Little Primer of Du Fu, Poems 6-10

[x_los]

This is week 2/7 on David Hawkes' Little Primer of Du Fu. I'll replicate the poems themselves here, but this book contains considerable exegesis, so I do advise you to grab this copy.

This week we're reading poems 6 through 10, inclusive.

How to Read Chinese Poetry in Context's Chapter 15, "Du Fu: The Poet as Historian", is relevant to Hawkes' focus. (Next week's Additional Readings are more focused on poetics.)

Comments

6. 春望 Chūn wàng

[x_los]

春望
Chūn wàng

國 破 山 河 在
1. Guó pò shān-hé zài,
城 春 草 木 深
2. Chéng chūn cǎo-mù shēn.
感 時 花 濺 淚
3. Gǎn shí huā jiàn lèi,
恨 別 鳥 驚 心
4. Hèn bié niǎo jīng xīn.
烽 火 連 三 月
5. Fēng-huǒ lián sān yuè,
家 書 抵 萬 金
6. Jiā-shū dǐ wàn jīn.
白 頭 搔 更 短
7. Bái tóu sāo gèng duǎn,
渾 欲 不 勝 簪
8. Hún yù bù-shēng zān.

Read Aloud:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIFLqA10w2o or https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=va1-4IlolqU

Spring Scene

The state may fall, but the hills and streams remain. It is spring in the city: grass and leaves grow thick. The flowers shed tears of grief for the troubled times, and the birds seem startled, as if with the anguish of separation. For three months continuously the beacon-fires have been burning. A letter from home would be worth a fortune. My white hair is getting so scanty from worried scratching that soon there won’t be enough to stick my hatpin in!”

Re: 6. 春望 Chūn wàng

[x_los]

“Chūn means ‘spring’.” *Stares in SVSSS* unfortunately, I know.

This bit about the different usages of beacon signalling is interesting, it would not have occurred to me on my own.

Re: 6. 春望 Chūn wàng

[x_los]

There's an extensive discussion of this poem in How to Read Chinese Poetry (https://dankodes.dreamwidth.org/1483.html?thread=16843#cmt16843).

Re: 6. 春望 Chūn wàng

[llonkrebboj]

oooooooo! i've worked on this before :D

国破山河在
guó pò shānhé zài
The country is war torn, but its mountains and rivers remain;
城春草木深
chéng chūn cǎomù shēn
it is spring, yet the city’s grass and trees grow untamed.
感时花溅泪
gǎn shí huā jiàn lèi
Grief at the times spills over as tears at the sight of new blossoms,
恨别鸟惊心
hèn bié niǎo jīng xīn
loathe to part, now the sound of birdsong only troubles my heart.
烽火连三月
fēnghuǒ lián sān yuè
When the flames of war have blazed for three months
家书抵万金
jiāshū dǐ wàn jīn
a letter from home is worth more than ten thousand in gold.
白头搔更短
báitóu sāo gèng duǎn
I tug and pull at white hair that has grown so sparse
浑欲不胜簪
hún yù bù shèng zān
that there’s hardly enough left for a hair-pin.

Re: 6. 春望 Chūn wàng

[superborb]

Baike glosses the 'three months' as month 1-3 (of the lunar calendar), which is definitely not how I'd read it.

And this is one of the longest 'famous review' sections for one of these poems yet.