Nineteen Old Poems: Week 1 of 2

[x_los]

* The 'due date' for this batch is the week of August 18th: I just thought I'd make the post now so that people can trickle in whenever. There were two votes in favour of East Asia Student's translations, so that's what I've gone with. If you prefer or would like to bring another translation into the discussion, please feel free. 

* Chapter Five of How to Read Chinese Poetry is specifically about the Nineteen Old Poems.

* Every week I search the poems' English results to see if I can find any scholarship or neat bits and pop the results in Resources. Here is this week's collection.

* Remember you can also look at How to Read Chinese Poetry in Context, though it doesn't specifically treat this collection.

* IF YOU HAVE FRIENDS WHO MIGHT LIKE TO JOIN or have other ideas, please let me know on this post.

* I found the best option for the weekly reminder emails, via Gmail. The external service options are more involved than our purposes require. Does anyone know anything about how to arrange an Apps Script? Basically all it has to do is tell ten people, on Saturdays, to come and get their juice/poems.

Until someone knows what to do there, I'll send out manual messages weekly. If you'd like to receive these and are not getting them, please let me know.

Comments

1. 行行重行行 - Marching On and On

[x_los]

行行重行行
xíng xíng chóng xíng xíng
[walk] [walk] [again] [walk] [walk]
Marching on and on,

與君生別離
yǔ jūn shēng biélí
[from] [you] [live] [separate] [leave]
Living far away from you.

相去萬餘里
xiāng qù wàn yú lǐ
[each other] [remove] [ten thousand] [excess] [mile]
We stand more than a thousand miles apart,

各在天一涯
gè zài tiān yī yá
[each] [at] [sky] [one] [horizon]
Each of us at opposite ends of the sky.

道路阻且長
dào lù zǔ qiě zhǎng
[way] [road] [obstructed] [and] [long]
The way between us is long and obstructed,

會面安可知
huì miàn ān kě zhī
[meet] [face] [secure] [can] [know]
Who knows if we will see each other again?

胡馬依北風
hú mǎ yī běi fēng
[barbarian] [horse] [depend] [north] [wind]
The barbarian horses need the winds of the North,

越鳥巢南枝
yuè niǎo cháo nán zhī
[_Yue_] [bird] [nest] [south] [branch]
The birds of Yue nest in the branches of the South.

相去日已遠
xiāng qù rì yǐ yuǎn
[each other] [remove] [day] [already] [far]
Every day we grow further apart,

衣帶日已緩
yī dài rì yǐ huǎn
[clothes] [belt] [day] [already] [loose]
Every day my clothes become looser.

浮雲蔽白日
fú yún bì bái rì
[drift] [cloud] [conceal] [white] [sun]
The drifting clouds obscure the sunlight,

遊子不顧反
yóu zǐ bù gù fǎn
[wanderer][] [not] [consider] [go back]
The wanderer does not consider going back.

思君令人老
sī jūn lìng rén lǎo
[long for] [you] [make] [person] [old]
Longing for you makes one grow old,

歲月忽已晚
suì yuè hū yǐ wǎn
[year] [month] [suddenly] [already] [late]
The months and years are suddenly far behind me.

棄捐勿復道
qì juān wù fù dào
[reject] [abandon] [do not] [again] [speak]
But let’s not speak any more of this rejection;

努力加餐飯
nǔ lì jiā cān fàn
[exert] [strength] [add] [food] [food]
Please make sure you are eating well.

2. 青青河畔草 - Green, Green, Grass on the Riverbank

[x_los]

青青河畔草
qīng qīng hé pàn cǎo
[green] [green] [river] [bank] [grass]
Green, green, grass on the riverbank,

鬱鬱園中柳
yù yù yuán zhōng liǔ
[lush] [lush] [court] [in] [willow]
Lush, lush, willows in the courtyard.

盈盈樓上女
yíng yíng lóu shàng nǚ
[full] [full] [floor] [upper] [woman]
A voluptuous woman on the upper floor,

皎皎當窗牖
jiǎo jiǎo dāng chuāng yǒu
[bright] [bright] [just at] [window] [lattice]
Stands radiantly behind a window.

娥娥紅粉糚
é é hóng fěn zhuāng
[beautiful] [beautiful] [red] [powder] [make-up]
Beautiful in red make-up,

纖纖出素手
xiān xiān chū sùshǒu
[delicate] [delicate] [put forth] [white] [hand]
She gracefully extends a pale hand.

昔為唱家女
xí wèi chàng jiā nǚ
[former] [be] [sing] [house] [girl]
Previously in a house of singing girls,

今為蕩子夫
jīn wéi dàng zi fu
[now] [be] [wandering vagrant][] [wife]
Now the wife of a wandering vagrant.

蕩子行不歸
dàng zi xíng bù guī
[wandering vagrant][] [travel] [not] [return]
The wanderer travels and does not return;

空床難獨守
kōng chuáng nán dú shǒu
[empty] [bed] [hard] [alone] [keep]
An empty bed is hard to bear alone.

3. 青青陵上柏 - Green, Green, Cypress on the Mound

[x_los]

青青陵上柏
qīng qīng líng shàng bǎi
[green] [green] [mound] [on] [cypress]
Green is the cypress on the mound,

磊磊澗中石
lěi lěi jiàn zhōng shí
[rock pile] [rock pile] [stream] [in] [stone]
heaped are the stones in the stream.

人生天地間
rén shēng tiān dì jiān
[man] [live] [Heaven] [Earth] [between]
Man lives between Heaven and Earth,

忽如遠行客
hū rú yuǎn xíng kè
[suddenly] [like] [far] [travel] [guest]
suddenly like a guest travelling from afar.

斗酒相娛樂
dǒu jiǔ xiāng yú lè
[measure] [wine] [mutually] [amuse] [cheerful]
Let us enjoy a measure of wine together;

聊厚不為薄
liáo hòu bù wéi báo
[chat] [generous] [not] [be] [thin]
our friendship is rife, let it not be sparse.

驅車策怒馬
qū chē cè nù mǎ
[urge] [chariot] [control] [stubborn] [horse]
Yoke the chariot and whip the stubborn horses,

遊戲宛與洛
yóu xì wǎn yǔ luò
[roam] [play] [_Wan_] [and] [_Luo_]
travelling to to have fun in Wan and Luo.

洛中何鬱鬱
luò zhōng hé yùyù
[_Luo_] [in] [how] [dense] [dense]
How full of life it is in Luoyang;

冠帶自相索
guān dài zì xiāng suǒ
[hat] [lead] [each other][] [search]
officials rush around together,

長衢羅夾巷
zhǎng qú luó jiā xiàng
[long] [street] [gauze] [intersperse] [alley]
long boulevards intertwine with narrow alleys,

王候多第宅
wáng hou duō dì zhái
[royal] [noble] [many] [count] [residence]
the mansions of aristocrats are many,

兩宮遙相望
liǎng gōng yáo xiāng wàng
[two] [palace] [far away] [each other gaze]
and the two royal palaces gaze at each other from afar.

雙闕百餘尺
shuāng què bǎi yú chǐ
[pair] [tower] [hundred] [excess] [foot]
The pair of towers in excess of a hundred feet high.

極宴娛心意
jí yàn yú xīn yì
[utmost] [feast] [amuse] [heart] [intention]
let us delight in the pleasures of our hearts.

戚戚何所迫
qi qi hé suǒ pò
[sorrowful] [sorrowful] [what] [that which is] [force]
As for gloominess - what could make us unhappy?

4. 今日良宴會 – Today we hold a splendid feast

[x_los]

今日良宴會
jīn rì liáng yàn huì
[today] [day] [excellent] [banquet] [gather]
Today we hold a splendid feast,

歡樂難具陳
huān lè nán jù chén
[joy] [happiness] [hard] [ability] [narrate]
a joy that is inexpressible.

彈箏奮逸響
dàn zhēng fèn yì xiǎng
[strum] [zither] [exert] [leisurely] [sound]
Strum the zither and break out in free song,

新聲妙入神
xīn shēng miào rù shén
[new] [sound] [wonderful] [enter] [spirit]
the new sound is wonderful and enthralling.

令德唱高言
lìng dé chàng gāo yán
[order] [goodness] [sing] [high] [words]
Have the talented sing fine lyrics;

識曲聽其真
shi qū tīng qí zhēn
[know] [song] [listen] [their] [truth]
those who know music will understand their truth.

齊心同所願
qí xīn tóng suǒ yuàn
[identical] [heart] [same] [that which is] [desire]
With one heart we have the same desires,

含意俱未申
hán yì jù wèi shēn
[meaning] [idea] [entirely] [not yet] [explain]
although the thoughts we hold remain unvoiced.

人生寄一世
rén shēng jì yī shì
[man] [life] [live] [one] [generation]
A man’s life lasts but one generation,

奄忽若飆塵
yǎn hū ruò biāo chén
[suddenly] [suddenly] [like] [whirlwind] [dust]
Quickly swirling by like dust.

何不策高足
hé bù cè gāo zú
[why] [not] [control] [high] [feet]
Why not whip-up your highest horses,

先据要路津
xiān jù yào lù jīn
[first] [seize] [important] [road] [ford]
and be the first to seize the roads and fords?

無為守窮賤
wú wéi shǒu qióng jiàn
[not have] [for] [keep] [poor] [lowly]
There is nothing to gain in staying poor and worthless,

轗軻長若辛
kǎn kē cháng ruò xīn
[rough life][] [long] [like] [tired]
with a rough life, long feeling tired.

5. 西北有高樓 - A Tall Tower in the Northwest

[x_los]

西北有高樓
xī běi yǒu gāo lóu
[west] [north] [has] [tall] [building]
There is a tall tower in the Northwest,

上與浮雲齊
shàng yǔ fú yún qí
[top] [with] [float] [cloud] [level]
its top level with the floating clouds,

交疏結綺窗
jiāo shū jié qǐ chuāng
[intersect] [thin] [bond] [silk lattice] [window]
its windows decorated with fine, elegant lattice,

阿閣三重階
ē gé sānchóng jiē
[flatter] [palace] [three] [layer] [rank]
its palatial roofs three layers high.

上有絃歌聲
shàng yǒu xián gē shēng
[top] [has] [string] [song] [sound]
At the top there is the sound of string and song,

音響一何悲
yīn xiǎng yī hé bēi
[sound] [noise] [one] [how] [sorrow]
how mournful is the sound.

誰能為此曲
shéi néng wéi cǐ qū
[who] [could] [do] [this] [tune]
Who could produce such a song?

無乃杞梁妻
wú nǎi qǐ liáng qī
[not have] [only] [_Qi_] [_Liang_] [wife]
None but the wife of Qi Liang.

清商隨風發
qīng shāng suí fēng fā
[pure] [_shang_] [follow] [wind] [develop]
The pure shang tone follows the wind,

中曲正徘徊
zhōng qū zhèng pái huái
[middle] [song] [just] [irresolute] [dither]
faltering and hesitating in the middle of the song.

一彈再三歎
yī dàn zài sān tàn
[one] [pluck] [again] [three] [sigh]
One pluck, two or three sighs,

慷慨有餘哀
kāng kǎi yǒu yú āi
[fervent] [sad] [has] [remain] [grief]
A fervent regret that lingers in sadness.

不惜歌者苦
bù xī gē zhě kǔ
[not] [pity] [song] [one who] [suffer]
One does not pity the suffering of the singer,

但傷知音稀
dàn shāng zhī yīn xī
[but] [hurt] [know] [sound] [rare]
but is hurt by the scarcity of those who understand the song.

願為雙鳴鶴
yuàn wéi shuāng míng hè
[wish] [be] [pair] [call] [crane]
Wishing to be a pair of calling cranes,

奮翅起稿飛
fèn chì qǐ gǎo fēi
[exert] [wing] [rise] [height] [fly]
Exerting their wings to fly to greater heights.

6. 涉江采芙蓉 - Crossing the River to Pick Hibiscus

[x_los]

涉江采芙蓉
shè jiāng cǎi fú róng
[wade] [river] [pick] [hibiscus][]
I cross the river to pick hibiscus,

蘭澤多芳草
lán zé duō fāng cǎo
[orchid] [good] [many] [fragrant] [grass]
the brilliant orchid and the many fragrant herbs.

采之欲遺誰
cǎi zhī yù yí shéi
[pick] [it] [desire] [leave with] [someone]
I pick it and desire to give it to someone,

所思在遠道
suǒ sī zài yuǎn dào
[that which] [consider] [at] [far] [way]
but the one whom I think of is journeying far away.

還顧望舊鄉
hái gù wàng jiù xiāng
[still] [look] [gaze] [old] [countryside]
I still gaze at the old countryside,

長路漫浩浩
zhǎng lù màn hào hào
[long] [road] [unrestrained] [vast] [vast]
the long road and its vast expanse.

同心而離居
tóng xīn ér lí jū
[same] [heart] [yet] [apart] [live]
We are of one mind yet live apart,

憂傷以終老
yōu shāng yǐ zhōng lǎo
[grief] [wound] [take] [end] [old]
and in the end I grow old, wounded by grief.

7. 明月皎夜光 - The Clear Moon Shines Brightly by Night

[x_los]

明月皎夜光
míng yuè jiǎo yè guāng
[bright] [moon] [clear] [night] [shine]
The clear moon shines brightly by night,

促織鳴東壁
cù zhī míng dōng bì
[chirping cricket][] [call] [east] [wall]
and the crickets chirp by the eastern wall.

玉衡指孟冬
yù héng zhǐ mèng dōng
[ursae majoris][] [indicate] [first month] [winter]
Ursae Majoris indicates that winter is coming,

眾星何歷歷
zhòng xīng hé lì lì
[crowd] [star] [how] [each] [each]
and the crowded stars, how clear each one is!

白露霑野草
bái lù zhān yě cǎo
[white] [dew] [moisten] [field] [grass]
White dew wets the wild weeds,

時節忽復易
shí jié hū fù yì
[season] [section] [suddenly] [again] [change]
as the cycling seasons suddenly change again.

秋蟬鳴樹間
qiū chán míng shù jiān
[autumn] [locust] [call] [tree] [between]
Autumn locusts trill between the trees,

玄鳥逝安適
xuán niǎo shì ān shì
[dark] [bird] [depart] [calm] [suit]
and dark birds leave for more suitable places.

昔我同門友
xí wǒ tóng mén you
[former] [I] [same] [school] [friend]
Formerly we were disciples of the same school,

高舉振六翮
gāo jǔ zhèn liù hé
[high] [rise] [flap] [six] [quill]
rising high beating six quills.

不念攜手好
bù niàn xié shǒu hào
[not] [remember] [hold] [hand] [fondness]
But you ignored our intimate friendship,

棄我如遺跡
qì wǒ rú yí jī
[abandon] [me] [like] [leave behind] [footprint]
and abandoned me like a footprint behind you.

南箕北有斗
nán jī běi yǒu dòu
[south] [winnow basket] [north] [has] [plough]
In the South is the Winnow Basket, in the North the Plough,

牽牛不負軛
qiān niú bù fù è
[pull] [ox] [not] [bear] [yoke]
and the Draught Ox will not bear its yoke.

良無盤石固
liáng wú pán shí gù
[very much] [not have] [plate] [stone] [solid]
Without the solidity of metal and stone,

虛名復何益
xū míng fù hé yì
[false] [name] [again] [what] [benefit]
What benefit is there in empty reputation?

8. 冉冉孤生竹 - Frail Bamboo Growing Alone

[x_los]

冉冉孤生竹
rǎn rǎn gū shēng zhú
[frail] [frail] [alone] [grow] [bamboo]
Frail bamboo growing alone,

結根泰山阿
jié gēn tài shān ā
[tie] [root] [Tai] [mountain] [_a_]
tying its roots into the slopes of Mt. Tai.

與君為新婚
yǔ jūn wèi xīn hūn
[to] [you] [be] [new] [marry]
I am newly wed to you, sir;

兔絲附女蘿
tù sī fù nǚ luó
[vine][] [attach] [moss][]
a vine clinging to moss.

兔絲生有時
tù sī shēng yǒu shí
[vine][] [grow] [has] [season]
A vine grows in its season,

夫婦會有宜
fū fù huì yǒu yi
[husband] [wife] [union] [has] [proper]
and the union of marriage has its moment.

千里遠結婚
qiān lǐ yuǎn jié hūn
[thousand] [_li_] [far] [tie] [marry]
One thousand li is a long distance for marriage,

悠悠隔山陂
yōu yōu gé shān pō
[long] [long] [separate] [mountain] [rugged]
far away, separated by mountain slopes.

思君令人老
sī jūn lìng rén lǎo
[think of] [you] [make] [person] [old]
Thinking of you makes me grow old;

軒車來何遲
xuān chē lái hé chí
[carriage] [chariot] [come] [how] [late]
how slow is your carriage to arrive!

傷彼蕙蘭花
shāng bǐ huì lán huā
[hurt] [those] [fragrant orchid][][]
I am saddened by those fragrant orchids,

含英揚光輝
hán yīng yáng guāng huī
[contain] [glory] [scatter] [ray] [bright]
full of glory, scattering brilliant light.

過時而不采
guò shí ér bù cǎi
[pass] [season] [yet] [not] [pick]
If the season passes and they are not picked,

將隨秋草萎
jiāng suí qiū cǎo wēi
[will] [follow] [autumn] [grass] [wither]
they will wither with the autumn grasses.

君亮執高節
jūn liàng zhí gāo jié
[you] [light] [grasp] [high] [moral integrity]
If you truly hold such high moral standards,

賤妾亦何為
jiàn qiè yì hé wèi
[lowly] [concubine] [likewise] [what] [do]
what is your humble servant to do?

9. 庭中有奇樹 - In the Courtyard there is a Strange Tree

[x_los]

庭中有奇樹
tíng zhōng yǒu qí shù
[court] [in] [has] [strange] [tree]
In the courtyard there is a strange tree.

綠葉發華滋
lǜ yè fā huá zī
[green] [leaf] [send out] [flowery] [excite]
Flowers burst forth from green leaves;

攀條折其榮
pān tiáo zhé qí róng
[pill] [item] [break] [its] [glory]
I break off the most splendid,

將以遺所思
qiāng yǐ yí suǒ sī
[desire] [take] [leave with] [that which] [think of]
desiring to give it to the one I long for.

馨香盈懷袖
xīn xiāng yíng huái xiù
[fragrant] [sweet] [fill] [breast] [sleeve]
The sweet fragrance fills my breast and sleeves.

路遠莫致之
lù yuǎn mò zhì zhī
[road] [far] [there is none] [deliver] [it]
But the road is long and there is no way to deliver it.

此物何足貢
cǐ wù hé zú gòng
[this] [thing] [how] [sufficient] [gift]
How could this thing be a sufficient gift?

但感別經時
dàn gǎn bié jīng shí
[only] [move] [part] [pass] [time]
Only because I am moved by how long ago we parted.

10. 迢迢牽牛星 - So Remote, the Draught Ox Star

[x_los]

迢迢牽牛星
tiáo tiáo qiān niú xīng
[remote] [remote] [pull] [ox] [star]
So remote, the Draught Ox star,

皎皎河漢女
jiǎo jiǎo hé hàn nǚ
[bright] [bright] [river] [_Han_] [girl]
While the Weaver Girl shines brightly in the Milky Way.

纖纖擢素手
xiān xiān zhuó sù shǒu
[delicate] [delicate] [pull up] [pale] [hand]
Delicately she lifts a pale hand,

札札弄機杼
zhá zhá nòng jī zhù
[clack] [clack] [handle] [machine] [shuttle]
clack, clack goes the shuttle of her loom.

終日不成章
zhōng rì bù chéng zhāng
[end] [day] [not] [finish] [section]
All day long without finish,

泣涕零如雨
qì tì líng rú yǔ
[sob] [tears][] [like] [rain]
she sobs and sheds tears like rain.

河漢清且淺
hé hàn qīng qiě qiǎn
[river] [Han] [clear] [and] [shallow]
The Milky Way is clear and shallow;

相去復幾許
xiāng qù fù jǐ xǔ
[each other] [remove] [go back] [almost] [permit]
they are but a tiny distance from each other,

盈盈一水間
yíng yíng yī shuǐ jiān
[full] [full] [one] [water] [space]
at most the width of a stream,

脈脈不得語
mò mò bù dé yǔ
[affection][] [not] [get] [speech]
yet their affection can never speak.

Re: 1. 行行重行行 - Marching On and On

[x_los]

'How to Read Chinese Poetry' confidently asserts that the *speaker* is the one forcing herself to eat well. Though does that really mesh with her noticing how thin she's getting above?

it's also very sure this embedded xing is about homesickness, but it doesn't say why, and I don't feel a real immediate connection?

"胡馬依北風
hú mǎ yī běi fēng
[barbarian] [horse] [depend] [north] [wind]
The barbarian horses need the winds of the North,

越鳥巢南枝
yuè niǎo cháo nán zhī
[_Yue_] [bird] [nest] [south] [branch]
The birds of Yue nest in the branches of the South."

It gives 'lean into', for that 'depend'.

Re: 2. 青青河畔草 - Green, Green, Grass on the Riverbank

[x_los]

'yíng yíng
[full] [full] ' Well I just got an SVSSS joke, I guess (and thank you Airplane for the immortal character name, 'boobs')

'a house of singing girls,' so he's married a brothel girl, but then moved on? how's she supposed to keep herself now! At least in the brothel she had a job.

Re: 3. 青青陵上柏 - Green, Green, Cypress on the Mound

[x_los]

'on cyprus' this is like the 4th time, Chinese must put its 'where object' particle BEFORE the object I guess

磊 please tell me the word for 'rock pile' includes a little drawing of a pile of rocks.is that what the bottom is? god I hope so.

'our friendship is rife, let it not be sparse.' awkward

The end sort of begs a 'well, what indeed?'

Re: 4. 今日良宴會 – Today we hold a splendid feast

[x_los]

Why do we go from this party to conquering stuff? I thought we were seizing the day, not key infrastructure?!

Re: 5. 西北有高樓 - A Tall Tower in the Northwest

[x_los]

"The pure shang tone follows the wind," so what's this line, and what's a shang tone?

The ending is kind of mysterious.

Why does only this guy's wife have the necessary musical chops/depression issues for these beats? She has (as described) a very good tower, and everything.

Re: 6. 涉江采芙蓉 - Crossing the River to Pick Hibiscus

[x_los]

Is there an implied time-jump in this piece between the youth gathering plants and thinking of someone merely absent and the ageing figure at the poem's end, still gazing at the old countryside, perhaps sundered from the partner by death?

Re: 7. 明月皎夜光 - The Clear Moon Shines Brightly by Night

[x_los]

"rising high beating six quills." ??

'How to Read' thinks the constellations mentioned here are being called up to demonstrate they have the shape but not the substance of things: the ox can't pull, etc. I get it re the ox, but for the previous two, I would have appreciated similar explication of their immaterial uselessness, if that's indeed what's up?

The cooling, desolate landscape paralleled to the abandoned friend

'How to Read' thinks the second to last line is about how human bodies don't ENDURE like these substances.

What's up with the final line?

Re: 8. 冉冉孤生竹 - Frail Bamboo Growing Alone

[x_los]

So is this, you married me, so fuck me? Like is that what's up?

Re: 9. 庭中有奇樹 - In the Courtyard there is a Strange Tree

[x_los]

I'm not sure I understand the final line?

Re: 10. 迢迢牽牛星 - So Remote, the Draught Ox Star

[x_los]

'jiǎo jiǎo hé hàn nǚ
[bright] [bright] [river] [_Han_] [girl]
While the Weaver Girl shines brightly in the Milky Way.' you get Weaver Girl just from Han?!

so I guess 'Han River' is Milky Way then

So the crying is over her boyfriend, not the labour

Re: 1. 行行重行行 - Marching On and On

[(Anonymous)]

Rejection implies to me this is a break up not homesickness. The last line reads to me like an exhortation to a former lover to look after themselves better than the poet. It’s rather tender.

There’s a sense of unbreachable division created by the mention of barbarian horses and the birds of yue. As if two people realise they need different environments to thrive,

Re: 2. 青青河畔草 - Green, Green, Grass on the Riverbank

[(Anonymous)]

There’s a suggestion in that last line that the extended pale hand was an invitation to someone to share her lonely bed!

Re: 3. 青青陵上柏 - Green, Green, Cypress on the Mound

[(Anonymous)]

The office party to end all office parties!

Re: 4. 今日良宴會 – Today we hold a splendid feast

[ann712]

Yes very depressing. I’m reminded of Avon - the only way to obtain wealth is to take it from someone else.

Re: 5. 西北有高樓 - A Tall Tower in the Northwest

[ann712]

I love ‘the pure Shang tone’. Very onomatopoeic. Like those searing notes the violin makes.

It sounds like she’s an unappreciated wife making music from her grief, and the poet is sad that she doesn’t have people around her who appreciate her worth. She’s got the tower but not the lurve.