Little Primer of Du Fu, Poems 16-20
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dankodes
This week we're reading poems 16 through 20, inclusive.
How to Read Chinese Poetry (https://dankodes.dreamwidth.org/1483.html?thread=16843#cmt16843) 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 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 9
16. 蜀相 Shǔ xiàng
Shǔ xiàng
丞 相 祠 堂 何 處 尋
1. Chéng-xiàng cí-táng hé-chù xún?
錦 官 城 外 柏 森 森
2. Jǐn-guān-chéng-wài bǎi sēn-sēn.
映 堦 碧 草 自 春 色
3. Yìng jiē bì cǎo zì chūn-sè,
隔 葉 黃 鸝 空 好 音
4. Gé yè huáng-lí kōng hǎo-yīn.
三 顧 頻 煩 天 下 計
5. Sān gù pín-fán tiān-xià jì,
兩 朝 開 濟 老 臣 心
6. Liǎng cháo kāi-jì lǎo-chén xīn.
出 師 未 捷 身 先 死
7. Chū-shī wèi jié shēn xiān sǐ,
長 使 英 雄 淚 滿 襟
8. Cháng shǐ yīng-xióng lèi mǎn jīn.
Read Aloud: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2UmsKxAnIx8
The Chancellor of Shu
Where is the shrine of the Chancellor to be found?—Beyond the walls of the City of Brocade, amidst densely growing cypresses. Vivid against the steps, the emerald grass celebrates its own spring unseen. Beyond the trees a yellow oriole sings its glad song unheard.
The importunate humility of those three visits resulted in the grand strategy which shaped the world for a generation; his services under two reigns, both as founder and as maintainer, revealed the true loyalty of the old courtier’s heart. That he should have died before victory could crown his expedition will always draw a sympathetic tear from men of heroic stamp.
Re: 16. 蜀相 Shǔ xiàng
“City of the Brocade Officer” I wonder if this is sort of civil service specific, like what THEY call it
“The cypresses were popularly supposed to have been planted by Chu-ko Liang himself.” Nineteen Old Poems taught me to associate the cypress with grave sites, so the interred having planted them beforehand feels weird
“Yìng can mean ‘cast a shadow’, ‘make a reflection’, or ‘shine on’, these three functions being not very precisely distinguished in Chinese usage.” The ambiguity of these functions is gonna be an important source of contention when we get to Wang Wei’s Deer Park and how it’s translated into English
“The oriole ‘has a lovely voice’ (i.e. sings beautifully) ‘in vain’ (literally ‘emptily’) because there is no one there to hear it. The grass wears its spring colours ‘for itself’ because there is no one there to look at it. ” So like, virtue unregarded and unrewarded?
“At the time Chu-ko Liang was living in retirement in a cottage on Sleeping Dragon Hill in Honan, and the soldier-adventurer Liu Pei, who had come to call on him and ask him to be his adviser, was subjected to a series of deliberate snubs designed to test his seriousness of purpose. Liu Pei countered with such humility and persistence that Chu-ko Liang finally gave him his wholehearted support and helped him to carve out an empire for himself in the south-west. ‘His late Majesty,’ says Chu-ko Liang in the proclamation, ‘utterly disregarding my humble status, thrice called on me in my thatched abode to consult me about the state of the empire” uh this is really cute?
“Even in Modern Chinese, simple predication can be used to express a causal relationship. For example, you can say: ‘His doing this is he doesn’t love her any more’ where in English we should have to say ‘is because he doesn’t love her any more’, or ‘shows that he doesn’t love her any more’.” Oh, you know, I think we’ve run into this verb elision in translation issues before
“Jīn: The Chinese word means that part of the dress which covers the chest. I think ‘bosom’ is the best we can do with it in English, though in fact it means part of the clothing, not part of the body.” Is it more ‘bodice’?
17. 客至 Kè zhì
Kè zhì
舍 南 舍 北 皆 春 水
1. Shè-nán shè-běi jiē chūn shuǐ,
但 見 群 鷗 日 日 來
2. Dàn jiàn qún-ōu rì-rì lái.
花 徑 不 曾 緣 客 掃
3. Huā-jìng bù-céng yuán kè sǎo,
蓬 門 今 始 為 君 開
4. Péng-mén jīn shǐ wèi jūn kāi.
盤 飱 市 遠 無 兼 味
5. Pán sūn shì yuǎn wú jiān wèi,
樽 酒 家 貧 只 舊 醅
6. Zūn jiǔ jiā pín zhǐ jiù pēi.
肯 與 鄰 翁 相 對 飲
7. Kěn yǔ lín-wēng xiāng-duì yǐn,
隔 籬 呼 取 盡 餘 杯
8. Gé lí hū-qǔ jìn yú bēi.
Read Aloud: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tG2f7sk2yRM
The Guest
The waters of springtime flow north and south of my dwelling. Only the flocks of gulls come daily to call on me. I have not swept my flower-strewn path for a visitor, and my wicker-gate opens the first time today for you. Because the market is far away, the dishes I serve you offer little variety; and because this is a poor household, the only wine in my jars comes from an old brewing. If you are willing to sit and drink with my old neighbour, I shall call to him over the fence to come and finish off the remaining cupfuls with us.
Re: 17. 客至 Kè zhì
Interesting point re fresh wine
18. 奉濟驛重送嚴公四韻 Fèng-jì yì chóng sòng Yán gōng sì yùn
Fèng-jì yì chóng sòng Yán gōng sì yùn
遠 送 從 此 別
1. Yuǎn-sòng cóng cǐ bié,
青 山 空 復 情
2. Qīng shān kōng fù qíng!
幾 時 杯 重 把
3. Jǐ-shí bēi chóng bǎ,
昨 夜 月 同 行
4. Zuó-yè yuè tóng xíng?
列 郡 謳 歌 惜
5. Liè-jùn ōu-gē xī;
三 朝 出 入 榮
6. Sān cháo chū-rù róng.
江 村 獨 歸 去
7. Jiāng-cūn dú guī-qù,
寂 寞 養 殘 生
8. Jì-mò yǎng cán-shēng.
Read Aloud: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVS6kqBjF-g
A Second Farewell at the Feng-chi Post-station to His Grace the Duke of Cheng
The long farewell journey must at last end here. In vain do the green hills renew my emotion. How long will it be before we again hold the winecups in our hands and walk together under last night’s moon? The songs of two provinces regret your parting. Three reigns have seen you distinguished at court and in the field. Now I must return alone to my village by the river, to support my remaining days in quiet solitude.
Re: 18. 奉濟驛重送嚴公四韻 Fèng-jì yì chóng sòng Yán gōng sì yùn
- “to couriers and mandarins travelling on official business.” https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2019/01/where-does-mandarin-come/579073/ D pointed me to this explanation of where Mandarin for officials and the language comes from. its interesting tho that the english usage for civil servants is SO official that Hawkes uses it here. Indeed, it enters British discussion of their own civil servants on the understanding that the comparison point is China. Hawkes could easily say—this is not what they'd call themselves, but rather X.
19. 聞官軍收河南河北 Wén guān-jūn shōu Hé-nán Hé-běi
Wén guān-jūn shōu Hé-nán Hé-běi
劍 外 忽 傳 收 薊 北
1. Jiàn-wài hū chuán shōu Jì-běi,
初 聞 涕 淚 滿 衣 裳
2. Chū wén tì-lèi mǎn yī-shang.
却 看 妻 子 愁 何 在
3. Què kàn qī-zǐ chóu hé zài?
漫 卷 詩 書 喜 欲 狂
4. Màn juǎn shī-shū xǐ yù kuáng!
白 日 放 歌 須 縱 酒
5. Bái-rì fàng-gē xū zòng-jiǔ,
青 春 作 伴 好 還 鄉
6. Qīng-chūn zuò-bàn hǎo huán-xiāng.
即 從 巴 峽 穿 巫 峽
7. Jí cóng Bā-xiá chuān Wū-xiá,
便 下 襄 陽 向 洛 陽
8. Biàn xià Xiāng-yáng xiàng Luò-yáng.
Read Aloud: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P15XgCP60aY
On Learning of the Recovery of Honan and Hopei by the Imperial Army
To the land south of Chien-ko news is suddenly brought of the recovery of Chi-pei. When I first hear it, my gown is all wet with tears. I turn and look round at my wife and children, and have not a sorrow in the world. Carelessly I roll together the volumes of verse I have been reading, almost delirious with joy. There must be singing out loud in full daylight: we must drink and drink! I must go back home: the green spring shall be my companion. I shall go at once, by way of the Pa Gorge, through the Wu Gorge, then to Hsiang-yang, and so, from there, on towards Loyang!
Re: 19. 聞官軍收河南河北 Wén guān-jūn shōu Hé-nán Hé-běi
“Although undeniably a part of the phenomenon, it is considered by Western authors too indecorous to be mentioned in a serious context. Indeed, I know of no English word for it other than ‘snivel’, which is rarely used except as a verb and usually metaphorically. In Chinese no such taboo exists, and it is possible to refer to the ‘jade tì’ of a weeping woman without making her in any way vulgar or ridiculous.” Huuuuh you see this a LOT more in c-fandom porn as well
“the motoring distance from Lyons to Stockholm.” Bitch no one knows how long that is
20. 別房太尉墓 Bié Fáng-tài-wèi mù
Bié Fáng-tài-wèi mù
他 鄉 復 行 役
1. Tā-xiāng fù xíng-yì,
駐 馬 別 孤 墳
2. Zhù-mǎ bié gū fén.
近 淚 無 乾 土
3. Jìn lèi wú gān tǔ,
低 空 有 斷 雲
4. Dī kōng yǒu duàn yún.
對 碁 陪 謝 傅
5. Duì qí péi Xiè fù,
把 劍 覓 徐 君
6. Bǎ jiàn mì Xú jūn.
惟 見 林 花 落
7. Wéi jiàn lín huā luò,
鶯 啼 送 客 聞
8. Yīng tí sòng kè wén.
Read Aloud: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxMCKfxO-qI
Leave-taking at the Grave of Grand Marshal Fang
In a place far from home, and about to embark once more on my travels, I stop to take leave of the lonely grave. The earth is all wet with recent tears: broken clouds drift in a lowering sky. I who once sat at play with Grand Tutor Hsieh, now come sword in hand to seek the Lord of Hsü. But I see only the blossoms falling in the woods and hear the cry of the oriole speeding me on my way.
Re: 20. 別房太尉墓 Bié Fáng-tài-wèi mù
“I who once sat at play with Grand Tutor Hsieh, now come sword in hand to seek the Lord of Hsü.” Grateful for the explanation of these allusions
Are the final two lines as straightforward as they seem? If so, it’s kind of a soft closer to the poem.
Ch 9, Heptasyllabic Regulated Verse (Qiyan Lüshi)
the onset of a rainstorm are fresh and vivid, and at the same time erudite: they echo atmospheric passages from the “Jiu ge” (Nine Songs) in the Chuci, particularly “Shan gui” (Mountain Spirit), depicting a thwarted tryst between a goddess and her mortal lover. T
The Wei dynasty prince and renowned poet Cao Zhi (192–232) wrote “Luo shen fu” (Fu on the Luo River Goddess), a fu that became one of the most renowned literary depictions of romance between a goddess and a human lover.
‘In order to understand the couplet, we need to take ri jiao as the term from the art of physiognomy for hornlike protuberances on the forehead indicating a person destined to become emperor—that is, Li Yuan. ‘ what monsterfuckery is this—
At least in this chapter, li he seems like more trouble than he’s worth
Would I find the oblique ness less frustrating if I weren’t reading in translation, or if this gloss was better?
In general this chapter didn’t give me a good sense of the unique identity of this form
Re: 16. 蜀相 Shǔ xiàng
Baike's vernacular translates ying to its 'to shine upon' meaning.
Jin is more lapel -- where the clothes overlap.
Re: 16. 蜀相 Shǔ xiàng
Re: 17. 客至 Kè zhì
Re: 17. 客至 Kè zhì
Re: 18. 奉濟驛重送嚴公四韻 Fèng-jì yì chóng sòng Yán gōng sì yùn
Re: 19. 聞官軍收河南河北 Wén guān-jūn shōu Hé-nán Hé-běi
Re: 20. 別房太尉墓 Bié Fáng-tài-wèi mù
Re: 19. 聞官軍收河南河北 Wén guān-jūn shōu Hé-nán Hé-běi