Today let's enjoy a very small but interesting ancient Chinese poem together. The title of this poem is “Asking Liu Shijiu”. Liu Shijiu is the name of
one of the author's friends.
In fact, it is today's Haiku written by Teacher @dbooster that evokes my momery of this little poem. In his haiku he is asking the trees if he can join them to dance in a spring night. Similarly the author was asking his friend if he could come and take a shot together in a winter night.
问刘十九
白居易
绿蚁新醅酒，红泥小火炉（l/u）。
晚来天欲雪，能饮一杯无(w/u)？
We can see that 炉(lu) and 无（wu）rhyme. Below is the English version from Xu Yuanchong who was a classical English translator in ancient Chinese poetry.
Asking Liu Shijiu
Bai Juyi
My new brew gives green glow，
My red clay stove flames up.
At dusk it threatens snow.
Won’t you come for a cup?
Another version should be from a western scholar named Burton Watson.
Asking Liu Shijiu
Bai Juyi
Green bubbles – new brewed wine;
Lumps of red – a small stove for heating;
Evening comes and the sky threatens snow –
Could you drink a cup, I wonder?
I leave you to choose which version you prefer. For me, the first version is in good rhyme. Glow vs. Snow and up vs. cup. The second version is more vivid and pictorial. The new-made delicious wine is bubbling slightly, looking like a troop of green ants(绿蚁) moving on the surface, whereas the stove for heating it is made of the red clay. What's more, the white snow is coming outside! Such a sharp contrast in color--green, red and white which brings the readers a wonderful kind of visual enjoyment!
Its original author is a famous poet in Tang dynasty named Bai Juyi. He was known for writing the fresh, natural and easy-to-understand poetry. Yeah, I can recite quite a few of his other simple but beautiful poems. I sincerely wish I could share them one by one in the near future! Of course, he was also famous for 2 pieces of the long classical poems: 长恨歌/Everlasting Regret which describes the love story between Tang Xuanzong and Concubine Yang
and 琵琶行/ The Pi-pa player which potrayed a geisha's gorgeous techniques in playing Pi-pa(a kind of music instrument) and her unfortunate wondering life experiences.
Thanks for reading it!
I think Watson was influenced by haiku, and rhymes are to be avoided in haiku, therefore he avoids translating the rhyming even in Chinese poetry.
A very nice poem. Great share! Please do keep sharing them.
!PIMP
Thanks for your encouragement. It means a lot to me!! Oh, in fact I don't know who Watson is. When trying to find other English version of this little poem, I just found this name online at the first time. Now I realize that his status in translating ancient Chinese poetry is comparable to Xu Yuanchong. They both translated the whole set of ancient Chinese poetry. And the information shows that he was an American professor who once studied Chinese in university in Japan except in the US, so maybe he was influenced by Japanese more or less. However, since each Chinese character is one-syllable, without the notion of syllable like Haiku, the highlight of ancient Chinese poetry can only be rhyming.
Sorry, I have no idea about PIMP. I wish I could open Discord, but I can't since Google Play is unavailable on most of Chinese mobile phones.(maybe only Apple phone can download via Google Play. I don't know.) All in all, thank you so much!
You can actually join discord through the internet instead of downloading an app. As for PIMP, you can see it in your Hive wallet here: https://peakd.com/@kaixin/wallet/hive-engine
Oh, thank you so much! I have seen PIMP as well as other tokens in the above link you offered. I guess that they should be cryptocurrency like hive itself, but I have no idea how to earn them.
No, I can't open Discord through the internet all along. When I try to click its link to enter, it doesn't work. What a pity!
However, just like what I wrote in my previous blog--Spring morning, "Seeing/learning the outside world is my main goal to come here/Hive. Of course, if lucky enough, I sincerely wish I could make some great penfriends with people from the western world". Maybe you don't know how I feel honored and happy to be encouraged and supported by you. I cherish such kind of help/friendship incomparably. It is my biggest harvest on Hive.
I live in a closed society with no chance to experience a wonderful and rich life, so I have nothing else to share to the outside world except the ancient Chinese poetry which may be my only wealth which I learned and often recited loudly in my childhood and youth. I am really so glad that you enjoy them, too!
You must be killin' it out here!
@dbooster just slapped you with 1.000 PIMP, @kaixin.
You earned 1.000 PIMP for the strong hand.
They're getting a workout and slapped 1/2 possible people today.
Read about some PIMP Shit or Look for the PIMP District
It never amazes me of the power these Haiku's brings. When done right, they pack a punch. They show the scene unfold with clarity, yet artistic in execution. Thanks for sharing.
Well-said! It is true that they can pack a punch when done wight. So glad to know you enjoy this little poem! Thank you!