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

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.

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

[elviaprose]

What is the significance of the unvoiced thoughts to the meaning of this poem? I find it intriguing.

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

[superborb]

Baike:

'highest horses' = good horses

'and be the first to seize the roads and fords?': be the first to occupy the most important positions

This time period was full of turmoil and corruption, so the ordinary scholars had no way to return home and were very disillusioned. To relieve their depression, they reflect on the values of life and the final destination.

I guess this is the narrator trying to shake his fellow scholars out of their funk and trying to get them motivated?

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

[x_los]

Yeah, reading this a second time made me think ''and be the first to seize the roads and fords?': be the first to occupy the most important positions' could just be like, let's seize the day/get on the road, rather than uh, let us militarily blockade the road.