By Western Stream at Chuzhou

滁州西涧

韦应物

独 怜 幽 草 涧 边 生，

上 有 黄 鹂 深 树 鸣。
春 潮 带 雨 晚 来 急，
野 渡 无 人 舟 自 横。

By the River to the West of Chuzhou

Wei Yingwu

Translated by Andrew W.F. Wong

How I love the riverside where slender grasses grow

And from up on trees so leafy, songs of the orioles flow.

Spring flood and a day's rain, by dusk the river runs swift,

The country ferry deserted, the boat, by itself, lies low.

By Western Stream at Chuzhou

Wei Yingwu

Translated by Wang Dalian

I like but grasses growing by ravine;

Above them orioles sing amid trees green

With rains night in haste spring tide does rise;

At wild ford, unmanned boat alone thwart lies

  Hello people!

  I know we all come into the final, what a serious word. But I have to update my blog as a daily assignment; meanwhile it will be a best tool to communicate with you.  

  Today I bring a fresh poem even thought this one omits a bit sorrow atmosphere.

  I would like to call his poem as By Western Stream at ChuZhuo, because the last character of title in this poem is “涧”, I think it will be more suitable that translate it into stream.  

  With the respect of the author, Wei Yingwu, he is a quite a famed poet in Tang Dynasty. Maybe you have already noticed that nearly all of these poets I`ve introduced were lived in Tang Dynasty, actually Tang is the top period of Chinese history, meanwhile literature got a sufficient development in Tang Dynasty or even probably the poems approach the peak in the whole history.

  Let`s back to Wei Yingwu, he was appointed as an administrative officer in Chuzhuo, an important city in south China in that era. He wrote this poem when he went to the suburb of Chuzhuo for expressing himself. Wei Yingwu always be considered as the symbol of “Landscape poetry school”, and this poem is also be regarded as the masterwork of Wei Yingwu, hence we can get that it`s a pretty classical poem, at the same time it must describe the landscape wonderfully.

  Now turn to the poem itself:

  I love the green grass grows alone the stream lonely. Listening, there are some orioles singing on the trees.

  Quite simple sentences, just show you a picture around the stream. Grass, orioles, trees constitutes the flawless landscape. But the most splendid item is, in my eyes, the author using the adjective “Lonely” in the first line, while he did not point out that I`m lonely or the grass is lonely. For me, I`ll suppose that he felt much lonely in that situation, consequently he thought the grass is the same lone as him.

  Night, spring flood comes hurriedly with heavy rains. Canoe, lying thwart on the deserted ferry without anyone.

  Suddenly, rains are coming followed by the winds fallen in the discarded ferry. The atmosphere becomes increasingly loneliness, however then, Wei Yingwu draws a more heartbroken picture to us. “A canoe thwart lies on that ferry.” I think you even can feel the lonely air from this poem.

  Pictures in the poem. The best realm for a poet. Wei Yingwu did it. 

Farewell

送别

王维

山中相送罢，

日暮掩柴扉。
春草年年绿，

王孙归不归。

Farewell

Wang wei
Friend, I have watched you down the mountain
Till now in the dark I close my thatch door
Grasses return again green in the spring,
But O my Prince of Friends, do you?

Farewell

Wang Wei

Translated by Andrew W.F. Wong

Here in the hills, I bade you farewell;

And by dusk I closed my twiggen door.

O grass will again be green next spring!

Might you, my lord, be back once more?

  Yesterday, my friends and I talked more than 3 hours in our building; we had to mention the farewell because some of these friends only exchange in Finland one semester. Therefore, we will back in three weeks and maybe it means we cannot meet each other any more after December. I have no idea about how to express myself exactly, saying goodbye probably is the saddest event in the world I guess.

  Sometimes I really wanna my mind can change those bad sorrow emotions into some acceptable feelings. Like you could think as there will be more nice guys walk into your life and you also can enjoy the life in next semester. But I can not ensure that I can forget these beautiful days in the rest of my life, hence I`m not capability to make all the thoughts come true.

  Consequently I select this one to be my after-chat blog- Farewell.

  It`s a classical quatrain written by Tang Dynasty poet Wang Wei with the simple structure. In the last continuous days, I`m looks like only focus on the quatrain, but actually I`m not posted 20-character poem each day intentionally.

  The author, Wang Wei, is a famed poet in ancient China, he also be considered as the representative of Pastoral. He is quite good at describing the sight and people of countryside, express the generous mind from nature, of course this poet, which I selected is not an exception.

  Having already seen you off in the mountains, it`s sunset now. The twilight is alike closing my firewood door.  The grass become green each spring, but my dear friend would you back?

  I translated simply by the direct meaning of this poem. It named Farewell, but as a matter of fact, the author did not say anything about farewell, the author pointed out that the process of farewell is already finished in the first sentence.  Then he describes the time of this poem- it`s sunset. At the same time the twilight was shining on my door.

  But he changed his visual angle suddenly, the grass always keep in fresh green every spring, it mean he says to his friend all the things in the nature will be brought back to its original condition that maybe can not escape.  Therefore, I just ask you straightforwardly “Will you back or not?” It seems a question, meanwhile it`s the hope that the author wanna his friend back to their hometown as well.

  I put two versions of Farewell in the first part, but I notice that the both of them translated the hero of last sentence as lord or prince. Actually I`m not approve their translation, if you translate these significant two characters into the original version “王孙” separately, the first character should be king and the second should be descendant, consequently probably the translator think the author say goodbye to the offspring of the king. However, for me it`s just a respectful symbol for his bosom friend.

  Sending this poem to all the leaving exchange students I met in JYV.

A tranquil night

静夜思

李白

床 前 明 月 光，疑 是 地 上 霜。

举 头 望 明 月，低 头 思 故 乡。

Version1:

A tranquil night

Li Po

Translator: Xu Yuanchong

Abed, I see a silver light
I wonder if it`s frost around
Looking up, I find the moon bright
Bowing, in homesickness I`m drowned

Version2:

On a Quiet Night
Li Po

Translator:  Shigeyoshi Obata

I saw the moonlight before my couch，
And wondered if it were not the frost on the ground.
I raised my head and looked out on the mountain moon，
I bowed my head and thought of my far-off home.

  December is coming!

  This time I bring a poem that it must be the most famous one in the Chinese circle across the whole world. Meanwhile, the author Li Po is the most famous poet as well. I promise all the Chinese people will say of course if you ask them do you know who is Li Po? But the premise is that they know, Li Po, this name is their Li Bai, actually it also can be called Li Pai or Li Bo. This china-beating poet has several names on account of different type of translations, while his surname never be changed by translators, it could be consider as a bit respect?

  Let`s back the poem itself.

  I would say it`s the most well-known poet in history of Chinese classic literature, the first reason I have to point is simpleness. I have been mentioned that people only higher than the literati-official class can receive the education and afford the tuition in the former blog, so simpleness is the premise for popularity.

  The first two sentences describe the light. The author lied down or leaned the bed, he found the moonlight shine on the ground, but he guessed that it`s the frost at the first sight.

  Then the author starts to voice his own feelings throughout the moon. His next sentences is quite interesting that he use two actions- “raise the head and lower the head” to express himself. He wrote: I raised my head to appreciate the moon, while lower my head to miss my home.

  The most straightforward approach to speak homesick out, it`s not common for Chinese people but Li Po did it. I have written that in China, moon is often be considered as something related to the home in the poet or even daily life, the full moon always be treated as the symbol of all relatives should be reunite at home together.

  Only 20 characters, only narrative one-night-thoughts, only two actions however Li Po described his homesick so plain but rhythm

  About two versions of translation, I like the first more. Abed and two word in the form of –ing is really fresh compared with other translation and it`s more simple in according to the original poem.