[updated September 2022]
Liangzhou Poetry: Two Poems
梁 州 词： 二 首
(1)
浑 成 紫 檀 金 屑 文
作 得 琵 琶 声 入 云。
胡 地 迢 迢 三 万 里
那 可 马 上 送 明 君。
(2)
异 方 之 乐 令 人 悲
羌 笛 胡 贾 不 用 吹。
坐 看 今 夜 关 山 月
思 杀 边 城 游 侠 儿。
Liang Zhou Ci: Er Shou
(1)
Hun cheng zi tan jin xie wen
Zuo de pi pa sheng ru yun.
Hu di tiao tiao san wan li
Na kan ma shang song ming jun.
(2)
Yi fang zhi yue ling ren bei
Qiang di hu jia bu yong chui.
Zuo kan jin ye guan shan yue
Si sha bian chen you xia er.
Liangzhou Poetry: Two Poems
(1)
Full grown red wingceltis like golden nuggets of literature
Finished pipa makes sounds that enter the clouds.
Northern hinterlands a thousand miles away
Send you off clear-sighted, then endure the horse journey.
(2)
From a different direction, this music causes human sadness
The hu jia flute does not require one to blow in order to play.
Sit and watch tonight’s moon at this frontier gate
Think of the young with martial arts stationed in this border town.
Notes:
Wingceltis: Indigenous trees of China used as lumber, while the bark is used for making paper.
Pipa: Ancient stringed musical instrument.
Hu jia flute: Traditional Mongolian double reed flute.