西江月 (宋) 辛棄疾 (1140-1207)

夜行黃沙道中

明月別枝驚鵲  清風半夜鳴蟬  稻花香裏說豐年  聽取蛙聲一片
七八個星天外  兩三點雨山前  舊時茅店社林邊  路轉溪橋忽見

Tune: Moon Over West River  辛棄疾(1140-1207) 江紹倫譯
(On my way home through the Yellow Sand Ridge)

My presence startled magpies leaving the moon-lit trees
Cicadas shrill at midnight in the gentle breeze
The sweet fragrance in the rice fields promises a bumper year
In celebration frogs croak their chorus I happily hear

High in the sky seven or eight stars twinkle
This side of the hill two or three raindrops sprinkle
I recall a small tavern near the village woods
There it appears where the path leads to the bridge over the brook

破陣子 (宋) 辛棄疾 (1140-1207)

為陳同甫賦壯詞以寄之

醉裡挑燈看劍  夢迴吹角連營  八百里分麾下炙  五十弦翻塞外聲  沙場秋點兵
馬作的盧飛快  弓如霹靂弦驚  了卻君王天下事  贏得生前身後名  可憐白髮生

Tune: Dance of Cavalry  Xin Qi Ji (1140-1207) 江紹倫譯
(In response to Chen Liang)

Drunken we till lamps bright to check our resting glaives
Bugles reverberate from tent to tent in our dreams
Our warriors ate beef grilled on hot sand in banner shades
They sent martial airs beyond the frontier by fifty strings
‘Twas an autumn maneuver in combat exercise

Gallant steeds galloping at top speed
Our bows twanged in thundering heat
We recovered lost sovereign land for empire glory
And won fame for ourselves in life as in death
Grey hair ours to keep

冬至诗三首, & Let the Sun Shine In 陈耀国 YK Chan

()

 

昔日未空前  明朝焉绝後

喜怒哀樂慾  无为返田園

唐敖消遥游  小山赴红文1

浮生歲月沈  征途日暮歸

 

()                                                   ()

 

早见日中天     晚靠夕阳红                    冬临耳当顺     岁长欲从心

昏黄驯白辉     暗里耀天涯                    或曰人胜天     終归大自然

银光回反昼     太阴悦眼前                    明日永不多     自负成蹉跎

斗柄正北移     银河非寒冰                    心雄非万丈     他山无汗青


—————————————————

1 唐敖、小山俱()李汝珍著<鏡花缘>故事中心人物。

Let the sun shine in

during winter to savour its lovingness.

Its radiance thaws the heart

and invigorates you with compassion.

 

Like gentle tendrils solar rays

cuddle up the slender trunk, mending where it is sore.

Its warmth curls your hair more,

darkening it and rekindling youthful lore.

 

Outdoors it melts the frost

that slowly encroaches like moss,

chilling your conscious mind.

Let the sun shine in and reflect back to the frost.

 

Let not the sun shine in during summer time

when it is too hot to mime.

So scalding it’d numb your soul,

just keep the shutters down to block its tentacles.

 

Let the sun shine in spring and fall,

as it brightens the days you recall.

Drive away the rain and fog,

which are too much to be at odds.

 

May the sun always rise on Golden Pond,

and bring reflections on the water that meanders.

Punting on the way singing an evensong,

for sure I will hear it when you come on board.

“A Translation Is A Woman” by YK Chan

It’s been said that a translation is like a woman, who is either beautiful or faithful, but not both.

For example, try to translate this Chinese doublet:

光阴似箭 日月如梭 

人生几何 对酒当歌

 

My friend, SL Chow of Regina (a psychology professor), rendered it this way:

Like an arrow time travels in haste

As sun and moon interlaced

To Bacchus and Terpsichore

Fleetingness of life submits

 

It has an appeal of western art and culture.  He also corrected the order of the last two phrases. On the other hand, in my attempt I keep their order as written above because rhymes with in Cantonese:

Time flies like an arrow; sun and moon shuttle forward.

Life lasts only so long; drink together and sing along.

 

This rendition remains faithful to the oriental flavor without allusion to Greek mythology, 

while preserving the original imagery.

The native English speaker may identify with the first version more easily, while some may

prefer an unfamiliar taste of naïveté or uncouth literalism.  I have also made each phrase

conform to a five-word structure similar to the four-word phrase of the Chinese format. 

It is even harder to make each phrase with the same number of syllables for uniformity

as in the original Chinese, which consists of monosyllabic characters.

There is more than one way to skin a cat.

We, SL and I, agreed that for the reader, each has his/her own taste and interest.

A last word: The Chinese doublet reminds me of the wit of Groucho Marx, who once said:

Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.

 

子夜四時歌* (唐) 李白

Ziye’s Ballads of the Four Seasons*    Li Bai (701-762)

Tr. YK Chan 陈耀国译


* Note: 亦作”子夜吳歌”。Also known as “Ziye’s Song of Wu”.

“子夜” (Midnight) was the name of a woman in the Jin 晉 Dynasty (265 – 420), who allegedly started this ballad style of poem in southern China.


春歌
秦地羅敷女              采桑綠水邊
素手青條上              紅妝白日鮮
蠶飢妾欲去              五馬莫留連

Spring Song             

Maiden Luofu in the land of Qin,
Picks mulberry leaves by the river.
Her pale arms stretched across the green bough,
In bright sunlight her red dress shimmers.
Silkworms famished I’d like to go,
Ought not to loiter here your five-horse carriage.

夏歌
镜湖三百里         菡萏发荷花
五月西施采         人看隘若耶1
回舟不待月         归去越王家

Summer Song
Mirror Lake stretches far and wide,

Teeming with lotus blossoms nigh.
In the fifth moon when Xi Shi the beauty picks the flowers,
Onlookers amass in Yuoye1 for such a spectacular.
Before moonrise her boat returns,
To the royal house as heads turn.

___________________

1 Xi Shi’s hometown

秋歌
长安一片月          万户捣衣声
秋风吹不尽          总是玉关情
何日平胡虏          良人罢远征

Autumn Song
The moon shines bright over Chang An City;
Household laundry bats are stirring the night.
Autumn breezes forever blow and blow,
Always carry my heart to Gate Jadeite.
When will all the Tartars be conquered,
To let my dear husband quit this distant fight?

冬歌

明朝驿使发          一夜絮征袍
素手抽针冷          那堪把剪刀
裁缝寄远道          几日到临洮

Winter Song      

Next morn the courier is setting off;
My warrior’s gown has to be sewn tonight.
Slender hands pulling a chilly needle;
Those scissors can hardly be held tight.
To send the tailored garment far away,
When will it reach Lintao and be alright?

八聲甘州 (冬意) __ 李勝生

四十多年異國浮生
幾番盡寒冬
一朝風霜絕
韶華無覓
蕩氣無蹤
曲直盤根交錯
沉壓鎖重重
最是荒涼處
江厚難溶
且把餘柴剩火
劫後灰塵裡
再燃熊熊
但恐時不與
力歇未爐濃
問天宮    鵲橋安在
倩素星    伴我曲音中
春花夜    晚霞同倚
共醉燈虹

庚寅年己丑月丙子日
(20110121)

Translation?

A request from a non-Chinese speaking enthusiast was received to translate the following into English. Anyone?

嵩山少林寺曹洞
正宗傳續七十字輩訣

福慧智子覺
了本圓可悟
周洪普廣宗
道慶同玄祖
清靜真如海
湛寂淳貞素
德行永延恆
妙體常堅固
心朗照幽深
性明鑒崇祚
忠正善禧祥
謹志原濟度
雪庭為導師
引汝歸鉉路

詠四季七言句 余晃英 Qijue – The Seasons by Fong-ying Yu

 

註: 以下中文七言句不合七絕規格, 英譯時則力求用單或雙音節字, 每句七音節,  

間亦於二、四句押韻. 這新嘗試的目標是試圖創做英文新詩體– 英文七絕.

两種語文, 或可達到相近境界.

 

Note: While the Chinese seven-character lines below do not conform to
the strict requirements of the Chinese
qijue, the English verse form
might be called “English
qijue
,” with one- to two-syllable words, 7
syllables per line and occasional rhymes. The aim of the experiment is
to bring the two languages together in a similarity of metrical forms.

SPRING


初春 (一)

冬寒已退冷未消         刮臉猶如利鋒刀
驚鳥匿藏葉叢裏         生人步近齐飛高

Early Spring (1)

Winter retreats; its cold stays,
Grazing the face like razor.
Timid birds hide in the bush.
At a noise, to sky they soar.

初春 (二)

春意偷上樹枝頭         含苞羞澀候佳音
小鳥還怯三分冷         不為人間報早春

Early Spring (2)

Spring steals up the branches’ tips.
Blushing buds announce the news.
Birds, with memory of cold
Won’t tell that good times are due.

初春 (三)

立春己過氣猶寒         春雨帶雪灑人間
難堪舊時不忍去         乍暖還冷未開花
 

Early Spring (3)

Chill belies the Day of Spring.
Rain drizzles down mixed with snow.
A slow death dies the old times.
Nor warm nor cold, no flowers blow.

SUMMER

無 題

路旁橋畔野花嬌             蝴蝶偏憐舞蹁躚
大地到處花盈眼             泰半寂寂自榮枯

Untitled

On roadways, gay wild flowers,
Butterflies around them dance.
Flowers fill the eyes, here, there.
Unbeknownst, they live, they die.

炎夏忽至

春長霪兩氣猶寒             炎夏曜曜撲面遲
虛己順時心平置             冷暖早知受無辭

Summer Comes, Late and Sudden

Long rain-filled Spring is cold still.
Sudden summer comes, full-hot.
Humbled, I go with the times.
Cold and hot, just come. So what?

FALL

拾 葉

裸樹肅然立風中             樹底葉塚已墳隆
造化脫胎正換骨             痴情許是拾葉人

Gathering Leaves

Trees stand in wind: solemn, nude.
Leaves form tombs around trunk-beds.
The world itself renewing,
Why are leave pickers’ eyes red?

深秋, 得二首         Late Autumn (2)

 

其一: 霜

楓樹搖落別有姿             涼風習習拂額寒
偏愛秋來添霜韻             蕭瑟草木未衰時

No. 1: Frost

Deleaved maples each a poise,
Cool wind fans my forehead cold;
I love fall — its frosty charm,
And grass and shrubs not yet dead.

其二: 遙看鐵道镇

秋光仍照遠景明            紅霞一抹刷天邊
且取美色存腦海             寒夜暖夢伴秋眠

No. 2: Viewing Metrotown from Afar

Fall-gleams light up the distance,
Red streaks brush athwart the sky;
I’d store the wonder in mind,
To hug warm dreams in cold nights.

冬     WINTER

冬 (一)

衰草頹竹尚苟存             眾芳憔悴早失色
鵝黄欲上怯冬意             萬籟屏息待春溫

Winter (1)

Tired grass, weak bamboo, survive.
Colours have long gone from plants.
Sensing cold, new growth retreats.
Breath bated, Earth waits for spring.

冬 (二)

禿樹一行猶有鳥             瑟縮枝椏吱两聲
烏雲厚壓鎖冬氣             行人哨語問春踪

Winter (2)

Bald trees still harbour some birds.
They cheep in the leaves, once, twice.
Thick clouds lock the wintry chill.
Whistling, I ask, where is spring?

2011/6/7

International Tulip Festival

七绝: 自然规律–加京国际郁金香节有感    陈耀国

根球去秋我先种

 

香花迎春当怒放

 

五月承随四月来

 

君仍近临我心芳

 

 

 

Tulip bulbs I buried last fall 

Now spring to life they’re up

Sure as May follows April 

Just as sure my heart they rub

Thanks are due to Yu Fong-ying for his English rendition, which I couldn’t do better.–YK