2021 had been a prolific year for me in poetry writing. The spurt of activity came mainly from my vacation in Hawaii in November and upon coming home. This creativity continued from various sources such as when my mind wandered during my doodling with the brush on my Chinese calligraphy, listening to a song or even lifted from someone’s poignant line. Hence the themes are more varied. With this posting, poems written in 2021 has now ended. It took me quite a while to finish this backlog.
To save myself from grief of titling each poem, I had grouped them into one place in chronological order.
#1
This was inspired by the wall clock as I laid in the guest room… I translated it to have a Mother-Goose flavor.
1 的嗒嘀答牆鐘聲 Tick-tock, tick-tock goes the wall clock,
2 夜長不絕敲夢影 Incessant and the night is long. My dreams being harried to no end!
3 皎月依窗笑弄人 Moon by the window - teasing me with its brightness,
4步出噓趕到天明 Out I went hollering and chasing it till dawn.
1 The first four characters are just the variant forms of the onomatopoeia.
2 “incessant throughout the long night, knocking at dream’s shadows”
3 “the bright moon leaning on the window jeering at man”
4 “stepping out to hiss and chase it till the sky turns bright”
Tuesday, November 30, 2021
This was inspired by a walk at Redondo Beach. The photos did not capture what I saw. The reflection of the sun on the horizon made it as if it was a sunrise.
不刻二日兩相迎 Too soon in welcome twain shall be.
殘光一道銀波捲 A dying ray. Silvery waves up in curls,
莫歎夜臨日再明 Sigh not as night cometh. Brightness once more, tomorrow be.
Monday, November 29, 2021
#3
Doodling with my brush while listening to “Life Is A Precious Thing”.
1 雲飛烟散花去時 The clouds are gone. The mists dispersed. Time too for flowers to go,
2 綺夢長短總一辭 Beautiful dreams, whether be short or long, one has to bid adieu.
3 追憶舊情仍未別 Old memories I still could not part,
4 南柯醒後已太遲 Awakened from the Dream of the Southern Bough. All’s too late.
4 https://jeffinous.blogspot.com/2011/02/dream-of-southern-bough-chinese-antz.html
Wednesday, December 1, 2021
2 綺夢長短總一辭 Beautiful dreams, whether be short or long, one has to bid adieu.
3 追憶舊情仍未別 Old memories I still could not part,
4 南柯醒後已太遲 Awakened from the Dream of the Southern Bough. All’s too late.
4 https://jeffinous.blogspot.com/2011/02/dream-of-southern-bough-chinese-antz.html
Wednesday, December 1, 2021
#4
It has been many years since I wrote a poem in English because I was happy as I had found the light of my life. I was editing some photos while listening to “The West of the Sun”. I was overcame with nostalgia and felt sad and happy at the same time. Then suddenly, all this came…
West of the Sun
I don’t have a multi-million yacht nor a Learjet,
But I have you,
To sail and fly to realms beyond this mortal world.
And if a tear were shed,
It would be one of joy in having a lifetime spent with you.
And if this were nothing more than a dream,
Then wake me up not.
And if for some reason,
This spell was broken,
I will be at the West of the Sun,
Waiting in eternity for thee.
Saturday, December 4, 2021
#5
This was inspired by as I corrected someone’s homework and essay that I had assigned.
1 火雲四濺夜傍織 Fiery clouds splashing everywhere knitting the night together,
2 纖絲柔捲去顏色 Colors curling in the soft delicate filigrees too soon will fade away.
3 歸鳥現何紅塵靜 Where now? Are the noisy roosting birds in this quiet mundane world?
4 伸手五指笑相識 Smiling at my outstretched hands to the fingers that I know.
4 Total darkness had descended. Fingers on my outstretched hand could not be seen but I know that they are still there.
Thursday, December 9, 2021
#6
2 纖絲柔捲去顏色 Colors curling in the soft delicate filigrees too soon will fade away.
3 歸鳥現何紅塵靜 Where now? Are the noisy roosting birds in this quiet mundane world?
4 伸手五指笑相識 Smiling at my outstretched hands to the fingers that I know.
4 Total darkness had descended. Fingers on my outstretched hand could not be seen but I know that they are still there.
Thursday, December 9, 2021
#6
This was inspired by this photo where the sunset clouds looked like castles in the sky. This was taken on the beach at the Hilton Waikoloa Village, 15 Nov 2021
夕陽飛霞胭脂紅 The setting sun and pink colored clouds in flight,
星夜漸臨與誰逢 With whom does the slow approaching starry night meet?
銀波微縐漁舟岸 Silvery waves knitting in frown upon fishermen’s boats,
天上浮城雲烟夢 Up in the sky floats the cloud castle of dreams.
Friday, December 10, 2021
#7
While doodling the first four characters of the first line came to mind…
1 四海五湖已更改 The four oceans and the five lakes had already changed,
2 日月星辰依舊在 The sun, the moon, the stars and the constellations are still in place.
3 扭轉乾坤事何難 How difficult it is for the world be turned into a topsy-turvy place?
4 明朝東風仍吹來 After all, the next morning the East Wind will still be blowing.
1 Another term for old China because there are four known oceans and five lakes to boot.
4 Like Zephyr, the east wind is a sign of spring
Monday, December 13, 2021
#8
This was inspired by the song, “Southern Nights” that was blaring away in the mall as I did my daily walk, away from the rain,
Southern Nights
Songs of old,
Sounds of long ago.
Southern Nights,
In my twilight.
A toast for thee,
And one for me.
Southern Nights,
Our twilight.
Tuesday, 14 December 2021
#9
This was inspired when I was awakened by the falling rain but could not get any idea other from the first line but finally completed in January of next year.
1 滴水流聲難夢時 It’s hard to dream when the sounds of water are dripping and flowing,
2 雨淋嘉州漲秋池 The Californian rain is filling autumn reservoirs to the brim.
3 七年旱日一夜盡 Seven years of drought vanished in one night,
4 靜聽甘露作詩詞 In serenity, I listened to the sweet falling dew and compose a poem.
4 Rains to the parched lands are like sweet dew manna to a farmer.
Tuesday, December 14, 2021
And one for me.
Southern Nights,
Our twilight.
Tuesday, 14 December 2021
#9
This was inspired when I was awakened by the falling rain but could not get any idea other from the first line but finally completed in January of next year.
1 滴水流聲難夢時 It’s hard to dream when the sounds of water are dripping and flowing,
2 雨淋嘉州漲秋池 The Californian rain is filling autumn reservoirs to the brim.
3 七年旱日一夜盡 Seven years of drought vanished in one night,
4 靜聽甘露作詩詞 In serenity, I listened to the sweet falling dew and compose a poem.
4 Rains to the parched lands are like sweet dew manna to a farmer.
Tuesday, December 14, 2021
#10
This was inspired by the song, 高山流水, a zither piece.
1 青山流水竹林紫 Mountain green, flowing waters and the bamboo forest in purple,
2 紅葉凋盡菊香黃 Red leaves are withering and fragrant chrysanthemums in yellow.
3 黑夜漸臨萬彩烏 A myriad colors blackened as night slowly approaches,
4 玉兔凌空飛霜白 And when the Jade Rabbit rises, frost in flying white.
1 There are pine trees and bamboo growing in the mountains. And yes, there are bamboos that are blue or purple in color! Namely, the Bambusa chungii and Himalayacalamus hookerianus,
2 Obviously, this refers to the red maple leaves. Chrysanthemums bloom during autumn.
4 The jade rabbit lives in the lunar palace with the Goddess of the moon and hence a poetic term for the moon. When one thinks of jade, one normally associates with the green color. This is not so for the ancient Chinese. The most sought after color is known as the mutton fat color 羊脂白玉. The green color became popular during the late Ching period because the Empress Dowager, Tzu Hsi loved the green variety.
Friday, 17 December 2021
This was inspired by the song, 高山流水, a zither piece.
1 青山流水竹林紫 Mountain green, flowing waters and the bamboo forest in purple,
2 紅葉凋盡菊香黃 Red leaves are withering and fragrant chrysanthemums in yellow.
3 黑夜漸臨萬彩烏 A myriad colors blackened as night slowly approaches,
4 玉兔凌空飛霜白 And when the Jade Rabbit rises, frost in flying white.
1 There are pine trees and bamboo growing in the mountains. And yes, there are bamboos that are blue or purple in color! Namely, the Bambusa chungii and Himalayacalamus hookerianus,
2 Obviously, this refers to the red maple leaves. Chrysanthemums bloom during autumn.
4 The jade rabbit lives in the lunar palace with the Goddess of the moon and hence a poetic term for the moon. When one thinks of jade, one normally associates with the green color. This is not so for the ancient Chinese. The most sought after color is known as the mutton fat color 羊脂白玉. The green color became popular during the late Ching period because the Empress Dowager, Tzu Hsi loved the green variety.
Friday, 17 December 2021
#11
It was 4:30am, alone with my desktop video game and listening to some night music. Words in the first line came waltzing in…
1 楓林葉落碎花魂 Maple forest leaves are dropping, breaking souls of flowers asunder,
2 寒谷湖靜水月銀 The valley is cold and the moon in the lake waters in silvery calm.
3 玉杯淒愁經已盡 Desolate bitterness had long gone from the jade cup,
4 霄漢星河漸西沉 And Heaven’s river of stars dip slowly into the west.
5 五更啼雞驚夢醒 The crowing at the hour of the fifth had dashed all dreams,
6 東閣牆影向誰問 Long shadows from the East Tower came casting with questions.
7 一遍寂寥風無答 The wind has no answer in this stretch of desolation,
7 一遍寂寥風無答 The wind has no answer in this stretch of desolation,
8 千思萬情蓋紅塵 A thousand thoughts, a myriad feelings engulfing my mundane world.
3 Chinese prefer their wine to be temperature hot and thus it mean that the wine had gone cold.
5 A Chinese hour is equivalent to two hours. The first watch starts at 6pm, the third watch is midnight and the fifth watch at 5am.
8 The original is “A thousand thoughts return to the bosom, covering the mundane world”.
Thursday, December 30, 2021
3 Chinese prefer their wine to be temperature hot and thus it mean that the wine had gone cold.
5 A Chinese hour is equivalent to two hours. The first watch starts at 6pm, the third watch is midnight and the fifth watch at 5am.
8 The original is “A thousand thoughts return to the bosom, covering the mundane world”.
Thursday, December 30, 2021
#12
Doodling on my calligraphy…
1 十里亭外千里野 Beyond the ten-mile station is a thousand miles of wilderness,
2 九重天上萬星斜 Up in the nine tiered Heaven, a myriad stars in slant.
3 四海五湖作我家 The Four Seas and Five Oceans is my home,
4 六月三友仍不捨 The Three Friends of Winter in June still in togetherness.
1 Relay stations are spaced apart for government relays. Those living near are required to maintain horses so that messages can be passed onto the capital in a day.
2 It is believed that there are nine layers of heaven.
3 These are the number of waters in China proper, extended to mean the empire of the old.
4 歲寒三友 https://en.wikpedia.org/wiki/Three_Friends_of_Winter
Friday, December 31, 2021
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