Untitled - 無題

This was inspired as I waited for my zither class. The teacher’s playing is really marvellous and as I sat, my mind started to wander off and words started to form in my mind… A scene appeared for the first two lines but took me some time in the same sitting that the poem was completed on. I was a bit proud of myself…

1 九重靈霄寂寞界 The celestial palace in Ninth Heaven is a lonely realm,
2 四海人間繁華世 Within the Four Seas is the mortal world of hustle and bustle.
3 凡心若動偷下降 And if mortalness of the heart arose and descended in stealth…
4 冬寒影飛雪花麗 Winter’s cold in swirling shadows and flowers of snow are beautiful.

1 It is believed that there are nine tiers of heaven. In the highest tier is the Palace of Spiritual Sky where the Jade Emperor holds court. As any place of decorum and seriousness, it is a boring and place of dowdiness.

2 The Chinese believe that there are only four oceans than encompass the world in the four cardinal directions. Translating to English equivalent – Seven Seas is also correct but to lose some of the local flavour of the source language. How one translates depends on the targeted audience.

3 There are many stories of heavenly immortals and fairies descending down to the mortal world because of a moment’s fleeting desire of the mortal world. There is an unbreakable rule in Heaven – that celestial denizens are not allowed to go down to the earth as this shows their lack of cultivation. If the rule is broken, then the offenders are punished accordingly. The punishment meted out is based more or less according to the whims of the one handing down the sentence. It is not unlike those of the Greek Gods. For example, the infraction for the Spinning Maid is that she and her beloved are doomed to an eternity of separation except for one night in the year. Others are luckier. They are sentenced to become a mortal for the duration of its destined lifetime, during which they must suffer immensely to learn and see the futility of what is deemed as humaness. Life on earth is looked upon as something of a passing dream, a brief moment of reality. In the end, only to be woken up in eternal sorrow. It is this sorrow of regrets that one must strive to cast away in order to achieve salvation. However, this rule does not apply to earth immortals, that is immortals living in the Blessed Isles of the Eastern Ocean. I suppose because they are not ranked. In Chinese mythology, there is no God in the western sense. Gods are defined as immortals who are given an official rank and live in the sky; just like the Son of Heaven on earth and his ranked officials.

4 “Flowers of snow” is a poetic term for snowflakes. This sarcastic line means that when having gone down to the mortal world, only to find winter and flowers had withered and gone. Unless one has special abilities like the plum blossoms which they flower best in harsh winters, what more is there to go on? Then they realized that stirring of earthly feelings had stripped them of their celestial status but not of their immortality and is forced to live an even lonelier life as they no longer are allowed to return to the skies. This is their ultimate punishment which reminds me of the real story of Pandora Box. It is said that Hope did not escape from the box so that humanity can have something to clench on living. This is fallacy. What Zeus did is really insidious. Its first name is False. What satisfaction is there for Zeus if mortals die off too quickly and without struggles for his pleasure? Indeed Greek Gods can be very vengeful.

Actually, 花 refers to 花花世界, the teeming world of transient sensual pleasures. Snowflakes are fleeting as they will eventually turn into clumps of ice and snow.

Sunday, February 20, 2022

Donkey Ears Of King Midas Or Poetry Weaponized

  

King Midas had been purified by the river Pactolus. By transferring his power to the river, it is said that since then, the river is brimming with gold nuggets. However, he never learnt from his foolishness. After his golden-touch escapade, he should have known better than to judge a music competition between powerful participants. In the end, the panpipe sounds of Pan were given the honor over those of Apollo’s lyre! The God of Music was not amused and declared that since Midas has no ear for music, he might as well have ears of an ass. Ashamed of his now large ungainly ears, he hid them under various guises to prevent others from knowing his folly. All except one - his barber. Wise was the barber when asked what he saw. Nonchalantly, he simply answered that he saw only the mop of hair that he would be cutting. As in human nature, such a great secret was too much for anyone to bear. After several months of agony, he could not contain himself anymore. He would die from sheer frustration in keeping this dreaded secret to himself. A comparatively soft ground by the pond was chosen and a hole was dug. Each time when the need came, he would saunter alone and shout into the hole, “King Midas has donkey’s ears!”. The weight of the secret was lifted from his heart, for at the same time, none heard his words. Unfortunately, each time the wind blew, the reeds would rustle and it sounded like “King Midas has donkey ears”. An open secret in the end.

The inspiration for this piece of writing arose from a conversation with David Fang from the Chinese Poetry Group on Facebook. All this began when someone learning Chinese tried his hand in translating the following English poem… From his past postings, there is no malice and he simply wanted to learn…

The 2nd column is the author’s and the 3rd is my rendition. My empty lines mean no suggestion is needed. The added punctuation is for reading out aloud to indicate pause and its usual English intonated conveyance.

Primary school         小学

grade three                小學三年級
recess                        間課休息                          課間正休息.
playing                       玩兒                                 在玩耍,
fun                              樂意                                 在樂趣,
laugh                          發笑                                 嘻嘻大笑去,
smile                          微笑                                  微笑窅然來.
suddenly                    忽然                                  忽然間!

看 Chink

three then four five     三個四個五 excellent!        三個…四個五,
six more                      又六個孩子來                    再六個小兒至.
surrounded by the       周圍                                  全校小家伙
whole school               全校                                  團團圍
Chink Chink Chink      Chink Chink Chink Chink  來看中國斜眼睛!
                                                                             來看中國二脚精!

                                                                             [Come see the Chinese slanted

                                                                              eyed demon, Come see the

                                                                              Chinese two legged demon, 

                                                                              also 睛 and 精 sounds like 

                                                                              “chink” ]

teacher strolls by          老師走過去                        老師路過行,
oh the chink child          啊 chink 孩子                    原來是隻中國二脚精子啊…

                                                                               [Chinese two legged sperm]

nothing to do with me     跟我有甚麼關係                與我何干? 與我無關!
bloody Chinks                 肏蛋 Chink                        該煨中國二脚種!

                                                                                 [Chinese two legged

                                                                                 bastard ought be stewed]

later see one             然後看一個                 若後見遇,
you were one            就是你啊                     你應
run and push             跑 推                           步前一推,
his head into              推頭直向                    將野種頭
the corner of              磚頭柱子                    在牆磚角
a brick pillar                                                  柱子,
head thwack              頭聲頓而                     猛去一撞.
hits cold floor             地上又頓                     地冷
blood oozes               血液流出                     鮮血淋.
cannot harm               不會害我                     害
me anymore               還不會害                     我再不得!
strange how               奇怪何為                     善哉! 奇哉!
cruelty leads               殘酷引起                    殘性
me to murder              殺人事件                    能使我行兇!
cold murder                 寒冷殺人                   使我殺而無恨…
smile no more              微笑不害                  微笑再何來?

Before I could offer my translated version, someone did not like the post and reported it to Facebook. I firmly believe any Chinese racist would not be learning Chinese let alone its poetry. More importantly, how did we know something is a racial slur? Obviously, we must have learnt from someone! I say cast no stone.

The following is a discussion transpired between David and me. As a Chinese myself, I have the right to say the unvarnished version about my race.

David Fang: according to Wikipedia; ethnic slur usually directed to a person of Chinese descent...?

Me: I would translate "chink" as 中國佬 or 中國[兩脚]狗.

Yes... A chink is for Chinese, a gook for Korean and Vietcong for Vietnamese and nips for Japanese. Even words like Dutch, Spaniard, Orientals, etc. are derogatory. Every race have ethnic slurs for everyone else other than own. Chinese have 東夷, 南蠻, etc. I don't think the piece is for discriminatory purposes, the purpose is for learning. I always say, "one must know evil, for without knowing it, one would not recognize when it shows up on the doorstep". After all, if he were a racist, he won't be learning the language. It is like trying to sweep Holocaust under the rug and be forgotten. We, as humans are what we are. We can know but we won't be using it. A knife can kill. Should they be banned? Can't clump everything and throw the baby out with the water. One has to read the context. Now this gives me an idea for my next piece of essay. As for me, I learnt this trick a long time ago as a kid. To embrace what you don't like and turn the table to those wishing to hurt you. When being called, a chink, I would say thank you to them sincerely for wishing me to become rich. Since "chink" has the sound of gold coins dropping. My nickname as a kid was "jeff loh the buffalo". I thank them for wishing me to be strong and without them, there will be no rice fields to be tilled. The stopped calling me that! The moment they see you cringe; they know they have succeeded in hurting you. Being thick skinned, like all things have their advantages in the right situation. My motto, "Your strength is your greatest weakness, your weakness is your greatest strength". I can go on with endless examples.

The Cantonese language, being a Cantonese myself, is very racist sounding. We would append 鬼 to all kinds of people including other Chinese - 外江鬼, devils from the other side of the river (Pearl River). However, when referring to the entire Chinese race, they would use 唐人, people of the Tang Dynasty instead! So, Chinatown is known as 唐人街, the street where the Tang people are.

I view this group as a place of learning, whether for good or for bad, is like money. It depends on how it is being used or what the intention is for. Hence my reason for allowing it to be posted and now a more refined translation for it. We cannot sweep ugliness under the rug and pretend it does not exist.

Now back to the main topic… Picture this: An older couple having dinner with a younger person at a nice restaurant. Under the photo is an innocuous poem,

曾經兩旬添六逢 Once upon a twenty plus six years ago that we met,
醒來門前迎春風 Upon wakening, still welcomed at the doorstep is the spring wind.
二人成三一家團 Two of then but now of three, one perfect family,
欲取蓬生日月同 And this paradisiacal life that I had grabbed is as eternal like the sun and moon.

To most, it is just an anniversary celebration and the wish for many more joyful years to come. The younger person could be the couple’s son or daughter. Nowadays, the couple could be of the same sex. Obviously and most probably, the younger person is not biologically related. Nothing really can be assumed since it is common to have adoption or surrogacy.

For troublemakers, they see an opening for sowing seeds of destruction. They would innocently wonder why a certain person is not pictured. The insidious subtlety is to imply those not in the picture are not family. It does not matter whether that person was busy and could not attend; for the mischief makers will retort that if that person were treasured enough, the dinner date could be changed to a more suitable day. This is their rationale!

Writing poetry can be dangerous! This reminded me of a story about when the chief examiner set the imperial examination topic. He chose維民所止, a line taken from the Ode of Classics (詩經). The full line is 邦畿千里，惟民所止. It means “All the king’s land are for the homestead of the people”. Unfortunately for our chief examiner, he presided the exams in a wrong reign era and was executed along with his family and those under the age of sixteen were exiled. What was so wrong with the line that is totally in line with Confucian thought?

The Ch’ing Dynasty had just pacified the country and still was uneasy governing the native Chinese. Literary Inquisition (文字獄) was gaining popularity with the Manchu rulers to rid themselves of those they didn’t like. Someone had reported the examination title to Emperor Yung Cheng as evidence that the examiner had harboured rebellious thoughts. The Emperor’s name in Chinese is 雍正 and with the top lopped off, it became 維止. This is to say, “off with the head of the emperor!” If he had not been too creative and used the original word, 惟 instead, the case would be harder to build against him. No matter, the examiner was used as a political scapegoat as his position was owed to being recommended by someone who is no longer the emperor’s favored. The emperor wanted to “kill the chicken and scare the monkey”.

Conversely, the poem could be used by some Miss-Goody-Two-Shoes to clue in that certain someone is no longer favoured and the inheritance is being cut off! In this case, we have a King Midas’ barber among us!

Wednesday, February 23, 2022

Time Dreamt

Inspired by the first few characters in the first line while walking on a sunny day in Friendship Park. The place was quiet but the breeze was blowing quite strongly. The meadow-like path on the hill was flanked on one side by wild yellow flowers - a most Ghibli cel-like scene.

山靜無聲鳥
來風竹影搖
欲取千杯醉
莫見嬋娟笑

However, I  felt that it was too blah and mechanical while it was written out with a brush and the first line was rewritten as,

伴月亭空鳥無聲 

Since this requires a change in rhyming scheme; might as well go all the way…

1 鳥去聲盡亭寂寞 Lonely is a pavilion when birds are gone and all is quiet,
2 風來影飛寒心覺 Then came the winds and shadows flew - my heart in shudder.
3 人生總是夢一塲 Life in the end is but, time dreamt,
4 路傍金花天涯角 Golden flowers by the roadside going to the corner of the world’s edge.

1 When things are gone loneliness results,

2 Then there are things that come along and trouble abounds. Literally, "the heart grew cold".

4 The road refers to the long journey of life - measured not in the number of years lived but the perception of time going fast or slow depending on one's state of happiness or sorrow. Temporal desires are short-lived.

Thursday, February 17, 2022

A Quiet Moon

I was on a roll. After completing the previous poem which took me days to do so, I was able to do this within an hour using a similar rhyming scheme…

1 夜靜月                 Moon over a quiet night,
2 十年依窗借光閱  Studying for ten years by the window in borrowed light.
3 鵲橋散                The magpie bridge had dispersed,
4 雙星淚淋別        Two stars weeping away as they depart from each other.

5 萬卷缺                Still countless volumes to be read,
6 蟾宮折桂難         'tis difficult to break the Osmanthus bough in the Toad Palace.
7 安得鰲頭奪         How can I, the Number One scholar be?

8 寒霜雪                Snow and frost upon the windowsill,
9 嫦娥對無說        Nary a word, the Goddess of the Moon looks on in silence.

2 The scholar is so poor that he could not even afford candles for his nightly study.

3 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qixi_Festival

4 Vega and Altair - the Spinning Maid and the Cowherd Stars.  This line conveys the sense of time passing away, that is mid autumn is ending or that the scholar and his wife had to be parted as he has to journey to the capital for the imperial examinations.

5 Literally, “ten thousand scrolls lacking”. Before the invention of paper, books were written in scrolls of bamboo strips. “to be read” is not in the original but implied.

6 It is believed that a three legged toad lives in the moon. Hence, another name for the moon. Breaking the Osmanthus bough means to be successful in the imperial examinations. It came from a story about an emperor , 晉武帝 asking his minister for a self-criticism. His answer was, “I am but a piece of an Osmanthus bough in the moon and a piece of Jade in the Jasper Pool of the Kunlun mountains”. An Osmanthus tree is another denizen of the moon and the Jasper Pool is a fairy pool in the abode of the Queen Mother of the West, 西王母.

7 Before the imperial steps leading to the throne is a bas relief of a dragon tortoise head. Only the Number One Scholar may stand on it. This gives rise to the saying, 獨占鰲頭 – monopolizing the Dragon Turtle’s head.

9 The main denizen of the moon. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chang'e. This line can also be interpreted as, “Speechless that I am looking at the Goddess of the Moon”.  Here the goddess is a represents his virtuous wife who had been helping to ease his burden of his study by being attentive to him, to provide for him an conducive study environment.   "...upon the window sill" is not in the original text but used as a filler in the translation to make things clearer. Anything can be used as it does not distract from the main idea.

Monday, February 14, 2022

Snowflakes In Flurry - 飛霜雪

This was inspired by the first three characters…

01 飛霜雪                    Snowflakes in flurry,
02 廣寒月                    Great Cold Palace of the Moon.

03 縹緲雲霞影已別    Colored evening clouds now indistinct but long gone is his shadow,
04 花香盡                    Scent of flowers are gone,
05 情未滅                    But my love still not extinguished.

06 紫泉烟                    Mists of the Purple Springs,
07 蓬山遠                    And paradise far away.

08 劉郎應悔春夢絕    The spring dream had ended, lover Liu ought to be in regret,
09 曾經瑤池仙            A fairy of the Jasper Pool I was once,
10 今作斷根婦            But now a wife with no roots.

11 人不回                    He will return no more,
12 青鳥缺                    There won't be anymore blue birds of happiness.
13 看透凡心紅塵脱    A human's heart been through and through, I bid adieu to this mortal's world.

2 The lunar palace is called "The Palace of Great Cold". Hence a euphemism for the moon. However, it also represents a beautiful woman but is also frigid. The first two lines tell us nothing but the physical or metaphoric cold.

3 Most flowers would be gone by winter. It may also mean a woman's withering beauty.

4-7 With these lines, we know more or less of what's happening.

8 劉郎 has now become a term for a male lover. Depending on the context, the term also refers to a number of personages. The one here is that of a woodcutter lost in the forest and met a beautiful girl who invited him to her house. They got married and lived happily for a few years. Then he became homesick and wanted to leave but his wife dissuaded him. However, a few more months later, his itch was so unbearable that he had to go. The wife cried but could not stop him. When he had got back to his hometown, he realized that he had gone for centuries. He tried to find his way back to his fairy wife but was unable to do so.

https://www.zdic.net/hans/%E5%8A%89%E9%83%8E

9-10 Now we know that the poem is written from the angle of the fairy wife.  These two lines was an adaptation of Li Po's poem, 妾薄命, 昔日芙蓉花，今成斷根草.

12 These blue birds are the messengers of the Queen Mother of the West, 西王母 to herald her arrival.  In Li Shang Yin's poem, they became the news bearer of a lover.  Line 7 says that the mortal lover is not returning, so there is no need for blue birds to send love messages.

13 If the wife were a mortal, then it would mean that she might kill herself over the lost love. However, since she is a fairy, she is returning to fairyland and have nothing more to do with the mortal world.  

Thursday, February 10, 2022

My Thinking Process In Composing a Poem

On February, 7, 2022, Harshadeva De Silva, posted this on the Chinese Poetry group in Facebook. He wrote,

I am not a poet. But tried my hand in writing something that I wanted to be a poem. Shall be thankful if you could let me have your comments on it. Thanks.

Before getting into my thought process, it is always worth the while to reiterate the following guidelines on writing Chinese poetry…

How To Write a Chinese Poem

A well-known Japanese poet was asked how to compose a Chinese poem.

"The usual Chinese poem is four lines", he explained. "The first line contains the initial phrase; the second is the continuation of that phrase; the third turns from this subject and begins a new one; and finally, the fourth brings the first three lines together. A popular Japanese song illustrates this:

Two daughters of a silk merchant live in Kyoto.
The elder is twenty, the younger, eighteen.
A soldier may kill with his sword,
But these girls slay men with their eyes.

Here's my Chinese translation.

京都綢莊有雙嬌, In Kyoto, there are two beautiful daughters of a silk merchant,
大姐二十妹十八. The elder is twenty, the younger, eighteen.
兵卒武器1能殺人, Weapons of soldiers can kill people,
姐妹媚眼殺千雄2. But these sisters can slay a thousand heroes with their bewitching eyes.

1 I didn't literally translate sword into 劍 because I would need another character as adjective to fulfill the word count requirement. E.g. 利劍, etc. Weaponry seemed most appropriate.

2 I didn't think the Chinese character for men, 男 is suitable. So, I used the character that can either mean a "male" or "hero". It has a better sound than either 男 or 士 (member of the senior ministerial class (old) / scholar (old) / bachelor / honorific / first class military rank / specialist worker).

Twelve Criteria for Writing Good Chinese Poetry – Ma Shu Li, 馬叔禮

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KzsEPyXvhkM

The program is in Mandarin. For easy reference, I had translated it as best as I can into English. My commentaries are in italics.

12. 真情流露 – “true feelings must be smoothly reflected”

If the poem cannot move the poet, how can it move others?

2. 興發上揚 – “Ascendency”

A poem should be like a journey of the rising sun. There is no need to accentuate romanticism as the sun will set in the end. Cultural difference between the East and West.

3. 朗朗上口 – “to recite with ease”

After all, a poem is meant to be read aloud. If it cannot be easily recited, then will be no be of interest.

4. 如在目前 – “as if in the present”

A good poem is one that is able to transcend the times, it is as though it was written right before one’s eyes.

5. 音韻生色 – “vivid tones”

A poem is like a melody and with its rhyming requirements, it must sound pleasant to the ears.

6. 時空互換 – “time space interchangeability”

Between periods of time is a sense of space and in between spaces is a sense of time.

7. 情景交融 – “blending of emotions and scenery”

Scenery is objective while emotions are subjective. Hence culling subjectiveness from objectiveness will increase the beauty of the poem.

8. 層次分 明 – “distinctiveness through layering”

A flowering tree, with its leaves, flowers and fruits is a thing of beauty. Stripping away all these, the delineation of the bare branches is evident. Without this underlying structure there can be no beauty.

9. 以物擬人 – “ability to personify”

Instilling emotions into an object is of utmost importance. For example, the poet Tu Fu when paying his respects to Kung Ming, 孔明 whom he greatly admired, the qualities of the ancient cypress in front of his temple is used to illustrate the man, a pillar of strength to his country.

10. 創意出生 – “new angles/creativity”

Dare to be creative and how my ideas are different from my predecessors. For example, never did a poet dared to use double characters continuously in a poem. However, in a bold move, Li Ching Chao had fourteen of them in a row, 尋尋覓覓冷冷清清, 悽悽慘慘慽慽 and used it most affectively in her poem, 聲聲慢 (Sounds in Larghissimo)

11. 餘味無窮 – “an endless lingering taste”

After reading a good piece of literature, it should like a stuck melody in the mind for a long long while – 繞樑三日.

12. 妙用故典 – “effective use of allusions”

An allusion, if used effectively, like a picture speaks a thousand words. However, it is a cultural thing. How many would know of Thisbe and Pyramus, the original Romeo and Juliet?

Not all these criteria are equally weighted. For example, the most popular Chinese poem is Li Po’s Quiet Thoughts in the Night 夜靜思. The language is simple, no tongue twisting words and the theme is simple even though it breaks the rules of classical poetry! How many people know of his other superior poem, “Question and Answer in the Mountain”? It is akin to how many people know of Star Wars vs Rocky? By the same token, not all these criteria are to be used at once.

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My comment to Harshadeva is that the Chinese he used is too colloquial for a classical style poem and upon reading, sounds very awkward. I believe to help others is to help oneself. I, too, once a upon a time I was in the predicament but with no one to lend a helping hand. Those were the days before the internet.

My first step is to cull the meaning and tone from his English version and see how to massage the Chinese version into a more acceptable form. In the first draft, concentration is on the theme, structure and language.

雪濃閉門春客綠
長年悠悠年尾遙
夢中重逢一相見
不知何時待君來

This version has no “soul”, just bunch of a run of the mill pretty words strung together.  No consideration is given to rhyming or to tonal patterns as it would be too early. Choosing a rhyming scheme would be in the next step. From this point onwards, it is no longer a mechanical method to do things. I suppose it depends on one’s voracious reading of the masters’ and personal experience to venture out into the unknown territory. After much pondering and searching, I came out with the following…


1 雪濃門閉綠春客 The snow is thick and the doors are closed to the greenery of passerby spring,
2 年長路遙頭尾隔 Long is the year and the ends of the road are so far apart.
3 夢中重逢一相見 If only in dreams once more met again,
4 待君歸時何幾刻 How long more is the wait for thee to return.


1 I would not be able to come up with this imagery!

2 Literally, the head and tail end of the road/year is being separated by the distance/time

4 In the original, the sex of the author is unknown. The first line tells us that spring is deliberated to be kept at bay by a closed door. Why was it so? This is a question that has to be answered so that the structure of the poem can coalesced smoothly. It is like baking, smoothing out all the lumps in the batter. Spring is a time of rebirth and carries the tones of sexuality. In the old days, women are expected to be chaste unlike the men. Hence, we can assume the person in the poem is a woman and in the fourth line, 君 is used to verify this. Culturally, it is considered bad taste to use the 1st person pronouns. Of course, if one is the master, all rules are cast to the winds. For example, in Li Po’s Question and Answer In the Mountain 問余何意棲碧山…You dwell amongst the green hills: You asked me why?

There is a number of problems with this version. All other lines do not have the same quality as the first. The second guideline was not observed. This is to be expected since the lines are constrained by the original author’s thoughts. Any deviation would have become a totally different poem written by someone else. This is not editing in my eyes. However, if this constraint were to be removed…

The he 2nd line was first to be changed. For me, the best way is to write out the poem repeatedly, like making changes to a draft. Also, it is not a waste of time as I will be practising my brush writing. I like killing two birds with one stone. Hopefully, in the midst, when the mind had wandered off momentarily, some Muse will come to the rescue…

雪濃門閉春綠客
牀前月明紗窗隔
三秋年長夢裡重        三秋歸期早已滿/過/盡
                                    夢裡相逢惟今刻

Certainly, it is more polished but the imagery of 早已滿 is rather mundane. Again, more practice with the brush to come up with the following,

三秋期待應歸還
夢裡重逢在今刻

I prefer 重逢, “once more met” rather than 相逢 which suggests a first time meeting. The structure of the poem had become more solid,

雪濃門閉春綠客
牀前窗開銀河隔
三秋月明應歸還
夢裡相重在此刻

I thought this would be the end of the exercise but I was wrong. During the process of digitizing, more changes were made. I had reverted 春綠 to 綠春 so as to match up with the second line. It would be nice if it can become a couplet. At the same time, I was toying with明 with 滿, 圓 and團 before settling on 盈. Instead of 裡, I opted for間, for a better sound.

雪濃門閉綠春客
牀前窗開銀河隔
三秋月盈應歸還
夢間相重在此刻

When I was a kid, I always hear my maternal grandmother grumbling about 姑娘十三變, 上轎再三變, Thirteen changes in a girl’s life and when in the bridal sedan, thrice more she will transform! A poem is like a pretty maid, so many changes. Just as I was about to commit the poem into its bridal sedan as my brush writing was to be digitized, changes were made three more times. Little did I know then, that 姑娘十三變 can have another meaning. The terseness of the phrase, which I know now could mean “a maid of thirteen…”! It would be embarrassing to explain the birds and bees to a child.

The problem now is that 秋 and 間 belongs to the first tone. The repercussion of changing the words or the word order would involve more changes propagating all the way back to the first line. I would like to minimize the changes. At first, I tried the following,

月盈三秋應歸還
夢間重逢在此刻

Textually, this looked OK but when reading out the entire poem, something seemed a miss. I still have trouble in total understanding of the tonal rules. The safest bet for me is to let my ears be the guide. These sounds are Cantonese pronunciations as my oral Mandarin sucks. At the same time, 牀前 doesn’t seem to run logically smooth and the change became,

窗前簾捲銀河隔

This doesn’t not sound as smooth to my ears.  重逢 now seemed too predictable. I tried 稀杯捲簾 but no better. Since I am experimenting, might as well do a full scale drastic change…

濃雪封閉綠春客
稀紗推開銀河隔
月盈三秋應歸還
夢間重圓在此刻

Now I have doubled the problem of having same tones around the same place. 封推 and 開秋. Using圓 is an improvement though. 薄, I believe is a better replacement than 稀. I considered using 鎖 rather than 推 but then this will cause logic problems. More time was needed to doodle away the problem. In the end, I reverted to some of the older phrasing. Hopefully, in the future, as I gained more knowledge and understanding...

1 濃雪門閉綠春客 Heavy is the snow closing the doors to the greenery of passerby spring,
2 薄紗簾捲銀河隔 Thin is the silk rolling up the drapes but the Milky Way still separates us.
3月盈三秋應歸還 For three autumns the moon waxed and waned and you ought to be back by now,
4 夢間重圓在此刻 Alas, ‘tis the perfect moment in the world of dreams, twain shall meet.

1 The frigid snow represents the resolve of the writer let in any temptation of no permanence (客) to slip into her heart.

2 She had done all that is in her power to remove all obstacles to her that separates her beloved from her. Only things beyond her control, but like the Milky Way separating the two celestial lovers. A subtlety here - when the Milky Way is seen clearly, this meant that there is no moon in the night.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qixi_Feival

3 Three years had passed, the moon had become full (reunions) many times. “So why are you not back yet” is the underlying question subtly lamented. This line ties neatly from the subtlety of the previous line.

4 A self-consolation. “Even we cannot meet physically, it is still fine to meet in dreams”. This gives hope to the waiting. 圓means “round”, “complete”, implying a full moon and a time of perfection as nothing is as perfect as a circle.

February, 7, 2022

Terracotta Warriors

This was inspired by the song, Terracotta Warrior.

1 陵守一人數千年 For a few thousand years, guarding the tomb of one,
2 今時土出重日見 Now unearthed to see once again the light of the day.
3 想當七雄豪風猛 How once, what glorious valor we had amongst the Heroic Seven,
4 仍舊默對山河變 Alas, even now still staring in silence, albeit to a terrain changed.

1 One and only of its kind - the guarding terracotta soldiers of the First Emperor.

3 The seven most powerful states during the Age of the Warring States.

4 Literally, "mountains and rivers", meaning the empire. "terrain" is a better choice since this concept has not fully established yet.

Tuesday, February 8, 2022

Nothing More Than A Pipedream

This was inspired while I was doodling with pen and paper while listening to Noel Quinland’s Terracotta Warriors…

1 長安曾經天國華 Once the City Of Eternal Peace was the splendor of the Celestial Empire,
2 洛陽遷都鏡中花 Moving the capital to Luoyang is but a pipedream.
3 貞觀神龍開元夢 Dreams of the Virtuous Observer, the Divine Dragon and Beginning of a New Era
4 三百水流雲烟化 After the flowing of time in three hundred years are now but mists and clouds.

1 The capital city of the Tang Dynasty, Changan, now known as Sian, Western Peace.

2 This refers to Empress Wu moving of the Tang capital to Luoyang, North of the River.

3 The reign names of Li Shih Ming, the second Emperor of the Tang Dynasty, when Empress Wu ascending to the throne Changing the dynasty to Chou and Tang Hsuan Tsung. These periods were considered the golden ages of the Tang Dynasty. For Li Shih Ming, to see his dynasty flourish under his virtuous rule. For Empress Wu who did the unthinkable by being the first female to ascend to the dragon throne and established a new dynasty and as for Tang Hsuan Tsung, the continuation of his dynasty to the greatest heights. However, at the end of these eras, the Tang Dynasty was being usurped by a woman, her dreams of establishing a new dynasty went up in smoke and the beginning of the decline of the once mighty empire.

4 The Tang dynasty lasted a little over 300 years if Empress Wu’s dynasty was to be discounted.

Monday, February 7, 2022

No More Ethereal Than A Spring Dream

The idea came from the previous poem. I was thinking of the how to use the four characters as the concluding line, 雲烟春夢. It is difficult to use it in the style of Tang classics. I thought of using a lyrical form which I know nothing of. At least I tried… This poem is difficult to translate as there are so many allusions that one has to know what the poem is really all about. The gist of the poem is nothing more than the unchangeability of things mythical but of human nature, it is always the same and repeating albeit in a different form and in the end, life is like a spring dream awakened and that it is no more ethereal than mists and clouds. This is more of a mental exercise for my brain and something to practise my brush writing.

1 離恨兜率九天宮 Leaving Regret, Tushita, the Palace of Ninth Heaven,
2 莫愁雨別桃源紅 Sorrow not when rains depart - Peach Blossom Spring will be in freshly red.
3 篷山逍遥松古青 Carefree is the life in the Immortal Isles where ancient pines are still green,
4 銀河鵲橋二仙重 And that the magpie bridge in the Milky Way is where the two stars reunite.

5 金風恨 The regret of the golden wind,
6 玉露新 The jade dew afresh like tears.

7 人性難移江山易 ‘tis more difficult to change the nature of men than to change of the empire.
8 雕鞍馬蹄落雁從 The brocaded saddle and horses’ hooves are, the descending ansers follow.
9 金屋長門飛燕寵 House of gold, the Gate of Eternity and the most favored Flying Swallow.

10 梅楊爭 The plum flowers vying with the poplar blooms.
11 安祿亂 And the chaos of Peaceful Emolument ensued.
12 雲烟春夢 A spring dream as ethereal as the mists and clouds.

1 Leaving Regret is the highest level of the 33 levels in Buddhist cosmology.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tushita.

It is also the name of the place where the Patriarch of the Way, 太上老君lives. According to Taoist cosmology, there are nine levels of heaven. The highest is where the Jade Emperor lives.

2 莫愁 is also a place name.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mochou_Lake

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Peach_Blossom_Spring

3 The mountain in the Immortal Isles.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Penglai

4 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qixi_Festival

5 Autumn belongs to the metal element. In the old days, 金 means metal and not gold.

6 Dew of Jade. Pure unadulterated dew in autumn. The preferred color of jade is a kind of white known as mutton fat. The green color became synonymous with jade is a recent phenomenon compared to the long history of China. The Empress Dowager Tzu Hsi loved the green color because it symbolizes youth while white is associated with old age. In poetry, 玉人 means a beautiful girl with skin like alabaster and not a green colored person! "like tears" is not in the original text but to make things easier to understand for the reader.

7 Adapted from a adage, 江山易改, 本性難易 – The empire is easily transformed but true nature of man is not.

8 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wang_Zhaojun

9 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chen_Jiao

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhao_Feiyan

10 Plum is the imperial title of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consort_Mei
Poplar is the last name of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yang_Guifei

11 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/An_Lushan_Rebellion

Sunday, February 6, 2022

Two Sides of the Same Coin

This poem came about as I was doodling with pencil and a piece of paper. The idea is about two sides of the same coin…

1 一夜偶遇兩相逢 Once upon a nocturnal chance encounter, twain shall meet,
2 是真是假到頭空 In the end, whether real or not, emptiness abound.
3 桃源仙界與蓬萊 Whether in Paradise, the fairy realm or Immortal Isles, it matters not.
4 朝霧來去詐春夢 Like morning mists coming and dispersing – ‘tis better to feign as awakenings from dreams of spring.

2 an adaptation from Po Chu I’s 花非花, 霧非霧 poem.

3 Of the three mythical places, only Peach Source Paradise had been explicitly set foot on by mortals. “it matters not” is not in the original text but is implied.

4 Again adaption from the final lines of #1: …來如春夢無多時，去似朝雲無覓處.

Saturday, February 5, 2022

Upon Enlightenment

Again, inspired by Catalina, from a nearby hill...

1 重見蓬山又一景 Looking again at the Immortal Isles, yet a different view is seen,
2 紫泉烟噴洞外凝 Fairy pools spewing purple mists, congealing outside of the grotto.
3 千年正果今得道 Today the Way had achieved by a thousand years of devoted austerity,
4 雲輕微散露海平 The clouds are lifted to reveal an ocean of calm.

1 The mountain in Immortal Isles.

2 literally, “purple springs”

3 “righteous fruit”, a Buddhist term for orthodox enlightenment.

4 literally, “the clouds had become light and is now melting away”. “clouds” - haziness caused by doubt etc, the ocean - the vastness of calm in the enlightened heart.  Another word play, 微散 sounds like 未散 not yet dissipated!

Thursday, February 3, 2022

A World No Longer Recognized

1 油燈一盞書萬卷 One oil lamp and still ten-thousand books to be read,
2 窗前無月何時圓 There’s no moon before the window - when will it be full again?
3 血雨風雲山河改 The bloodbath turbulence had changed the landscape of the empire,
4 紅塵莫識難再戀 ’tis difficult to linger in a world that is no longer recognized

1 In the old days, poor scholars used the light of the moon to study at night. Oil lamps were used by the poor as wax candles were deemed too expensive.

2 Originally, I used 完 to give some ambiguity whether the oil lamp had burnt out or that moonless nights had come to an end. In using 圓, round, I can have my cake and eat it too as both characters sound the same.

3 Literally, “blood rain”, “wind and clouds”, “mountains and rivers” for “carnage”, “uncertainty” and “empire”

4 Literally, “red dust” a Buddhist term for the mundane world. 戀 does not mean “love” but “to be attached”.

The inspiration for this poem came from two sources…

I was translating a Du Fu poem posted by a member from Facebook’s Chinese Poetry Group,

牛羊下來久 Long had the cattle and goats been back from the hills,
各已閉柴門 And each and every pen had been closed.
風月自清夜 The wind is crisp, the moon is bright, so naturally, a beautiful night.
江山非故園 Alas, the rivers and mountains are not of my hometown.

石泉流暗壁 The brook flowing over the stones, from the half hidden cliffs,
草露滴秋根 As dew drips into the roots of autumn grasses.
頭白燈明裏 How white my hair is under the oil lamp light,
何須花燼繁 So why the need to have the wick blooming to remind of my youth.

1. The first two lines of each stanza describes the physical passage of time in nature and the next two, of time passing in age.

2. Oil lamps are used by the poor for lighting. Candles were deemed too expensive. Dried stems from Juncus effusus are used as wicks. Sometimes, the wick will "bloom" into a knot, looking like a flower when the flame is burning low. On rare occasions, there will be flame sparking. This is seen as a good sign.

I was commenting on the oil lamp my maternal grandmother used for the family altar. It was similar in color and shape to the photo below but is far simpler because it was a two-piece instead of a solid one-piece. The small white pottery sauce can be removed.

I could not find the right theme to complete the poem until I got the idea from the previous poem. Instead of a person from the palace, how about from the angle of a poor scholar who could no longer journey to the capital to take the imperial exams.