Bygone Dreams

 

This poem came about when I answered this Quora question about can a foreigner with knowledgeable modern mandarin can understand literary Chinese. The last line of the poem came into my mind. The poem was completed while I was jogging in the day.

1 後庭月明夜寒風 The night wind is cold as moon bright hangs over the inner courtyard,
2 前殿臘燈十里紅 But candlelight from the front outer palace is bright for ten miles.
3 一滴珠淚池影醉 One teardrop of a drunken face reflected in the pond,
4 長門曾經金屋夢 When once upon a dream, the Gate of Eternity was a house of gold.

1 Implies loneliness, sadness and hope by the imagery of the singular moon that is bright and yet the winds are cold.

2 There can be two interpretations for this line, the new favorite was being lavishly entertained in the front palace where important occasions or ceremonies were held. So many red candles were used that the place could be seen for ten miles. Red candles are used because the color is considered auspicious. White candles are only used for funerals. The second interpretation is that the protagonist was thinking of her old wedding ceremony and that red silk was used for ten miles, an exaggeration, of the procession route to welcome her to the palace. The only person we know of having this luxury for her marriage was the first empress of Han Wu Ti.

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

Friday, September 15, 2023

Looking Back I

Forcing a mental exercise on my brain to elevate boredom during my jog…

慷慷激昂醉桃花 So fervent are the passions that peach blossoms become inebriated,
微微暗笑引年華 With half hidden smiles to encourage the young men to continue.
葉下鴛鴦雨露恩 Under the leaves are mandarin ducks in love,
寂寞仙子淚滴灑 Lonesome fairies in shedding tears.

I was not satisfied and so this version came during a trip to Costco…

1 桃花含笑醉春風 Smiling peach blossoms intoxicate the spring wind,
2 年華無處不染紅 Nary a place where youth is, not tinged with red.
3 寂寞高樓低望人 Lonely high tower looking at people down below,
4 曾似昨夜一短夢 As if they were like short dreams from last night.

1 Flowers anthropomorphized by pretty young girls and the guys, the spring wind. This line implies flirtation from both sides of the aisle.

2 Red, the color of youth in bloom.

3 Envious old men in their lonely positions of power leering at the young crowd on the street, wishing that they can be part of vibrancy of youth again.

4 Resigning to the fact that no matter, dreams are just dreams.

Wednesday, September 13, 2023

Dreams Of The Floating World

During a jog…

1 越更高向群星散 The higher the ascendency is, more stars will disperse,
2 獨霸九霄照人間 Alone in hegemony over the Nine Heavens, shining over humankind.
3 浮世笑容醉樂夢 Smiling faces exist only in drunken dreams of the floating world,
4 何須醒後對塵煩Why then be bothered to wake up and vexed by the mundane world?

1 越 is used as a pun for 月. The moon glows brighter as time passes since total darkness engulfs the world. All weaker celestial lights are dimmed out.

2 There are nine heavens in Chinese mythology.

3 “floating world” means the transient nature of the pleasure world. Everyone is smiling with you because of your high position.

4 “dust” or “red dust”, 紅塵 is a Buddhist term for the mortal world.

Friday, July 28, 2023

How True Is Love?

This was created as I was in the stage when my dreams were fading away and on the threshold of awakening. Realized that 鳥 rhymes with 飃. Completed during my jog…

同林樹雙鳥 In the forest, two birds dwell in one tree,
風動枝葉搖 The winds came and when the boughs and leaves began to sway.
南北各自分 One flew away to the north, the other to the south.
情空恩䀆寥 Lonesome it is when love is gone.

A common saying, “Husband and wife are actually two birds in the same forest. When adversity comes along, each would fly away on its own” - 夫妻本是同林鳥, 大難臨頭各自飛.

Tuesday, September 12, 2023

A Tale For The Moon

During my evening jog… 伏and 遐 were suggested by ChatGPT

1 天涯日息夜海霧 At the edge of the world where Day rests and ocean fog of night sets in,
2 船泊浮伏聽波濤 Bobbing anchored boats listening to the sound of waves.
3 鷗鳴一聲破遐念 Cry of the gull broke my thoughts of distant past,
4 莫見星河向月訴 I see no stars of the Milky Way, I told my tale to the moon.

Monday, September 11, 2023

Pleasure Dreams

The first four characters were formed in the night but during my jog the next morning, the poem was completed…

1 湖水烟霧鎖舟前 The fog and mists of the lake engulf the path of the boat,
2 於心難捨別殘眠 My heart could not bear to leave my crumbling slumber.
3 醒見素衣紅塵蓋 Now awake, the red dust of the earth is clothed in white.
4 寧可夢裡醉千年 I rather be drunk for a thousand years in my dreams.

1 The mists and fog represents life’s obstacles that blocks one’s future

2 Taking refuge in sleep.

3 White clothing implies the color of the fog and mists and is also a color for mourning.

4 Escapism

Sunday, September 10, 2023

The Silvery Light Will Keep Us Together

During my evening jog, I looked up into the sky. There were a group of clouds like floating islands in the sky. The top parts were white and at the bottom, dark as night. A few minutes later, they became totally black…

1 半邊白雲半邊黑 Half a white cloud, half in black,
2 夜臨無聲迎誰客 Night quietly approaches, welcoming any traveling guest.
3 華燈初上胭脂紅 Brightly lanterns just put up and the rouge is fresh,
4 唯有銀光不相隔 Only the silvery light will not separate us from being apart.

3 Nightlife comes alive with brothels in full swing.

4 The silver light comes from the ingots of silver used as currency in ancient China.

Friday, September 8, 2023

Parting

Woke up around 3am and this first line suddenly came into my mind…

1 幾度黄昏金葭首 How long in the evening will reed tips be gilded into gold?
2 隨風逍遙客難留 Carefree like the wind, ‘tis difficult to retain a wandering heart.
3 共手朝別依不捨 With reluctance, still clasping your hand, you parted in the morn,
4 觸景晚來更添愁 And now things remind me how more fretful nights had become.

1 金 when used as a verb means “to make something into gold”. 昏 has many meanings, “to darken” as in 昏暗, “befuddled”, as in 昏君, to faint, to become hazy as in 昏迷. 黄昏 literally means “darkening of yellow” etc.

2 客 is someone who is temporary at a location, i.e., a guest or wanderer.

3 共/拱手 is the clasping of hands raised to the chest level as a respectful sign of greeting. Used here as a respectful sign to delay or even to hold on to the departing person physically.

4 晚來 is the keyword of the poem. It can be interpreted in three ways:

a. “coming of the night” - sorrow in the night.
b. “coming late” - the full gamut of emotions did not hit fully till much later.
c. “old age”. This poem laments about youth fleeting away from one’s life.

Tuesday, September 5, 2023

Night Lament

While jogging in the comfort of a cool evening…

1 彩袖紅霞鬥胭脂 Colorful sleeves and peach bloom cheeks vie with her rouge,
2 月色飛舞醉瑤池 Under the moonlight, her dances in the air inebriate the Jasper Pool.
3 賽比嫦娥更抱怨 Compared to the Goddess of the Moon, more aggrieved,
4 梅苑芳襟淚誰知 Tearing on fragrant lapels in the plum garden who knowest?

1紅霞 red/fiery clouds usually imply the rosiness of sunrise or sunset and on occasions, the natural peach bloom on the cheeks or from inebriation or rouge. Textually, it is the red cloud design on the sleeves or clothing because in the next line, there is a shining moon. Only when the last line is came into being, that this is the case.

2 Jasper Pool, the magical pool of the Queen Mother of the West. The line describes the luxury and sumptuous event in the imperial palace.

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

3 Chang Er, the Goddess of the Moon leads a lonely life in the lunar palace to get away from her husband. Her companions are a white rabbit, a three legged toad and an immortal Osmanthus tree. 賽 also means “to surpass”. We do not know if the lament is coming from Yang Guifei as the first two lines hint of an operatic scene from the Drunken Imperial Concubine, 貴妃醉酒 when Yang Guifei had a tiff with the Emperor when he went off to see another favorite, leaving her alone in midst of a banquet.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chang%27e

https://www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/beijing-opera/the-drunken-concubine.htm

4 This line suddenly shifts the scene to those even more unfortunate. 淚 is used as a verb. From the viewpoint of the Plum Concubine, Yang Guifei’s beauty is fake, relying on artificial means to enhance her beauty. Fragrant lapels are used as a contrast to the gaudy colored sleeves in the first line. The real message is that natural beauty cannot be compared to those of bewitching ones.

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

Thursday, August 31, 2023

Imitating The Masters IV

 AC Tang posted a poem, “White Cloud Spring“ by 白雲泉 by Po Chu’i…

天平山上白雲泉，
雲自無心水自閑。
何必奔衝山下去，
更添波浪向人間

He tried a version based on the master's, entitled he Blue Sky, 碧雲天 壬寅孟春, following the original rhyming.

樓高一覽碧雲天，
天自无心吾自閑。
懶叫春風飄雨露，
坐聽造物弄人間。

As for my version, an inspiration about a desert lake of tranquility. One thing leads to another, my theme morphed into the Japanese tale of Hagoromo (羽衣) and the Chinese 7th Fairy.

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

1 九霄嚴規瑣碎寰 Nine Heavens is a place filled with trifle regulations,
2 七仙無聊倦壓閑 And the seven heavenly maidens are bored and tired with leisurely hours.
3 難得偷渡下凡趣 Rarely a chance for them to steal down to the earth for fun,
4 天池羽衣在人間 Left at the Heavenly Pool in the realm of mortals is a feathered cloak.

1 Chinese believed that there are nine levels of heaven. There are many rules governing the denizens of Heaven. One main regulation is there is no intermingling with mortals. Flouting this law can lead to dire consequences including death to the offender. Despite of this, there are many such stories.

2 Technically, there are no fairies in Chinese mythologies. The closest equivalent are female immortals of great beauty and they don’t have wings like in British tales. Because of popular misunderstanding, the accepted translation is now the “fairy” terminology usage.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_Fairies_(China)

4 This refers to the lake in the Heavenly Mountain range.

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

Friday, August 25, 2023


However, I didn't feel that it was refined enough and that another stanza was needed. Then came my 41 days trip to Asia. Didn't have much time until I was bored on the flight across the Pacific Ocean or in a tour bus that I finally was able to refined the poem.

1 九霄嚴規處處難 Everywhere in the Nine Heavens is filled with severe regulations,
2 七仙無聊偷下凡 Bored are the seven heavenly maidens stealing down to Earth.
3 天池羽衣盜取去 And in the Heavenly Pool where a feathered cloak was stolen,
4 莫非借意伴人間 Could it be an excuse to remain as a companion to the mortal world?

5 東君何惜春日好 The Lord of the East does not cherish the beauty of a spring day,
6 暮雲方解玉露煩 But evening clouds would understand the vexations of jade dew,
7 晦魄環照各面愁 And as time passes, each faces their own sorrows,
8星河豈答今夜闌 How could the Milky Way answer the desolation of tonight?

1 Chinese believed that there are nine levels of heaven. There are many laws inflicted upon the denizens of Heaven - absolute no intermingling with mortals without permission. Flouting can lead to dire consequences including death to the offender. Despite of this, there are many such stories that went against this rule.

2 Technically, there are no fairies in Chinese mythologies. The closest equivalent are female immortals of great beauty and they don’t have wings like in British tales. Because of popular misunderstanding, the accepted translation is now the “fairy” terminology usage.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_Fairies_(China)

3 This refers to the lake in the Heavenly Mountain range in Sinkiang.

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

5 The Chinese sun god representing spring to mean youth.

6 The dew formed in autumn. Here they mean the tears of one’s autumn years.

7 The first four characters comes from a line in the Thousand Character Classic, 璿璣懸斡, 晦魄環照.

晦 is the last day of the lunar month when the moon wanes (朔 is the first). The first light of the new moon is魄. The term for full moon is known as 望. 環 means a cycle, a rotation in this context ie the moon is going through its cycle in the month. In the context of the poem, interpretating it to mean the earth is also acceptable. The sorrows refer to the denizens of Heaven longing for the mortal world while mortals long for the heavens.

8 This line means that each group has their own reasons for their sorrows. This poem is about not to be rash in their actions until they understand the reason for rules being made, otherwise one will regret in time.

Thursday, December 14, 2023

A Language Thought Experiment.

While lying in bed and unable to sleep… Wrote a Chinese poem using English as the basic language of thinking.

I can only write what I know.
What I know is like the miniscule light of fireflies by a summer’s bog.
How can they be compared to the bright grandeur of an autumn’s full moon?
In my own little way, a mere glimpse of fairyness in this world of mortals.

Same idea but using Chinese this time… Subtle differences emerge in the thought process.

書作之為我所識 I write what I know,
如夏夜畔螢火微 Like summer’s night mere glow of fireflies by the banks.
焉敢攀比中秋月 Dare I compared myself to the mid-autumn moon?
道淺仙氣染紅塵 In tainting the mortal realm with my paltry ascetic knowledge of the Way.

Wednesday, August 23, 2023

Never Happily Ever After II

During my evening jog and continuing on the theme of rainy “night”

1 未央新春雨夜淋 New night spring rain falling upon the Palace of Not-Zenith-Yet,

2 長門妝台舊日塵 And old dust gathering on the dressing table in the Palace of Eternal Gate,

3 離天三尺曾一時 Three feet away from Heaven was once upon a time,

4 隔世萬里而今人 Separated from this world is ten thousand miles of this person of today.

1 The main Han Dynasty palace, the abode of the emperor. A Han concept that it is better to forever reach the zenith because once reached, decay will start. This line means that someone new favorite is receiving the rain and mist from by the emperor, most probably the new second empress, Wei Zifu.

2 Also known as the Long Gate Palace. This is where Han Wu Ti’s first empress, Chen Ah Chiao was exiled to for the remaining days of her life.

3 Heaven here alludes to the emperor.  See Never Happily Ever After I

Wednesday, 23, 2023

Imitating The Masters III

AC Tang from Facebook Group, Chinese Poetry posted…

Learning to write a 五言绝句 from Tang poet 李嶠 LiQi’s work, Wind, known for talking about the wind without ever mentioning “wind”, yet every line paints a dynamic picture showing the power of wind at work.

《風》依風

解落三秋葉,
能開二月花.
過江千尺浪，
入竹萬竿斜。

AC Tang’s version,

炊烟摇不停 cooking smoke wave non stop
柳絮向江横 willow flower towards river horizontal
槳卧扁舟動 oar lain small boat move
雲騰众岭新 cloud rising all mountain anew

Smoke from a chimney waves incessantly
Willow flowers fly horizontally towards the river
An oar sleeps on a small moving boat
Rising clouds renew all across the mountain range

The Master's use a numeric value for each third character on a given line.  My version uses cardinal points instead.

1 捲皺東海浪 Curling waves of the Eastern Ocean like knitted brows
2 飛騰南天門 Soaring to the very Gate of Southern Heaven
3 石走西漠沙 Running stones of the western desert turning into sand
4 鵬昇北冥鯤 And the roc rising from northern dark region leviathan.

1 The eastern ocean is where the Immortal Isles are located.
2 The entrance to the celestial realm
4 alluding to Chuang Tzu’s 逍遙遊

Wednesday, August 23, 2023

Never Happily Ever After I

While walking in the marina and the half moon was shining over the boats…

1 半空月明巳矇矓 The light of the half risen moon had already become hazy,
2 後庭小閣醉花紅 And the small pavilion in the backyard is tipsy in red.
3 離天三尺恨太近 It was then that three feet away from Heaven was too near,
4 金屋有嬌曾經夢 A pampered beauty in the Golden House is now once upon a dream.

1 濛矓 can mean foggy or the befuddled mind.

3 Heaven here means the emperor.  To be so close to the emperor means that person is the second most powerful person in the empire.  This line shows resentment for being too close to him

4 嬌 means pampered girl, beautiful, adorable etc. However, here it alludes to Emperor Han Wu Ti’s first empress whom he owed his position to marrying her, his aunt. Both sides are to be blamed for their failure in their marriage.

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

Wednesday, August 23, 2023

Days Of Long Ago

The first line came to me suddenly while I was washing a dish.

1 遠見山頭甘露臨 Far away, sweet dew approached the mountain tops,
2 一刻久隔三秋心 A heart’s moment of separation is like passing of three autumns long.
3 西湖明月仍未眠 The bright moon of West Lake has yet to sleep,
4 橋上何會雨夜吟 Why would there be sighing on the bridge during a rainy night?

1 Sweet dew means rain.  Can also be interpreted the act of fertilizing the earth.

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

Wednesday, August 23, 2023

Imitating The Masters II

The original 驚夢 poem - 題城山晚對軒壁宋•范成大

欲以清風剪綠夢，
瞬息甲子是南柯。
滿湖蛙語鳴不住，
誰與高歌舞芰荷。

AC Tang's version  - 壬寅孟春，讀宋人范成大《人間随處是南柯》，依其韵。

一枕清風剪綠夢，
人間隨處是南柯。
也知睡足當歸去，
不奈溪山留客何。

My version,

1 枕上鴛鴦夢翠荷 The embroidered Mandarin Ducks dream of being under the emerald lotus leaves,

2 昨夜春宵一南柯 Last night’s spring night is nothing more but a Dream of the Southern Bough.

3 妝台秋思舊日塵 Autumn thoughts by the dressing table – are nothing more but dust of the past,

4 寧醉莫怨君在何 Better be drunk than to blame where my Lord is.

1 Embroidered Mandarin Ducks under green lotus leaves on pillows symbolize marital bliss.

2 An allusion to a Tang Dynasty Story.

https://jeffinous.blogspot.com/2011/02/dream-of-southern-bough-chinese-antz.html

3 Autumn Thoughts By the Dressing Table is a Classical music piece describing the thoughts of Wang Chiao Jun, one of the four greatest beauties in China.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cka1_n8FUWc&t=155s

The music starts at 1:48

Monday, August 21, 2023

Global Warming

Yesterday, the impending storm approached Southern California like a coiling but menacing dragon. Naval ships set sailed to calmer waters in San Diego. People panicked and started to fill up their cars and rushing to get bottled waters. And of course, snarling traffic materialized at the stores. As for me, I was in the comfort of the home, doing house cleaning and waiting eagerly for my thirsty garden to embrace the wetness of the land.

This morning, there was no rain but a cloudy sky. Sure, there were news of San Diego being flooded, flash floods occurring in Palm Springs where streets had become streams. But by late afternoon, the sun came out shining brightly and hotly as if nothing had happened. The storm had whimpered away like some sort of a snake in the grass. For me, it was a disappointment. I wished it could rained for another day for my backyard garden.

I suppose troubles don’t come to those who are prepared. My previous poem about trouble for one place is boon for another holds true. Poetic licence is taken liberally in this creation…

1 昨日無端風雨暴 For no reason, the heavy rains came yesterday,
2 今朝照常老君竃 But this morning, it is hot as usual like the brazier of Lao Tzu.
3 難測生命乃自然 So natural is such life’s unpredictability,
4 夏天翻覆是人造 But the topsy turvy nature of summer is manmade.

1 Referring to California’s first tropical storm since 1939 on 20 Aug 2023.

2 老君 short for 太上老君- the Supreme Venerable Sovereign. He has a furnace to melt the elements to forge his pills of immortality. This line sets up the scenario for the last line.

4 A veiled stab mankind for causing global warming and there are still naysayers out there living in ignorance.

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

Monday, August 21, 2023

A reply from AC Tang from FB’s Poetry Group…

Here comes the poem with English translation。读Jeff Loh雨后七绝，冒昧神游加州雷雨前后。步其韵。

After reading Jeff’s rain poem, I took the liberty of composing a poem based on the scene and mood following the same rhyming.

夏日朝雨震加州 summer day morning rain shock California
坐看疑是九天漏 sit view suspect nine sky leak
庭院有竹逢甘露 courtyard has bamboo meeting sweet dew
清風無意送閑愁  gentle wind without intent send leisure sorrow

A summer morning rain shakes California
I sit and wonder whether water has escaped heaven
In the courtyard, bamboo leaves finally hold sweet dews
My leisurely sorrow is gone with the fresh wind

His 2nd version on 23 Aug 23

Here is a new take with different twist and I fixed the 平仄 problems that were overlooked in the previous version.

無題

夏有風雷起梦中 summer has wind thunder rise from dream
醒来疑是九天惊 waking up suspect is nine heaven shock
晚鐘聲嫩新竹綠 evening bell sound soften new bamboo green
静夜聽它雨後生 silent night listen it rain after grow

In a summer dream,
wind and thunder gathered

I woke and wondered
whether heaven was in shock.

Then, the sound of evening bell
softened the new bamboos

the quietness of this night,
heard the sound of growth
as the rain became absent.

Streetlight In The Rain

This was created during my morning jog… In my mind was a Ghibli like scene of a personified street lamp shining in a rainy night.

1 行人急散喧嘩謝 Pedestrians scattered quickly and the hustle and bustle withered,
2單獨街燈照雨斜 Except for the city lights shining at the slanting rain.
3 風伯殷勤掃盡愁 The Count of Wind with care swept away all sorrows,
4 向誰何問取傘借 From whom should I ask for a borrowed umbrella?

2 單獨 here means “except for…”, or “apart from”. Unlike people, streetlights cannot move and have to face adversity head on.

3 Along with the Count of Wind (風伯), the Duke of Thunder (雷公), Mother of Lightning (電母), Boy of Clouds (雲童) and Master of Rain (雨師), they are in charge of the celestial weather department.

4 Continuing the sarcastic theme of line 2, this is a sour grape situation. Why bother to ask for help when there are no people around implied in the first line.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fengbo_(deity)

Monday, August 21, 2023

Summer Rain

The start of a summer tropical storm for Southern California since 1939. Perhaps because of the devastating fire in Maui, the authorities are being cautious or overly so (depending on one’s viewpoint) that Catalina is being evacuated and the military ships are sailed from the San Diego naval base to calmer waters. The official reason was not to hamper rescue efforts if disaster were to happen. I see no connection. Why can’t the naval ships help in the effort? It’s more to protect them from being damaged!

On the positive side, I welcomed the rain (but not the late afternoon quake at Ventura County) because though the drought had lessened, it is not over yet. My thirsty bamboos will be happy with the free water. The rain stopped around 10am and took the opportunity for my daily jog. However, halfway through, it started to rain again. Was able to get inspired to write this…

1 夏朝忽來雨嘉州 Suddenly on a summer’s morning, comes California in rain,
2 雷電九霄水滴漏 Nine Heavens are leaking! Cracked by lightning and thunder.
3 後庭竹林久渴長 Long had my backyard bamboo forest been in thirsting,
4 一陣清風掃盡愁 And one gust of refreshing wind scattering away all sorrow.

1 雨 can be used as a verb. I like the balance in strokes of 嘉 better than 加. Also, 嘉 means auspicious and thus a good omen that my thirsty garden has a free drink.

2 In Chinese mythology there are nine levels of heaven. This line explains why there is rain in California. The tone of 電 sounds better than the original震.

3 Problems of one place is a boon for another. In this case, a leaky heaven is good for my garden.

4 It could mean that the plants or the author’s sorrow had been dispersed. Figuratively, it can be interpreted as life’s uncertainties that sometimes, help is on the way through unexpected situations. The fire in Maui is a direct result from a faraway Hurricane Dora and while California (especially my garden) benefited from Hurricane Hilary.

Sunday, August 20, 2023

Imitating The Masters I

 

A C Tang of the FB Chinese Poetry Group wrote,

I find it a great way to practice writing Chinese classical poetry by picking a poem of ones liking, and then, taking it into a new physical and emotional space while making allusion to certain elements of the original poem. In such a way, one starts dialogue with a great master. So, here, the master poet is 辛棄疾.

流水弄石舞樹, 

高山拓谷生蟬，
无弦亦可頌華年, 

歌静蛙聲點點
七八首詩天外. 

两三壺酒堂前.
曾年騷客夢猶在, 

柳暗花明重見.

AC’s version

明月別枝惊鵲,

清風半夜鳴蟬.
稻花香里說丰年,

聽取蛙聲一片.

七八个星天外, 

两三點雨山前.
舊時茅店社林邊,

路轉溪橋忽見.

My version,

1 濃雲敝月忽弱, Abruptly, heavy clouds had obscured the moon.
2 輕微水滴靜蟬, And light rain hushing up the cicadas.
3 酒語自吟憶當年, Self-muttering of inebriated words to recall ye days of olde,
4 雨後蛙聲纏綿. The rain stops but the frogs still cling on to their incessant calls.

5 七八亂糟天外, Bringing ruckus the world’s edge and beyond,
6 两三杯嫦娥餞, Two three cups more offered before the Moon Goddess departs.
7 只是今宵愚翁幻, If only just tonight’s fantasy of an old befuddled,
8 夢醒懷舊難眠. The dream shatters but thoughts of yore kept me from my slumber.

1 This sets up for the scenario of the next line to explain the reason for the presence of clouds.

2 Cicadas are symbols of rebirth, transformation and renewal. In Japan, it symbolizes summer. It has a special symbolizing the noisiness of the insect when depicting certain movie scenes.

3 Getting self-pity and consolation through alcohol.

4 Frogs usually croak after a night of rain as it is the appropriate time to mate as streams are filled with water. Of course, this does not happen in the urban areas anymore. Their croaking can reach a crescendo of several levels of decibels in discomfort. I remember my childhood days when my hometown still had patches of a rural setting. This is the crucial line of the poem.

5 The croaking represents the exaggeration of the tumultuous past.

6 This line was inspired by the story of Pigsty in the story of the Monkey King in his former days as the heavenly marshal who tried to take liberties with the Goddess of the Moon in his intoxicated state. As a result, he was banished to the mortal world and in his state, he mistakenly found himself in the womb of a sow and hence was born with features and personalities of a pig.

Friday, August 18, 2023

Reality In The Mirror

1 黃花忽覺春已別 Abruptly, the yellow flowers felt that spring had left,
2 紅塵驚醒鑒中絕 Startled by reality that the beauty in the mirror had gone.
3風冷情薄如郎心 Heartless is like the cold wind of a lover’s heart,
4 淚啞滿天雲蔽月 Muted tears of fill the sky as clouds obscure the moon.

1 Yellow flowers could either mean the perceived withering into pallor or chrysanthemums – the symbols of autumn to mean the dusk of one’s life. The flowers are the personification of the lady in question.


2 Confirmation by the mirror.

3 Like the wind, her lover is now gone as implied by the last line. 郎 has the same sound as 狼, a wolf.

4 Clouds signify old age/wrinkles obscuring her beauty underneath.

Thursday, August 17, 2023

The Way Of Sunsets

AC Tang from Facebook’s group, Chinese poetry had composed a poem called 風雨烟,

癸卯暮春 陽台山蝴蝶谷 遇雨山，
清雷鳥語碧樹烟。

行人断,

風雨路成三。

Rain in late spring at the Butterfly Valley of Yangtai Mountain.

The mountain is
its purifying thunder,
its words of birds,
and its mist of jade green.

is the travelers
vanishing
only the road,
wind,

and rain
a symphonic three
is to remain

My translation:

Late spring of 2023, at the Valley of Butterflies, in the Southern Terrace Mountains, rains [i] met,

Distinct thunder rumbling with chirping birds amongst green trees and mists,
Travelers [I see] no more,
But with the wind, the rain and the road forming three.

And from inspiration, I wrote one during my evening jog…

1 世上野心風雲惡 In this world, turbulent storms are caused by the power hungry,
2 天下逍遙九霄樂 Only the leisure carefree knows of happiness in the Nine Heavens.
3 若道紅塵貴莫棄 In saying that the wealth of the mortal dream is not to be abandoned,
4 一生獨霸隨日落 Then all that life had dominated will follow the way of the setting sun.

1 Wind and clouds mean the turbulence of earthly affairs.

2 An exaggeration of unbounded happiness.  It is believed that there are nine levels of heaven in Chinese mythology.

3 Red Dust – a Buddhist term for the mundane world where material wealth gained or created by men is impermanent and therefore what experienced in life in the end is like a dream upon death.

4 Emphasizes that the point raised in the previous line. Another new day means another new generation.

Wednesday, August 16, 2023

Still Counting

1 微緋殘霞遠天邊 Remnants of decaying crimson clouds by heaven’s edge,
2 夜漸銀河星萬獻 Slowly the night presented the myriad of stars of the Silver River.
3 數盡三百晚未足 Counting away the three hundred nights still not reached,
4 鵲橋緣何露眼前 Oh why then does the Magpie Bridge appear before my very eyes?

1 The day is dying but night brings hope in forms of stars and another day had passed.

2 Silver River – the Milky Way

3 The pivot to introduce the allusion of the Seventh Night.

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

4 It is believed that on the Seventh Night, magpies will congregate to form a bridge so that the twin stars of Vega and Altair may meet as lovers on it.

Tuesday, August 15, 2023

Envy

 

During an evening jog and exercising my mind…

1 春時雨後地新花 New blooms all over the ground after the spring rains,
2 碧翠草葉天配畫 Picturesque green are the grasses and leaves - a match in heaven.
3 白雲窺妒萬紫紅 Endless swaths of ruddiness envied by white clouds in secret,
4 曾似谷中竊年華 As if once upon a time in this valley, youth had been stolen away.

1 Spring represents youthfulness, flowers – maidens; rains the act of “fertilization”.

2 Green grasses and leaves are accompanying youths.

3 White clouds in the sky, aged men in positions of power lamenting at their own lost youth.

4 This line opens to a number of possibilities for the reader to ponder on.

Monday, August 14, 2023

A Thousand Year Search

While jogging in the evening but many iterations later under the strains of A Summer Place… Simple poems devoid of allusions are the most difficult to create.

1 千載難求解語花 For a thousand years, still looking for thee, O soulmate of mine,
2 海角天涯始誰家 To the edges of the seas, from the ends of the earth where should I begin?
3 使若奇緣終相逢 If perchance, twain shall meet on this miraculous day,
4 時已夕陽夢年華 ‘tis the time of my sunset years dreaming of youth.

1 解語花  - the flower that understand my [unspoken] words...

2 始誰家 - start from which family

3 奇緣 - wondrous fate/destiny

4 年華 - year glory

Saturday, August 12, 2023

Another Two View Points

This poem was started in the night with the first two lines. However, I wasn’t able to complete it and in the middle of the night, I decided to turn them as the last two lines and see if I can continue with a different rhyme. It was completed in the next day during my morning jog.

1 窗外音絕夜籣徑 Outside the window is a path where sounds of the night had ceased,
2 回眸枕上鴛鴦影 A shadow of embroidered pillow Mandarin Ducks from one back glance.
3 萬燦難擋孤燈前 Myriad dots of brilliance withstand not the lonely light at the front,
4 船破水中銀河星 A boat crushing the stars of the Silver River.

1 Sets up the scene for the next line - looking outside to see if there are signs of someone coming. However, it is night and all is quiet.

2 回眸 – “returning eyes” – to turn the head back for a look. Mandarin ducks symbolizes marital bliss and hence a favorite embroidered theme on pillowcases. This line explains the reason the wife is looking out of the window – to see if there are signs of the husband returning. However, she is worried about their love because of the word “shadow” on the pillowcases when she glances back into the bedroom.

3 This is the pivot point where the scenery changes to a different perspective. We do not know what the myriad dots and a lonely light in the front mean.

4 By inference, the myriad dots are the stars and the single light is on a ship’s prow. The ship is still moving in the night because reflections on the water is being crushed. It can be safe to assume that the stars mean temptations encountered on a journey but his love for his lonely wife back home is immovable. His resolve indicated by the moving boat crushes all the temptations encountered. The Milky Way is known as the Silver River in Chinese.

Wednesday, August 9, 2023

The Heart's Elsewhere

While jogging in the evening…

1 夜靜風冷星未墜 Quiet is the night when winds are cold and stars yet to set,
2 燈滅影盡船舟去 Lights extinguished, shadows are gone and ships had departed.
3 嫦娥身在廣寒殿 O Goddess of the Moon, bodily in the Palace of Great Frigidity,
4 魄却瑤池蟠宴醉 Drunken is her soul still at the Peach Banquet of the Jasper Pool.

1 No sleep yet and dawn still hasn’t arrived.

2 Hope is gone like the boats.

3 殿 is the administrative part of the palace while 宮 is the residential area. 身is used as a verb. Originally, I had ”嫦娥身在知處難, O Goddess of the Moon, where you are I know not” because of the setting was on a boat but was changed later.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chang%27e

4 Originally, I had “疑定宴於瑤池去”, “Most probably to the Jasper Pool part she went” as the answer to the previous question. I could not form a good couplet and so had to change the last three lines. Ancient Chinese believes that there are nine souls in a person, 3 superior souls known as 魂 and 6 baser ones as 魄. When a person dies, the baser souls are the last to leave because they could not bear to leave. The longer they remain, the greater chance to become malevolent by causing the body to be animated and cause havoc.

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

Monday, August 7, 2023

To Be Free

This came about while in the car going to have lunch in OC.

1 白鸕戲水晴天潛 Upon the waters, a white cormorant playfully dives into a sunny sky,
2 波濺池影飛銀閃 Glittering drops of silver splattering at ripples and pond reflections.
3 願為逍遙作閑鳥 For carefreeness, an idle bird that I should be,
4 何慮恩怨凡塵染 Why worry about the mortal realm tainted by love and grudges?

1 The sunny sky is the watery reflection on the pond. For one who is carefree, it matters not whether the sky is upwards or on the water. Originally, I used 白鷺, white heron but found out that these birds do not dive for their prey and I did not like to take poetic licence since a cormorant has the same pronunciation. Pure white cormorants do exist in nature as albinos.

2 What is not explicitly stated is that reflections are shattered upon impact but another beauty arises in form of splattering silver drops. Both are temporary situations and emphasizes the non-important nature of the matter to a carefree person.

3 This is the pivot line that forms the basis to the implicit meaning of the previous lines.

4 The reason that in order to be carefree, one has to be freed from all emotional entanglements of life.

Saturday, August 5, 2023

Two View Points

Inspired by this photo while taking a night stroll in Wilson Park…  However, I wasn’t able to complete it until I went for my jog the next day as there was plenty of time to ponder during my jog…  There were many revisions afterwards...

1 月照白雲昨夜風 Moonlight upon white clouds and winds from last night,
2 搖動黑林無伊夢 Swaying the darkened forest with no dreams of thee.
3 七夕銀河鵲橋高 The Milking Way during the Seventh Night and the Magpie Bridge are high,
4 急渡九霄萬山重 Hurrying over the Nine Heavens and through ranges of myriad mountains!

2 伊人literally means “this person” usually the opposite sex.

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

4 Exaggerating his hurriedness to meet his beloved.

Monday, July 31, 2023

This one was composed three days later as a reply to the previous poem.  However, with many iterations of refinement, it morphed into another view point instead...  This came about while I was in midst of waking up, the first line came to me but could not continue until I completed the previous one. The male version was straight forward while this has more conflicted emotions.

1 銀河星點昨夜風 The Milky Way dotted with myriad stars and winds of last night,
2 莫求難留曾經夢 Seek not in dreams of once upon a time.
3 酒停一瞬念舊客 Pausing a cup to reminisce a guest of old,
4 再杯花容添滴紅 A few more drops, a few more blushes to grace a beauty’s face.

1 This scene represents the good old happier days. The Milky Way is always associated with the ill-fated romance of the Seventh Night. At the same time, a glimmer of hope for reuniting in the future.

2 Self-consolation that dalliance is not worth the pursuit.

3 Even advice from the previous line, her conflicted emotions would not let go of her past encounter. 客 actually means someone who is at a place temporarily. Here it means the heartless wanderlust of a lover, i.e., a lover at every port of call.

4 Still again, her emotions are contradictory as she keeps up with her appearances just in case he shows up unexpectedly. 花容 means a pretty face.

Thursday, August 3, 2023

Summer Heat

Have to keep my mind busy while I jogged and the evening summer heat is still unbearable…

1 風送荷香碎綠影 Lotus fragrance wafted by the wind, shattering green reflections,
2 浮紅池上接相迎 And yet  floating reds upon the pond greeting in welcome.
3 心動神疲血來潮 No peace for an agitated heart as waves of blood surging through,
4 夏熱無端逼人靜 For what reason wouldst summer heat be oppressing one into calmness?

1 Lotuses are aquatic pond plants. 

2 “floating reds” are the red blooms of the Nelumbo nucifera – the sacred lotus which is a symbol of enlightenment which can be achieved through calmness and meditation. 清香 here means the kind of fragrance that is not dense and heavy-like cosmetic perfumes.

3 心動神疲 comes from a line in the Thousand Character Classic -性情靜逸, 心動神疲.

4 Inspired by the Chinese idiom, 心靜自然涼. Although on the surface, the poem talks of summer heat, the underlying tone is to distract and tempt one away from the path of enlightenment. Summer heat is the true path while Mara is the disguised fragrance to distract and lure one astray through sensuality.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mara_(demon)

Thursday, July 27, 2023

Letting Go

Another one while jogging and the half-moon was almost invisible in the dying sunlight.

1 西山夕陽難捨央 Sunset upon the western hills – unwilling to relinquish its zenith,
2 東海月升仍未亮 Moonrise over the eastern ocean – not yet in brilliance.
3 北斗漸殘夜臨黑 Fading into the north as blackness of night approacheth,
4 南柯寰宙夢一塲 The universe of the Southern Bough is but a place all dreamt up.

1 未央 is a Han dynasty concept of “zenith not yet reached” to mean forever in ascendency since once the summit had been reached, decay and descent will start

2 Even daylight is weak, it is still strong enough to diminish the brilliance of the young rising moon.

3 And as the moon grew in brilliance, it will outshine all other celestial bodies of light. One has to have patience in order to grow and become strong.

4 All grandeur is but a fleeting dream.

https://jeffinous.blogspot.com/2011/02/dream-of-southern-bough-chinese-antz.html

Wednesday, July 26, 2023

Togetherness

While jogging…

1 海燕雙飛夕陽紅 A pair of swiftlets flying in the red sunset,
2 晚霞漸暗巢歸夢 Dreaming for their return to roost as rosy clouds darken.
3 莫顧世外月黑夜 Nary a care of the outside world if the moon exists,
4 相偎共寢綺眠同 In togetherness snuggling away in shared dreams.

1 These birds are symbols of fidelity and live near coastal caves. Their nests are made from their saliva and are highly prized in Chinese cuisine. The evening represents their sunset years.

2 Time is short and they dream of returning home together.

3 Caring not the world beyond their nest when they have each other.

4 “Dream” is not in the original text but sounds better as “beautiful Slumber” can also be interpreted to be an eternal one.

Tuesday, July 25, 2023

A Restless Night

Had a difficult time trying to sleep and my mind was racing about the events of today, my porcelain panel being broken, etc. In the end, I tried to come up with two lines…

寒宮無情銀河掃
凌空獨照橫烟霧

Could not think of anything thing else to go forward. Finally, getting up from the bed and went onto the internet to read and watch some videos. The 3rd line came as 莫見蓬山穿雲海. In the end, when went back to bed that I suddenly had an idea with the 3rd line as last three characters of the last line being 莫見蓬山當如無. With this and more refinements in the morning…

1 天涯朗月星河掃 At the world’s end, the bright moon sweeps away the brilliance of the Milky Way,
2 凌空獨照橫烟霧 Upon the rising mists, it shines alone in the vastness of the sky.
3 雲海仙界何人識 In this great ocean of clouds, who wouldst recognize its fairyness?
4 莫見蓬山當初無 The Immortal Isles not seen does not mean there’s no prior existence!

4 蓬山 is the short for 蓬萊山, a mountain in the Blessed Isles in the Eastern Ocean.  當初 is not taken as a unit to mean “at that earlier time”, “originally”. 當 is used as a verb to mean “treat as”, “pretend” etc., and 初無 “don’t have it originally”. Hence in Cantonese, this is pronounced in the 3rd tone and not as the 1st.

Sunday, July 23, 2023

One Quiet Night

This line, 半邊明月凌空照 was written in the early half of the year but I did not have any inspiration to continue until now.  After many changes and refinements...

1 半邊明月凌空笑 Half bright is the moon smiling as it soars into the sky,
2 影斜無聲渡小橋 And slanting shadows cross the little bridge in silence.
3 欲向荷眠輕步前 In gingerly steps towards slumbering lotuses,
4 又恐風生珠葉搖 Yet dreading that fresh breezes may shudder the dew laden leaves.

1 The half-moon phase or that the full moon is partially hidden by the clouds.

2 Whether the shadows are from buildings, trees, or a person, we do not know.

3 Lotus blossoms close up at night and opens in the day, like sleeping. The night is long as shadows moved so slowly towards the sleeping flowers.

4 Here we know of the reason. “Fresh” here means “new”. 

Friday, Jul 21, 2023 

UPDATE

I must have improved for someone by the name of AC Tang, a member on Facebook's Chinese Poetry Group, commented on the poem, 

 I love the scene and atmosphere that this poem has created in my mind.May I have your permission to share a "re-creation" from the scene?

It was an honor to received such a comment.  I am glad that for once that my poem had  become an inspiration for another.  This is what he wrote, 

弯弯明月半空姣 one curved bright moon half sky beauty
清影悠悠过小橋 clear shadow leisurely cross small bridge
欲向睡莲輕举步 about toward sleeping lily gentle raise step
又怜風起露珠摇 yet worry wind rise dew drop swing

Jeff shared a 七绝 which describes a beautiful moon lit night, a poet walking quietly crossing a little bridge, wanting to get closer to look at the water lilies but dreading to disturb the peace. I just love the simplicity and straight forwardness of this scene and sentiment， I wrote a 七绝 as a sing-along to Jef’s work. It is about the same scene but viewed by a different individual. My moon has a delicate beauty contrasting with Jef’s moon more of strength and power; my poet is more like a leisurely aimless shadow while Jef’s poet seems more in a quiet contemplation. Both poets shared the loving and tender sentiment towards the beauty of the moments when mankind is with nature. Here is my sing-along with its English translation.

Suspending beautifully in the sky was the curved half moon
Leisurely traversing was my clear shadow over a little bridge
Just when I was about to step close to the sleeping lily
I held back for I worry that the dewdrops might swing in my breaths

This comparison shows many facets of subtlety about the differences between us.  From his English, one can clearly tell that it is not his first language while his Chinese poem is more colloquial and fluid in how his modern colloquialism flow so seamlessly and effortlessly into a classical format. As for me, how my Chinese way of expressing carries hints of English style and more arcane words and usage embedded.  

I did not notice that my moon has strength and power through using half moon in smiles as it rose mightily - 凌空.  His is gossamer-like though the use of a curvy crescent moon like a lady.  Most probably the use of 凌空 is due to watching the historic drama of Empress Wu, the rise of the only female emperor in Chinese history, 日月凌空, "The Moon Also Rises With The Sun".  These four characters form a pun for the character 曌, a title she created to call herself. Also perhaps it is because of my nature that strong willed women appeals to me. I loathe the meek and weak ones like the Plum Concubine, 梅妃. Instead of fighting back, she accepted her fate when she wrote a poem to reject the emperor's gift of pearls for her...

柳葉雙眉久不描, Her willow shaped brows had not been touched up for a long time now,
殘妝和淚汚紅綃. Tears from her remnant makeup had sullied her thin red silk.
長門自是無梳洗, No need to be made pretty when one lives in the Long Gate,
何必珍珠慰寂寥. So, why the need to have pearls to console my loneliness.

https://www.historyofroyalwomen.com/china/imperial-consort-mei-the-sorrowful-poems-from-the-consort-who-loved-plum-blossoms/

It's good to have such exchanges as it makes one to know oneself better.