I have rendered this character-by-character annotation from personal knowledge. If you see any mistakes, please comment or contact.
Translation
Translation by Stephen Owen, from Just a song: Chinese lyrics from the eleventh and early twelfth centuries
First seen at the foot of the stairs in a “plant-finding game,” Once met upstairs at the time for threading needles. Fragrant dew on gossamer skirt, wind in the jade hairpin. Checking makeup, brow’s arch dark green, Blushing cheeks, a red appears through powder. The flowing water went far off with spring, A moving cloud, together now with whom? Sobering up, always resentful That the brocade screen is empty. I seek her on a road in dream In the flying rain and fallen flowers.
I have rendered this character-by-character annotation from personal knowledge. If you see any mistakes, please comment or contact.
Translation
Translation by Stephen Owen, from Just a song: Chinese lyrics from the eleventh and early twelfth centuries
Swallows and swans have gone past, The orioles go their way, In this life adrift carefully count up The millions of moments that touch you. Longer than a springtime dream, But how much longer? -- Scattering like autumn clouds Nowhere to be found. Hearing the zither, untying her pendants, Goddess companion, Tug as you may at the gossamer robes, You cannot make her stay. I urge you not to be The sole man sober -- You’ll have only a certain number of times To be utterly drunk among the flowers.
I have rendered this character-by-character annotation from personal knowledge. If you see any mistakes, please comment or contact.
Translation
Translation by Stephen Owen, from An Anthology of Chinese Literature
Look there! The waters of the Yellow River coming down from Heaven, rush in their flow to the sea, never turn back again. Look there! Bright in the mirrors of mighty halls a grieving for white hair, this morning blue-black strands of silk, and now with evening turned to snow. For satisfaction in this life taste pleasure to the limit, And never let a goblet of gold face the bright moon empty. Heaven bred in me talents, and they must be put to use. I toss away a thousand in gold, it comes right back to me. So boil a sheep, butcher an ox, make merry for a while, And when you sit yourselves to drink, always down three hundred cups. Hey, Master Cen, Ho, Dan-qiu, Bring in the wine! Keep the cups coming! And I, I'll sing you a song, You bend me your ears and listen-- The bells and drums, the tasty morsels, It’s not these that I love-- All I want is to stay dead drunk and never sober up. The sages and worthies of ancient days now lie silent now forever, And only the greatest drinkers have a fame that lingers on! Once long ago the Prince of Chen held a party in Ping-le Lodge. A gallon of wine cost ten thousand cash, all the joy and laughter they pleased. So you, my host, How can you tell me you're short on cash? Go right out! Buy us some wine! And I'll do the pouring for you! Then take my dappled horse, take my furs worth a fortune, Just call for the boy to get them, and trade them for lovely wine, And here together we'll melt the sorrows of all eternity!
A note on references: Listed below are all works the contributors referenced in the process of writing specific pieces, some for inspiration, others for confirmation of specific details. Works that are considered suitable for readers of this blog as extended reading are indicated in bold.
Gathering at the Orchid Pavilion by Qian Gu (from The Metropolitan Museum of Art collection)
Ashmore, R. (2002). The banquet’s aftermath: Yan jidao’s ci poetics and the high tradition. T’Oung Pao, 88(4), 211-250. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/4528901
Crowe, L. C., & George, W. H. (1989). Alcohol and human sexuality: Review and integration. Psychological Bulletin, 105(3), 374-386. doi:10.1037/0033-2909.105.3.374
Gildenhard, I., & Zissos, A. (2016). Ovid, metamorphoses, 3.511-733: Latin text with introduction, commentary, glossary of terms, vocabulary aid and study questions Open Book Publishers. Retrieved from https://books.google.com.au/books?id=UQz5DAAAQBAJ
Hendler, R. A., Ramchandani, V. A., Gilman, J., & Hommer, D. W. (2013). Stimulant and sedative effects of alcohol. In W. H. Sommer, & R. Spanagel (Eds.), Behavioral neurobiology of alcohol addiction (pp. 489-509). Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer Berlin Heidelberg. doi:10.1007/978-3-642-28720-6_135 Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-28720-6_135
Horace. (1778). A poetical translation of the works of horace : With the original text, and critical notes collected from his best latin and french commentators (8th ed.). London: W. Strahan, J. Rivington and Sons, T. Caslon, B. Law, T. Cadell, G. Robinson, W. Stewart, T. Becket, J. Murray, W. Domville, J. Bell, and T. Evans.
Liu, J. J. Y. (1962). The art of chinese poetry Routledge & Kegan Paul.
Owen, S. (2019). Just a song : Chinese lyrics from the eleventh and early twelfth centuries. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Asia Center.Warner, N. O. (1986).
This poem was used as the opening lines of the Ming dynasty Chinese novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms, adapted for TV in 1994. The theme song for the TV series used Yang Shen’s lines as lyrics.
Annotated
I have rendered this character-by-character annotation from personal knowledge. If you see any mistakes, please comment or contact.
Translation
Translation by Moss Roberts, from Three kingdoms : a historical novel On and on the Great River rolls, racing east. Of proud and gallant heroes its white-tops leave no trace, As right and wrong, pride and fall turn all at once unreal. Yet ever the green hills stay To blaze in the west-waning day. Fishers and woodmen comb the river isles. White-crowned, they’ve seen enough of spring and autumn tide To make good company over the wine jar, Where many a famed event Provides their merriment.
