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.