Little Primer of Du Fu, Poems 11-15

[x_los]

This is week 3/7 on David Hawkes' Little Primer of Du Fu. I'll replicate the poems themselves here, but as this book contains considerable exegesis I advise you to grab this copy.

 

This week we're reading poems 11 through 15, inclusive.

 

How to Read Chinese Poetry has two chapters on forms Du Fu uses extensively:

 

Ch 8, Recent Style Shi Poetry, Pentasyllabic Regulated Verse (Wuyan Lüshi) 

Ch 9, Recent Style Shi Poetry, Heptasyllabic Regulated Verse (Qiyan Lüshi) 

 

Three other chapters on other verse forms that Du Fu sometimes employs, or which people quoting Du Fu employ, also mention him:

 

Ch 10,  Recent Style Shi Poetry, Quatrains (Jueju): some mention of Du Fu’s “Three Quatrains, No. 3”

Ch 14, Ci Poetry,  Long Song Lyrics on Objects (Yongwu Ci): some mention of Du Fu's “Beautiful Lady” (Jiaren)

Ch 18, A Synthesis:  Rhythm, Syntax, and Vision of Chinese Poetry: some mention of Du Fu’s poem “The Jiang and Han Rivers” 

 

Additional Reading for this Week: Chapter 8

Comments

14. 夢李白 Mèng Lǐ Bái (2)

[x_los]

夢李白
Mèng Lǐ Bái (2)

浮 雲 終 日 行
1. Fú-yún zhōng-rì xíng,
遊 子 久 不 至
2. Yóu-zǐ jiǔ bú zhì.
三 夜 頻 夢 君
3. Sān yè pín mèng jūn,
情 親 見 君 意
4. Qíng-qīn jiàn jūn yì.
告 歸 常 局 促
5. Gào-guī cháng jú-cù,
苦 道 來 不 易
6. Kǔ dào ‘Lái bú yì:
江 湖 多 風 波
7. ‘Jiāng-hú duō fēng-bō,
舟 楫 恐 失 墜
8. ‘Zhōu-jí kǒng shī-zhuì!’
出 門 搔 白 首
9. Chū mén sāo bái shǒu,
若 負 平 生 志
10. “Ruò fù píng-shēng zhì.
冠 蓋 滿 京 華
11. Guān-gài mǎn jīng-huá,
斯 人 獨 憔 悴
12. Sī-rén dú qiáo-cuì!
孰 云 網 恢 恢
13. Shú yún wǎng huī-huī?
將 老 身 反 累
14. Jiāng-lǎo shēn fǎn lèi!
千 秋 萬 歲 名
15. Qiān-qiū wàn-suì míng,
寂 寞 身 後 事
16. Jì-mò shēn-hòu shì!

Read Aloud: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcP0duWXy5E

Dreaming of Li Po (2)

All day long the floating clouds drift by, and still the wanderer has not arrived! For three nights running I have repeatedly dreamed of you. Such affectionate concern on your part shows your feelings for me! Each time you said goodbye you seemed so uneasy. ‘It isn’t easy to come’, you would say bitterly; ‘The waters are so rough. I am afraid the boat will capsize!’ Going out of my door you scratched your white head as if your whole life’s ambition had been frustrated.

The capital is full of new officials, yet a man like this is so wretched! Who is going to tell me that the ‘net is wide’ when this ageing man remains in difficulties? Imperishable renown is cold comfort when you can only enjoy it in the tomb!

Re: 14. 夢李白 Mèng Lǐ Bái (2)

[x_los]

“three distinct and incompatible theories of dream interpretation” syncretic religion, baybe

“it is perfectly possible, outside the realm of theology, to believe or half-believe several quite incompatible things simultaneously.” Yeah that’s true David

Thousand-autumn—isn’t this that show?

“as if your whole life’s ambition had been frustrated.” Hm, is Li Bai ambitious?

Re: 14. 夢李白 Mèng Lǐ Bái (2)

[superborb]

Baike notes:

The floating clouds are glossed as the wanderer floating about -- this is a common metaphor.

Hawkes tone for the last line is a bit more negative than I feel like the original (or the baike vernacular tl) is?

Re: 14. 夢李白 Mèng Lǐ Bái (2)

[x_los]

I feel like Hawkes might actually be pre-conditioned a little in his reading thereof because some quite famous like, Shakespeare treatments of this theme basically work on these lines/say roughly this.