the Immortal Isles of the Eastern Ocean
1 初露紅梅染天香 Heaven is dyed in fragrance of the first appearing plum blooms,
2 春風微動芙蓉帳 Spring wind flutters gently at the hibiscus drapes.
3 難遇東君珠何用 Of what use of pearls when ‘tis difficult to meet the Lord of the East Wind,
4 朝貢朝朝荔枝嘗 Oh, he's at breakfast, sampling imperial tributes of fresh.
1 In reference to the Plum Consort – the predecessor to Yang Guifei. Heaven refers to the emperor Hsuan Tsung.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consort_Mei
2 Spring wind – refers to an amorous situation. Silk drapes with a hibiscus design.
3 When Yang Guifei became the emperor’s new favorite, Plum Consort was neglected. In one of the two quarrels that the emperor with consort Yang and sent her home, the emperor thought of Plum Blossom Consort and sent her a bushel of pearls. However, she refused the gift and instead wrote a poem,
柳葉雙眉久不描, Willow shaped brows no longer painted,
殘妝和淚污紅綃. My ruined makeup from tears stained my red silk robes.
長門盡日無梳洗, No need to pretty myself in a life of the Eternal Gate,
何必珍珠慰寂寥 So, why the need to have pearls to console my loneliness.
In the end, the emperor had her poem set to music.
Ballad of the Eternal Gate - https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Chen_Jiao
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chen_Jiao
4 "Oh, he's at breakfast" is not in the original text. It is added to make things clearer to the reader.
#3
There are some good lines in the previous poem that having them discarded is such a pity. So, I had to come up with something to put them to good use. Following on the same theme but with a different slant…
1 曾經楊家有女俏 Once there was a pretty daughter from the family of Yang,
2 朝暮君伴鶯語嬌 Day and night, in a mellifluous voice, she accompanied the emperor.
3 華清賜浴添色餘 Bestowed to bathe in the Pure Flower Pool; any makeup superfluous be,
#4
This was inspired by a walk to the pier in Cabrillo Beach…
1 一道危牆二水望 One high wall and two waters I see,
2 東邊波平西巨浪 The east in calm while waves roared in the west.
3 貴賤人生非僥倖 Life’s nobility or the wretched is due not to being born lucky,
4 今日善積來世旺 But of today’s accumulated good deeds for next life’s prosperity.
3 “born” is not in the original text. It is inferred in the 4th line.
Friday, January 7, 2022
#5
The lines came to me in the car while crossing the bridge back home to San Pedro. The clouds were swirling in the sky and around the mid slopes were mists surrounding the homes.
山嵿飛雲半腰霧
洞中水滴何人到
Two days later, while doodling on the first line as calligraphy practise that progress were made…
The Price of Immortality
1 雲飛高峰半腰霧 Clouds over mountain peaks flew and upon mid slopes fog,
2 水滴巖洞已成道 Water-dripped cliff grottos had become roads.
3 千年相隔人現何 A thousand years had passed; where now are the people?
#7
It was a sunny day and on top on the hill of Friendship Park, one can gaze on wilderness of the place. At the foot of the hill are some residential buildings and further away is the sleepy port of Los Angeles and Long Beach and yonder is the silent Pacific Ocean. One could see the ends of the world if the view was not blocked by the yonder snowcapped mountains of San Gabriel. I would have taken a photo if not for the ugliness marred by the working cranes and cargo boxes.
This photo only tells half the story... As usual, it is cloudy and misty on the Avalon side while the mainland bathes in bright sunshine,
1 一遍荒郊野草隔 One stretch of wilderness where wild grasses separate,
2 雲捲雪山遙遠白 Clouds swirling on snowcapped mountains in faraway white.
3 陽光嘉州無限幸 How fortuitous there are so many sunny days in California,
4 紅塵長短我是客 Life, whether be long or short, I’m just only a guest.
3 光 is used as a verb! I used 嘉 rather than the transliterated sound of 加 because California is known as the “Golden State”. "long and short" and also mean "pros and cons".
#8
1重陽菊香夜闌靜 The Double Ninth Festival night is quiet with the fragrance of the chrysanthemums,
2 月暗色淡照空廷 And dull is the moon shining over the empty palace courtyard.
3 曾經掌上騰飛燕 Once upon a time, from the palm of the hands, Flying Swallow launched
4 留仙裙帶守延陵 The sash from the fairy retaining skirt is now a guardian to the Tomb of Prolongevity.
1 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double_Ninth_Festival
3 Chao Feiyan (Flying Swallow of Chao) was known to be so delicate that she could dance on the palms of hands!
4 https://jeffinous.blogspot.com/2010/09/what-is-fairy-retaining-skirt.html. 延陵 is the name of the mausoleum where Emperor Chen was interred.
Tuesday, January 11, 2022
#9
While I was doing something absentmindedly, this line came a calling,
雲烟一散夢醒時
It was difficult to find a theme for it. So, I resorted to writing this line again and again with a brush, hopefully something will come out of it… Finally, while rewriting, I finally hit the mark,
1 曾經春光南柯時 Once upon a springtime in the Dream of the Southern Bough,
2 雲烟一散馬上辭 Immediate departure once the clouds and mists had dissipated.
3 門前柳枝已成蔭 The willow twig, stuck by the front door, is now a tree of shade,
4 無情歲月遲早事 Sooner or later it becomes a matter of time ebbing away.
1 https://jeffinous.blogspot.com/2011/02/dream-of-southern-bough-chinese-antz.html
2 馬上 can mean “on the mount of the horse” or “at once”
3 From the adage,
有意栽花花不發, With every desire of growing flowers, flowers will not bloom,
無心插柳柳成蔭. A careless sticking a willow twig into the ground, a shade tree it becomes.
Tuesday, January 11, 2022
#10
This poem came about when I espied an old copy of the poem written on some wrapping paper. The sounds of 野花蕊 sounded like 野花淚…
4 凡塵金風又一露 Only in the mortal world where autumn comes and goes.
1 The mountain in the Immortal Isles of the Eastern Ocean
2 “late spring never approaches the peach blossom spring” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Peach_Blossom_Spring
3 “the passing years, the waxing and waning moon waning and flowers never fall”
4 “In the mortal dust where the golden wind once more appears”
Sunday, January 2, 2022
#2
This was inspired as I walked back to the car from my daily walk at Wilson Park. The first line just breezed into my mind.
3 “the passing years, the waxing and waning moon waning and flowers never fall”
4 “In the mortal dust where the golden wind once more appears”
Sunday, January 2, 2022
This was inspired as I walked back to the car from my daily walk at Wilson Park. The first line just breezed into my mind.
1 初露紅梅染天香 Heaven is dyed in fragrance of the first appearing plum blooms,
2 春風微動芙蓉帳 Spring wind flutters gently at the hibiscus drapes.
3 難遇東君珠何用 Of what use of pearls when ‘tis difficult to meet the Lord of the East Wind,
4 朝貢朝朝荔枝嘗 Oh, he's at breakfast, sampling imperial tributes of fresh.
1 In reference to the Plum Consort – the predecessor to Yang Guifei. Heaven refers to the emperor Hsuan Tsung.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consort_Mei
2 Spring wind – refers to an amorous situation. Silk drapes with a hibiscus design.
3 When Yang Guifei became the emperor’s new favorite, Plum Consort was neglected. In one of the two quarrels that the emperor with consort Yang and sent her home, the emperor thought of Plum Blossom Consort and sent her a bushel of pearls. However, she refused the gift and instead wrote a poem,
柳葉雙眉久不描, Willow shaped brows no longer painted,
殘妝和淚污紅綃. My ruined makeup from tears stained my red silk robes.
長門盡日無梳洗, No need to pretty myself in a life of the Eternal Gate,
何必珍珠慰寂寥 So, why the need to have pearls to console my loneliness.
In the end, the emperor had her poem set to music.
Ballad of the Eternal Gate - https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Chen_Jiao
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chen_Jiao
4 "Oh, he's at breakfast" is not in the original text. It is added to make things clearer to the reader.
Wednesday, January 5, 2022
There are some good lines in the previous poem that having them discarded is such a pity. So, I had to come up with something to put them to good use. Following on the same theme but with a different slant…
1 曾經楊家有女俏 Once there was a pretty daughter from the family of Yang,
2 朝暮君伴鶯語嬌 Day and night, in a mellifluous voice, she accompanied the emperor.
3 華清賜浴添色餘 Bestowed to bathe in the Pure Flower Pool; any makeup superfluous be,
4 路遙八百妃子笑 Long is the road of eight hundred miles and a smile on the Consort’s face.
2 Besides her beauty, Yang Guifei was musically talented and was able to match the emperor’s music skills. She choreographed the grand Dance of the Rainbow Skirt and the Feathered Dress and was set to music by the emperor.
3 Short for 華清池 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huaqing_Pool
4 Yang Guifei has a penchant for fresh lychees which are grown in the tropics of the empire. She would have them for breakfast daily when in season. From Fukien to Changan is approximately 800 miles apart. To keep the fruit fresh and available at the set time, military relays were used to deliver the fruit daily – old system of overnight delivery. “妃子笑” the Consort smiles is also the variety that she loved the most. This came from Tu Mu’s poem, “Passing the Pool of Flower Purity” 過華清,
一騎紅塵妃子笑 The Consort Smiles at the red dust flying around the rider,
無人知是荔枝來 No one knows that it is the arrival of lychees.
Wednesday, January 5, 2022
2 Besides her beauty, Yang Guifei was musically talented and was able to match the emperor’s music skills. She choreographed the grand Dance of the Rainbow Skirt and the Feathered Dress and was set to music by the emperor.
3 Short for 華清池 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huaqing_Pool
4 Yang Guifei has a penchant for fresh lychees which are grown in the tropics of the empire. She would have them for breakfast daily when in season. From Fukien to Changan is approximately 800 miles apart. To keep the fruit fresh and available at the set time, military relays were used to deliver the fruit daily – old system of overnight delivery. “妃子笑” the Consort smiles is also the variety that she loved the most. This came from Tu Mu’s poem, “Passing the Pool of Flower Purity” 過華清,
一騎紅塵妃子笑 The Consort Smiles at the red dust flying around the rider,
無人知是荔枝來 No one knows that it is the arrival of lychees.
Wednesday, January 5, 2022
#4
This was inspired by a walk to the pier in Cabrillo Beach…
1 一道危牆二水望 One high wall and two waters I see,
2 東邊波平西巨浪 The east in calm while waves roared in the west.
3 貴賤人生非僥倖 Life’s nobility or the wretched is due not to being born lucky,
4 今日善積來世旺 But of today’s accumulated good deeds for next life’s prosperity.
3 “born” is not in the original text. It is inferred in the 4th line.
Friday, January 7, 2022
#5
The lines came to me in the car while crossing the bridge back home to San Pedro. The clouds were swirling in the sky and around the mid slopes were mists surrounding the homes.
山嵿飛雲半腰霧
洞中水滴何人到
Two days later, while doodling on the first line as calligraphy practise that progress were made…
The Price of Immortality
1 雲飛高峰半腰霧 Clouds over mountain peaks flew and upon mid slopes fog,
2 水滴巖洞已成道 Water-dripped cliff grottos had become roads.
3 千年相隔人現何 A thousand years had passed; where now are the people?
4 曾經綺夢向誰訴 Beautiful dreams of yore with whom to speak of…
2 The roofs of grottos and walls had been eroded that they are resembled a path. The last three characters can also mean “to attain immortality” and therefore took a very long time to attain something in this context. In using 路 instead, the double meaning will be destroyed.
Thursday, January 6, 2022
#6
This was inspired by the view of the cloud enshrouded Catalina during our daily work in the Marina. Didn’t realize that one can see the island at the end of the walk.
遠夢雲鎖蓬萊烟 Dreaming afar were clouds enshrouding the mists of paradise,
近覺陽光暖秋眠 Nearby, I felt sunshine warming my autumn sleep.
醉醒只是嘉州山 Awakened from my inebriated state, it’s only a Californian mountain,
吊牀歸搖舊夢現 So back to the sway of the hammock where old dreams reappear.
Sunday, January 9, 2022
2 The roofs of grottos and walls had been eroded that they are resembled a path. The last three characters can also mean “to attain immortality” and therefore took a very long time to attain something in this context. In using 路 instead, the double meaning will be destroyed.
Thursday, January 6, 2022
#6
This was inspired by the view of the cloud enshrouded Catalina during our daily work in the Marina. Didn’t realize that one can see the island at the end of the walk.
遠夢雲鎖蓬萊烟 Dreaming afar were clouds enshrouding the mists of paradise,
近覺陽光暖秋眠 Nearby, I felt sunshine warming my autumn sleep.
醉醒只是嘉州山 Awakened from my inebriated state, it’s only a Californian mountain,
吊牀歸搖舊夢現 So back to the sway of the hammock where old dreams reappear.
Sunday, January 9, 2022
#7
It was a sunny day and on top on the hill of Friendship Park, one can gaze on wilderness of the place. At the foot of the hill are some residential buildings and further away is the sleepy port of Los Angeles and Long Beach and yonder is the silent Pacific Ocean. One could see the ends of the world if the view was not blocked by the yonder snowcapped mountains of San Gabriel. I would have taken a photo if not for the ugliness marred by the working cranes and cargo boxes.
1 一遍荒郊野草隔 One stretch of wilderness where wild grasses separate,
2 雲捲雪山遙遠白 Clouds swirling on snowcapped mountains in faraway white.
3 陽光嘉州無限幸 How fortuitous there are so many sunny days in California,
4 紅塵長短我是客 Life, whether be long or short, I’m just only a guest.
3 光 is used as a verb! I used 嘉 rather than the transliterated sound of 加 because California is known as the “Golden State”. "long and short" and also mean "pros and cons".
Monday, January 10, 2022
#8
1重陽菊香夜闌靜 The Double Ninth Festival night is quiet with the fragrance of the chrysanthemums,
2 月暗色淡照空廷 And dull is the moon shining over the empty palace courtyard.
3 曾經掌上騰飛燕 Once upon a time, from the palm of the hands, Flying Swallow launched
4 留仙裙帶守延陵 The sash from the fairy retaining skirt is now a guardian to the Tomb of Prolongevity.
1 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double_Ninth_Festival
3 Chao Feiyan (Flying Swallow of Chao) was known to be so delicate that she could dance on the palms of hands!
4 https://jeffinous.blogspot.com/2010/09/what-is-fairy-retaining-skirt.html. 延陵 is the name of the mausoleum where Emperor Chen was interred.
Tuesday, January 11, 2022
#9
While I was doing something absentmindedly, this line came a calling,
雲烟一散夢醒時
It was difficult to find a theme for it. So, I resorted to writing this line again and again with a brush, hopefully something will come out of it… Finally, while rewriting, I finally hit the mark,
1 曾經春光南柯時 Once upon a springtime in the Dream of the Southern Bough,
2 雲烟一散馬上辭 Immediate departure once the clouds and mists had dissipated.
3 門前柳枝已成蔭 The willow twig, stuck by the front door, is now a tree of shade,
4 無情歲月遲早事 Sooner or later it becomes a matter of time ebbing away.
1 https://jeffinous.blogspot.com/2011/02/dream-of-southern-bough-chinese-antz.html
2 馬上 can mean “on the mount of the horse” or “at once”
3 From the adage,
有意栽花花不發, With every desire of growing flowers, flowers will not bloom,
無心插柳柳成蔭. A careless sticking a willow twig into the ground, a shade tree it becomes.
Tuesday, January 11, 2022
#10
This poem came about when I espied an old copy of the poem written on some wrapping paper. The sounds of 野花蕊 sounded like 野花淚…
1 青樓華燈門前車 In front of the green bowers are grand lanterns and fine carriages,
2 誰知路傍野花淚 Who knows the tears of wild flowers by the roadside.
3 日短夜長笑無盡 Days are short and nights are long - in smiles without end,
4 人面莫識黄金醉 Faces I would not want to know but to be drunk in yellow gold.
1 Green bowers – euphemism for brothels.
2 Referring to the working courtesans.
3 Sleeping in the day and working in the night.
Wednesday, January 12, 2022
4 Refusing to grow attach to her clientele but their gold - "close your eyes and think of England"!
Wednesday, January 12, 2022
#11
This poem came about when the words 樓台一月 came into my mind while I was playing a video game in bed… This seems to be the anthesis of the previous poem.
1 雲台一月伴金花 High over the Cloud Terrace the moon is with the golden flower,
2 銀河萬星賽年華 A myriad stars in the River of Silver vying with the youthful.
3 但願青樓長夢醉 Wishing that tomorrow, still in the green bowers dreaming away in intoxication.
4 莫憂吳苑盜彩霞 Worry not about stealing the radiant clouds in the palace gardens of Wu.
1 雲台 - definitely not the modern meaning of a camera tripod!
a. A lofty terrace that reached into the clouds
b. A Han Dynasty administrative building during the reign of Kuang Wu Ti where ministers gathered for court and extended to mean the imperial court itself.
c. Another Han Dynasty pre-photography gallery during the reign of Ming Ti to honor civil ministers and military officials of great merit to the empire. Later to mean such a place of honor.
d. four are names of mountains and name of a Taoist temple.
e. Name of various mountains
f. Name of a Taoist temple.
一月 could also mean “one month”, Chinese equivalent of January. In earlier drafts, this was discarded because it may distract the true intention of “one moon” until, I realize that this one moon refers to the author himself who considers himself better than all others vying for her attention.
Golden flower – the prettiest in the house, an equivalent of a Japanese Oiran, 花魁.
2 River of Silver - Direction translation of the Milky Way. Here, the stars refer to the old money bags. Now we know for sure that the bright moon refers to the author who deems himself better than others due to his youth and good looks. In other words, he's just flower seeker of no serious intention - a dandy.
e. Name of various mountains
f. Name of a Taoist temple.
一月 could also mean “one month”, Chinese equivalent of January. In earlier drafts, this was discarded because it may distract the true intention of “one moon” until, I realize that this one moon refers to the author himself who considers himself better than all others vying for her attention.
Golden flower – the prettiest in the house, an equivalent of a Japanese Oiran, 花魁.
2 River of Silver - Direction translation of the Milky Way. Here, the stars refer to the old money bags. Now we know for sure that the bright moon refers to the author who deems himself better than others due to his youth and good looks. In other words, he's just flower seeker of no serious intention - a dandy.
3 Green bowers – euphemism for a brothel.
4 The States of Wu and Yueh were mortal enemies. Yueh was defeated and its ruler was taken prisoner. Fan Li, a Yueh minister use 美人計 “a beauty trap” to exact vengeance and rescue his sovereign. The palace of Wu became a place of decadence after its ruler tried to please his new favorite, a femme fatale sent to ruin his kingdom.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xi_Shi.
On a side note, the character for entertainment/pleasure is 娛which is combination of 女and吳 – the woman of Wu. This is because Hsi-hsi was “married” off to the king of Wu and no longer considered a Yueh person anymore.
Thursday, January 13, 2022
This was again inspired by the reflection of the sun on the still blackish waters in the marina…
1 水靜如鑒一遍黑 A mirror-like stretch of calm waters in black,
2 目奪銀光兩點白 Blinding silvery light but two dots in white. 3 港内太平長久事 Inside the marina, peace is a permanent thing,
4 海遠鱗潮危牆隔 Due to a high wall separating the far off turbulent waves.
1 Most probably because of the depth of the waters in the marina that makes it look black.
2 The sun in the sky and its reflection on the water are like two dots of white.
3 There is no movement in marina as the boats are empty.
4 In the original text, the turbulence is described as fish scale waves.
Friday, January 14, 2022
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