Hi everyone, now forward in time to the 1920s, and here is a poem by Xu Zhimo 徐志摩
Here is a link to a some brief info about him and more of his poetry, for those who read Chinese
http://www.shigeku.o.../xs/xuzhimo.htm
残春
昨天我瓶子里斜插着的桃花
是朵朵媚笑在美人的腮边挂；
今儿它们全低了头，全变了相：－－
红的白的尸体倒悬在青条上。
窗外的风雨报告残春的运命，
丧钟似的音响在黑夜里叮咛：
“你那生命的瓶子里的鲜花也
变了样：艳丽的尸体，谁给收殓？”
1 votes
poem translation 46
Started by
Yizheng
, Sep 29 2009 03:17 AM
4 replies to this topic
#1
Yizheng
-
- Entry Scholar (Xiucai)
-
- 587 posts
State Undersecretary (Shangshu Lang 尚书郎)
- Location:Moscow
-
Main Interest in CHF:
Chinese History
-
Specialisation / Expertise:
none
Posted 29 September 2009 - 03:17 AM
#2
Tang Scholar
-
- Entry Scholar (Xiucai)
-
- 474 posts
Grand Mentor (Taishi 太师)
- Gender:Male
- Location:Cali, Colombia, a city of 2 million people, 4ºN, on a large mountain valley at 1000 m altitude, 120 km of the port of Buenaventura on the Pacific. Spanish is spoken here.
-
Interests:I am interested mainly in poetry and literature. I am not literate in Chinese, though I understand a few characters.
Though I like poetry from everywhere and from every epoch, I like especially to learn about Tang poetry. Lately I have been studying two poets, one Tang (Bai Juyi) and the other Song (Li Qingzhao). - Languages spoken:Spanish, English, French, a bit German, a bit Japanese, a bit Chinese.
- Ethnic Groups or Race:Latin American - that is, a mixture of everything.
-
Main Interest in CHF:
Chinese Literature
-
Specialisation / Expertise:
Tang, Song and contemporary poetry
Posted 29 September 2009 - 11:18 AM
[quote name='Yizheng' date='29 September 2009 - 03:17 AM' timestamp='1254212251' post='4982131']
Hi everyone, now forward in time to the 1920s, and here is a poem by Xu Zhimo 徐志摩
Here is a link to a some brief info about him and more of his poetry, for those who read Chinese
http://www.shigeku.o.../xs/xuzhimo.htm
So, from gloomy autumn to cruel spring... Thank you, Yizheng!
Hi everyone, now forward in time to the 1920s, and here is a poem by Xu Zhimo 徐志摩
Here is a link to a some brief info about him and more of his poetry, for those who read Chinese
http://www.shigeku.o.../xs/xuzhimo.htm
So, from gloomy autumn to cruel spring... Thank you, Yizheng!
#3
Shenjie
-
- CHF Beginner
-
- 5 posts
County Magistrate (Xianling 县令)
- Gender:Male
- Location:London
- Interests:Pre-modern Chinese literature; Pre-Qin Chinese philosophy; Pre-modern Chinese history.
- Languages spoken:Mandarin, intermediate Japanese, elementary Hokkien (capable with classical Chinese, but only reading!)
-
Main Interest in CHF:
Chinese History
-
Specialisation / Expertise:
Classical Chinese; Western Sinology
Posted 01 October 2009 - 06:02 PM
There are some tricky bits in this poem. Here goes, anyway:
残春
昨天我瓶子里斜插着的桃花
是朵朵媚笑在美人的腮边挂；
今儿它们全低了头，全变了相：－－
红的白的尸体倒悬在青条上。
窗外的风雨报告残春的运命，
丧钟似的音响在黑夜里叮咛：
“你那生命的瓶子里的鲜花也
变了样：艳丽的尸体，谁给收殓？”
Remnants of Spring
The slanted peach blossoms that were in my vase yesterday
Are the flower’s bright smiles, hanging from the cheek of a beautiful woman;
Today they all hang their heads, completely disguised:-
The white and the red shells are left wan on the green stems.
The stormy weather outside the window portends the fate of the remnants of spring;
Like a funeral clock the sound urges into the night:
“The lives of the flowers in the vase are also
Changing: the gorgeous husks – who will lay their bodies in a coffin?”
残春
昨天我瓶子里斜插着的桃花
是朵朵媚笑在美人的腮边挂；
今儿它们全低了头，全变了相：－－
红的白的尸体倒悬在青条上。
窗外的风雨报告残春的运命，
丧钟似的音响在黑夜里叮咛：
“你那生命的瓶子里的鲜花也
变了样：艳丽的尸体，谁给收殓？”
Remnants of Spring
The slanted peach blossoms that were in my vase yesterday
Are the flower’s bright smiles, hanging from the cheek of a beautiful woman;
Today they all hang their heads, completely disguised:-
The white and the red shells are left wan on the green stems.
The stormy weather outside the window portends the fate of the remnants of spring;
Like a funeral clock the sound urges into the night:
“The lives of the flowers in the vase are also
Changing: the gorgeous husks – who will lay their bodies in a coffin?”
知我者其惟CHF乎! 罪我者其惟CHF乎!
It is by CHF that people will know me; and it is by CHF that people will condemn me.
It is by CHF that people will know me; and it is by CHF that people will condemn me.
#4
Yizheng
-
- Entry Scholar (Xiucai)
-
- 587 posts
State Undersecretary (Shangshu Lang 尚书郎)
- Location:Moscow
-
Main Interest in CHF:
Chinese History
-
Specialisation / Expertise:
none
Posted 02 October 2009 - 12:37 PM
Hi,
well, so far, modern doesn't seem to got as much enthusiasm as classical. But maybe more translations will still come along. Here is mine, anyway.
残春
昨天我瓶子里斜插着的桃花
是朵朵媚笑在美人的腮边挂；
今儿它们全低了头，全变了相：－－
红的白的尸体倒悬在青条上。
The last of spring
Those peach blossoms in the vase
Only yesterday I placed them there
As if to grace some beauty’s cheeks
Every flower like the smile she wears.
But today I find a different scene
All drooping with their heads gone slack
Like red-white bodies
hanging from their ropes of black.
窗外的风雨报告残春的运命，
丧钟似的音响在黑夜里叮咛：
“你那生命的瓶子里的鲜花也
变了样：艳丽的尸体，谁给收殓？”
Wind and rain beyond the window sigh
Their fateful tale of spring on the wane
Like a death knell the sound
tells the black night again and again
“Set in this vase of life
Your fresh flower too will fade
And who will place in its coffin
this corpse of dazzling shade?”
well, so far, modern doesn't seem to got as much enthusiasm as classical. But maybe more translations will still come along. Here is mine, anyway.
残春
昨天我瓶子里斜插着的桃花
是朵朵媚笑在美人的腮边挂；
今儿它们全低了头，全变了相：－－
红的白的尸体倒悬在青条上。
The last of spring
Those peach blossoms in the vase
Only yesterday I placed them there
As if to grace some beauty’s cheeks
Every flower like the smile she wears.
But today I find a different scene
All drooping with their heads gone slack
Like red-white bodies
hanging from their ropes of black.
窗外的风雨报告残春的运命，
丧钟似的音响在黑夜里叮咛：
“你那生命的瓶子里的鲜花也
变了样：艳丽的尸体，谁给收殓？”
Wind and rain beyond the window sigh
Their fateful tale of spring on the wane
Like a death knell the sound
tells the black night again and again
“Set in this vase of life
Your fresh flower too will fade
And who will place in its coffin
this corpse of dazzling shade?”
#5
paysan
-
- Master Scholar (Juren)
-
- 98 posts
Military Commissioner (Jiedushi 节度使)
- Gender:Male
-
Main Interest in CHF:
Chinese Literature
-
Specialisation / Expertise:
none
Posted 07 October 2009 - 03:44 AM
Hi, friends. Here is my translation. It wasn't an easy work, but I enjoyed very much Xu Zhimo's poem.
Spring passes away
Yesterday, as they peeped out from my flowerpot,
the peach blossoms looked like bunches of charming smiles
hanging down the cheeks of a beautiful girl.
Today, all of them lowered their heads, all of them changed.
The red ones, the white ones are now but pale lifeless shells
bent over their green branches.
Outside the window, the storm which is scraping off
the last remnants of the spring
sounds like a death knell in the darkness of the night:
"Those fresh flowers of yours in the vase of life.....
they too will wither.
Splendid remains. Who shall grant them a resting place?".
Spring passes away
Yesterday, as they peeped out from my flowerpot,
the peach blossoms looked like bunches of charming smiles
hanging down the cheeks of a beautiful girl.
Today, all of them lowered their heads, all of them changed.
The red ones, the white ones are now but pale lifeless shells
bent over their green branches.
Outside the window, the storm which is scraping off
the last remnants of the spring
sounds like a death knell in the darkness of the night:
"Those fresh flowers of yours in the vase of life.....
they too will wither.
Splendid remains. Who shall grant them a resting place?".
0 user(s) are reading this topic
0 members, 0 guests, 0 anonymous users
