Eighteen Songs of a Nomad Flute: Poems 1-6

[x_los]

Eighteen Songs of a Nomad Flute is "a series of Chinese songs and poems about the life of Han Dynasty (202 BCE – 220 CE) poet Cai Wenji[;] the songs were composed by Liu Shang, a poet of the middle Tang Dynasty. Later Emperor Gaozong of Song (1107–1187) commissioned a handscroll with the songs accompanied by 18 painted scenes." 

This week, we're reading poems 1-6, up to page 40, in this collection. Because of the nature of the book in question, I'll ask you to refer here for Chinese and English copies of the poems and the images together.

You can view the scroll as a whole more easily and read some background on the Met's website; the Wiki page will also help orient you.  

This is the first of three weeks we'll be spending on this collection. I'll link us to some additional background information in the coming weeks, once we've had a chance to orient ourselves; this is the first time the piece we're looking at has come with its own explanatory material, and that's a sound starting-point. 

Comments

4. Longing for Home

[x_los]

第四拍 (5 columns in standard script)
山川路長誰記得，何處天涯是鄉國？
自從驚怖少精神，不覺風霜損顏色。
夜中歸夢來又去，朦朧豈解傳消息。
漫漫胡天叫不聞，明明漢月應相識。

Mountains and streams a long way away— who can remember them?
Where, at the sky's edge, is my native land?
Since my terrifying experience my energy has faded.
Gradually, wind and frost have ravaged my countenance.
In the night I dream of returning, to and fro;
In my half-dreaming state is it possible that some messages may be
transmitted?
In the vast barbarian sky my cries are not answered.
Yet the bright moon is my Han moon, which should recognize me.

Re: 4. Longing for Home

[x_los]

Interesting description of her depression in captivity.

I wonder what the theory of mind re: dreams as a communication space is, like is this wholly a flight of fancy or sort of how the poet believes dreams can work?

'Han' seems to have both geographical and ethnic connotations at once.

The main tent has a different-coloured top now, maybe thicker for the colder months.

Re: 4. Longing for Home

[vorvayne]

['Han' seems to have both geographical and ethnic connotations at once.]

OOOOF this is. This is. The world's BIGGEST understatement!!!

Worth noting that this is a bit of a wobbly translation: the original uses 豈 which is for 'rhetorical questions or questions where the speaker knows that what is being asked is unlikely or impossible'.

Re: 4. Longing for Home

[vorvayne]

The line about the half-dreaming state is also about moonlight: technically 朦朧 means like "diffuse moonlight, shining through clouds" so maybe she's hoping the moon will hear her prayers even if the sky won't.

Which is maaaaaybe a Chang'e reference given the moon later; in some older versions of the story Chang'e drinks the elixir of immortality and flees to the moon to escape her husband. Which. You know. Relevant, perhaps.

How the f did they get 'gradually' from '不覺' tho. Surely like 'while I was unaware, the wind and frost...'