40. Wu Songs of Ziye: The Summer Song
A poem by Li Bai, translated by Hyun Woo Kim, and an announcement
Lake Jing, Three Hundred Lis,
Buds of lotus shooting up their flowers.
Xi Shi would pluck them in May;
Ruoye was crowded with those looking at her.
She turned the ship, not waiting for the moon,
To go back to the house of Yue's king.
「子夜吳歌-夏歌」
鏡湖三百里
菡萏發荷花
五月西施采
人看隘若耶
回舟不待月
歸去越王家
From Hyun Woo:
This week we are reading the summer song, continued from last week’s spring song. The poet seems to be looking at Lake Jing, its lotuses about to bloom. Ruoye, a stream that flows into Lake Jing, is also near. Then he remembers Xishi, a legendary beauty of ancient China who “would pluck them in May”. We read another poem on Xishi by Wang Wei back in July.
Today’s poem, I believe, does not require much explanation to understand. What I really enjoy about it is Li Bai’s rhythmical and economical use of language. As I translate it, snow is falling in the streets of Moscow, the city where I currently am.
Announcement:
In last week’s newsletter, I asked you to become a paid subscriber. I am grateful no matter how you support my newsletter, either financially or by other means. This is the season when I ask you to financially support the newsletter though, since every four months I send a Classical Chinese poetry postcard to the paid subscribers, no matter where they are in the world.
This is the photo of the postcards that I sent in October. The final design for the postcard to be sent this coming January is not decided yet, but I will share it with you as soon as possible. Anyhow, if you want to receive a Classical Chinese poetry postcard, you have to become a paid subscriber by December 31st. Accordingly, this might be the best time to become one if you have been considering it. If you choose to become a paid subscriber after the date, you will begin to receive the postcards from April.
Will get back next week with more news about the postcard!
-Hyun Woo
If you enjoyed my work, you can buy me a cup of tea. I am not a coffee person, by the way.
i just subscribed because of the postcards! i would totally buy the ones i missed
I am imaging people in robes walking along a path beside the river, and a boat turning around in the current and getting under way downstream toward the lake, driven only by the river's flow.
And now I am imagining a memoir of your trip to Estonia and Russia, as a series of a dozen or so poems, perhaps with facing page photos or sketches, written in Chinese and English in the style of the Tang poems. These could be nicely produced and given as premiums to people who support your efforts at some set (high) level, maybe $1000, though perhaps an imploring DM may lead to a gracious and benignly imperious grant of a copy for a reduced sum.
"snow is falling in the streets of Moscow" - That probably sounds even better in Chinese.