Thursday, 22 August 2019

lnhammer: the Chinese character for poetry, red on white background (Default)
The birds go flying endlessly,
Mountain on mountain of autumn colors.
Ascending, descending Huazi Ridge—
When will this melancholy end?

    Sun sets, wind rises in the pines;
    Returning home, dew’s dried in the grass.
    With clouds alight, I tread on footprints;
    In green hills, brush off this one’s clothes.

华子冈

飞鸟去不穷,
连山复秋色。
上下华子冈,
惆怅情何极。

    落日松风起,
    还家草露晞。
    云光侵履迹,
    山翠拂人衣。

The orthodox Buddhist reaction to the fading of autumn is melancholy because it’s a reminder that we too shall fade. (This does, yes, also appear all over Japanese court poetry.) Pei literally brushes off a “person’s” clothes, which I read as a humble self-reference.

---L.

About

Warning: contents contain line-breaks.

As language practice, I like to translate poetry. My current project is Chinese, with practice focused on Tang Dynasty poetry. Previously this was classical Japanese, most recently working through the Kokinshu anthology (archived here). Suggestions, corrections, and questions always welcome.

There's also original pomes in the journal archives.

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