[updated September 2022]
Chirping Sounds Everywhere: (Spring Poetry)
哨 遍：春 词
睡 起 花 画 堂，银 蒜 押 帘
珠 幕 云 垂 地。
初 雨 歇，洗 出 碧 罗 天
正 溶 溶 养 花 天 气。
一 霎 暖 风 回 芳 草
荣 光 浮 动
卷 皱 银 塘 水。
方 杏 靥 习 酥
花 须 吐 绣
园 林 排 比 红 翠。
见 乳 燕 捎 蝶 过 繁 枝
忽 一 线 炉 香 逐 游 丝。
昼 永 人 闲，独 立 斜 阳
晚 来 情 味。
便 乘 兴 携 将 佳 丽
深 入 芳 菲 里。
拔 胡 琴 语
轻 拢 慢 捻 总 伶 俐。
看 紧 约 罗 裙
急 趣 檀 板 “霓 裳”
人 破 惊 鸿 起。
颦 月 临 眉，醉 霞 横 脸
歌 声 悠 扬 云 际。
任 满 头 红 雨 落 花 飞
渐 (zhi) 鹊 楼 西 玉 蟾 低。
尚 徘 徊，未 尽 欢 意。
君 看 今 古 悠 悠
浮 宦 人 间 世。
这 些 百 岁，光 阴 几 日
三 万 六 千 而 已。
醉 乡 路 稳 不 妨 行
但 人 生，要 适 情 耳。
Shao Bian: (Chun Ci)
Shui qi hua tang, yin suan ya lian
Zhu mu yun chui di.
Chu yu xie, xi chu bi luo tian
Zheng rong rong yang hua tian qi.
Yi sha nuan feng hui fang cao
Rong guang fu dong
Juan zhou yin tang shui.
Fang xing ye xi su
Hua xu tu xiu
Yuan lin pai bi hong cui.
Jian ru yan shao die guo fan zhi
Hu yi xian lu xiang zhu you si.
Zhou yong ren xian, du li xie yang
Wan lai qing wei.
Bian cheng xing xie jiang jia li
Shen ru fang fei li.
Ba hu qin yu
Qing long man nian zong ling li.
Kan jin yue luo qun
Ji qu tan ban “Ni Shang”
Ren po jing hong qi.
Pin yue lin mei, zui xia heng lian
Ge sheng you yang yun ji.
Ren man tou hong yu luo hua fei
Jian zhi que lou xi yu chan di.
Shang pai huai, wei jin huan yi.
Jun kan jin gu you you
Fu huan ren jian shi.
Zhe xie bai sui, guang yin ji ri
San wan liu qian er yi.
Zui xiang lu wen bu fang xing
Dan ren sheng, yao shi qing er.
Chirping Sounds Everywhere: (Spring Poetry)
Arising from sleep, living room should be full of drawings and paintings
Silver ingots anchor the curtains
String of pearls in the doorways hang down to the ground.
Early spring rain stops, sky washed clean like bluish-green silk
Far and wide, the weather for growing flowers.
In an instant, warm winds return to fragrant grasses
Growing thickly, floating and shiny
Dyke waters like scrolled and wrinkled silver.
Apricots beginning to get fluffy and dimpled
Flowers and leaves unfold
Gardens and trees in rows compare and contrast their reds and emerald greens.
Watch baby swallows learning to fly and butterflies on numerous twigs
Suddenly, one thread of fragrant incense like spider silk.
Days getting longer, have time to linger and relax, alone during sunset Evening arrives to enjoy the tastes and emotions.
Easy to escort very pretty ladies
Deep inside the garden rich with fragrances.
They play their stringed musical instruments
Soft and slow fingers twist and move.
I notice the skirts and belts are secure
Their sandalwood clappers, with delight follow the “Rainbow Skirt” music
For the third movement they arise like geese.
Eyebrows appear like crescent moons
Faces drunk with a colored evening glow across the horizon
Words and music easily spread among the clouds.
Hair full of red petals like falling rain
Flowing around the Magpie Tower in the west, beautiful moon near the ground.
Value this moving back and forth
Not yet done with happiness and wishes.
Looking at things very distant in the past
Among society, most people’s lives go up and down.
Some have one hundred years
Yet can see sunlit scenery for several days out of the thirty-six thousand.
So go home and get drunk, do not have to travel here and there
For my life, only need to follow my heart.
Notes:
[The description at the end of the title identifies the name of the music which these lines are to be sung to.]
Rainbow Skirt music: Famous palace music and dance written by the Tang Dynasty Emperor Xuanzong, and often performed for him by his dancing girls.
Magpie Tower: Probably refers to the old story of “Cowherd and Weaver Girl”. Two star lovers separated by the Milky Way reunite one night every year over the magpies who made them a bridge.