《Tune: Water-Dragon Chant·At Jiankang Riverside Tower》Xin Qi Ji

楚天千里清秋  A thousand li of autumn color in southern sky
水隨天去秋無際  Water meets sky in endless autumn dye
遙岑遠日  I gaze on far-off northern hills
獻愁供恨  Feeling sorrow mixed with hatred still
玉簪螺髻  Seeing spiral shells and hair décor of jade flowers
落日樓頭  The sun sets behind the tower
斷鴻聲里  A swan song come and gone early
江南游子  This lone wanderer is in southern territory
把吳鉤看了  With my precious long sword
欄干拍遍  I bang on every railing
無人會，登臨意  But no one understands why I am up this tower Continue reading →

《Tune: Yu the Beautiful. Wind returns to my small courtyard deplete of green》Li Yu

風回小院庭蕪綠  Wind returns to my small courtyard deplete of green
柳眼春相續  The willows seem to thrive again this spring
憑欄半日獨無言  On the railings I lean for half a day without a word
依舊竹聲新月似當年  The new moon and bamboo murmur like yore

笙歌未散尊前在  Music and songs remain with dinning and wine
池面冰初解  Ice on pool tops melts as the weather turns mild
燭明香暗畫堂深  Candle light and subdue fragrance keep the ornate hall alive
滿鬢清霜殘雪思難  任This graying in my temple must I abide

《江南曲》李益 (748-821)《A Song from the South》Li Yi

嫁得瞿塘賈  Since I became a roving merchant’s wife

朝朝誤妾期  I miss his presence every day in my life

早知潮有信  If I knew the rhythmic trust of the tide

嫁與弄潮兒  I would choose to be a sailor’s bride  Continue reading →

《塞上曲》許渾(791-858)
《A Frontier Song》 Xu Hun

夜戰桑乾北Our soldiers fought on the northern shore at night
秦兵半不歸Half of them returned half died
朝來有鄉信Messages arrived this morning
猶自寄寒衣Winter clothes from home will be coming  Continue reading →

《At Easy I Sing》Li Bai (701-762)

犬吠水聲中  Solitary barks mingle with water chatters
桃花帶露濃  Peach blossoms glow radiant carrying dews
樹深時見鹿  Shy deers are vivid in the depth of trees
溪午不聞鐘  Tolls heard no more on midday streams

野竹分青靄  Wild bamboos gleam among lush greens
飛泉掛碧峰  From a blue peak a waterfall wings freely
無人知所去  No human trace seen I know not where to go
愁倚兩三松  On pines two or three I alone lean

《Tune: Charm of a Maiden Dancer_Remembering Jiao Yulu(1990)》Xi Jinping

魂飞万里  Your soul in ten thousand li divagates
盼归来  Its return I pray
此山此水此地  To this our hills rills and land
百姓谁不爱好官  Who among our people loves not a good public servant
把泪焦桐成雨  See the huge Jiao Tongs your rainy tears have grown
生也沙丘  On this sand dune you strived alone
死也沙丘  On this sand dune your life in doom
父老生死系  Bound in life and death with people young and old
暮雪朝霜  Through eve snows and twilight frosts
毋改英雄意气  Your heroic spirit insistent Continue reading →

《夢歸》《Dreaming for Home》Yuan Haowen (1190-1257)

憔悴南冠一楚囚  In languish I am now in prison
歸心江漢日東流  To return home my wish flows like a river incessant
青山歷歷鄉關夢  Hills remain green I see my homeland in my dream
黃葉蕭蕭風雨秋  Leaves turn yellow under severe rains and winds
貧裡有詩工作祟  In lanes with poor families there are plenty of poems
亂來無淚可供愁  When confused grief could not be washed away with tears
殘年兄弟相逢在  In these destitute years we brothers rejoice to meet again
隨分齏鹽萬事休  Happily we share salted veggies nothing we care to gain  Continue reading →

【序】泰和五年乙丑岁，赴试并州，道逢捕雁者云：“今日获一雁，杀之矣。其脱网者悲鸣不能去，竟自投于地而死”。予因买得之，葬之汾水之上，累石而识，号曰雁丘。时同行者多为赋诗，予亦有《雁丘词》。旧所作无宫商，今改定之。

《Tune: Groping for Fish.The Wild Geese Tomb》Yuan Haowen (1190-1257)

問世間 情是何物To the world I ask what love is
直教生死相許Engaging couples through life and death Continue reading →