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蘂遵綺t鱈 d笛 ch辿ng n叩n zhun鼻
t叩n鼻 (618-907)
經cu朝 h湛 (time of birth and death unknown)
ｻ綛岩ユら筝鐔湛 ni叩n j朝n r狸 c m辿n zhn鼻,
篋咲∽援御膾r辿n min t叩o hu xin鼻 y狸n鼻 h坦n鼻
篋咲筝篏紊ｻr辿n min b湛 zh朝 h辿 ch湛 q湛鐚
罅延膃ラt叩o hu y朝 ji湛 xio ch笛n fn鼻
篋咲筝篏紊ｻr辿n min b湛 zh朝 h辿 ch湛 q湛鐚
罅延膃ラt叩o hu y朝 ji湛 xio ch笛n fn鼻
膃ラxio ch笛n fn鼻
|#|Inscription in a Village South of the Capital
This day last year at the same gate,
A girl's face and the flowers reflected red with each other.
No one knows where the girl is now,
The peach blossoms are still smiling in the spring breeze.
This day last year at the same gate,
A girl's face and the flowers reflected red with each other.
No one knows where the girl is now,
No one knows where the girl is now,
The peach blossoms are still smiling in the spring breeze,
In the spring breeze.
|#|Cui Hu (time of birth and death unknown) was a poet in Tang Dynasty (618-907). He was from Boling (Today's Ding County, Hebei Province). Cui Hu was a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations in 796, then he became Lingnan Jie Du Shi (Military Governorship).
He created this poem in his youth,and it became the origin of the love story drama related to Ren Mian Tao Huathe girl's face and the peach flowers (reflecting each other's glow), in later times.
This story was mainly recorded in the literary sketches Ben Shi Shi, Qinggan by Meng Qi in the Tang Dynasty:
A poet named Cui Hu took a walk in a suburb south of the capital on Tomb?sweeping Day. At a yard gate where peach blossoms were in full bloom, he stopped and asked for a cup of water .A beautiful girl warmly granted his request. They both found each other attractive. On the same day in the following year he went to the same house but the girl was not there.There were only the peach blossoms in the spring breeze.Cui was disappointed and wrote a poem on the left part of the gate.
A few days later he took a casual walk through the same suburb and heard crying from the yard. He knocked on the gate. An old man came out and asked: Are you Cui Hu?Cui said Yes. The old man cried again and said: You have killed my daughter.Cui was surprised and did not know what to say. The old man said:My daughter has grown up;she is educated and intelligent;she has not got married yet. Since last year, she has often been in a trance and felt disturbed as if having lost something. Recently, I went out with her and when we came back, found some words on the gate. After reading them she was sick, abstained from food and passed away. I am old and she is my only child. She wanted to find a perfect gentleman to marry and look after me. Now she is dead, did not you kill her? Then he cried again. Cui was touched and asked if he could also enter the room and cry for her. Then he found her, lying dignifiedly on the bed. Cui rested her head on his leg and said I am here. Instantly, the girl opened her eyes and became alive again. The old man was very happy and he married his daughter to Cui.
By the good help of his wife, Cui became a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations and then a good officer.
Since then, the story of Ren Mian Tao Huaa girl's face and peach blossomshas become a typical Chinese Love Story, and has been adapted to many different art works.
|#||#|The first two lines: ｻ綛岩ユら筝,篋咲∽援御膾鐔湛 ni叩n j朝n r狸 c m辿n zhn鼻, r辿n min t叩o hu xin鼻 y狸n鼻 h坦n鼻This day last year at the same gate, a girl's face and flowers reflected red with each other.
These two lines are in retrospect. The first line writes about the time and place, which shows us that this place is deeply remembered in the heart of the poet. The second line writes about the girl, who was among the peach blossoms the previous year. The peach blossoms were already brightly?colored and beautiful in the spring breeze, but the girl's face reflected the peach blossoms with a redder hue. Both of these beautiful things reflected each other, showing us a more wonderful vision and atmosphere.
The last two lines: 篋咲筝篏紊ｻ, 罅延膃ラ r辿n min b湛 zh朝 h辿 ch湛 q湛鐚 t叩o hu y朝 ji湛 xio ch笛n fn鼻No one knows where the girl is now,the peach blossoms are still smiling in the spring breeze.
At the same place and the same day this year, something is the same and something else is different. The peach blossoms are still there but the girl is not there now. There is only the beautiful memory and a touch of sadness in the heart of the poet.
This little poem is written in a natural style and the poet uses the girl's face and the peach blossoms to link the time he wrote the poem with the same time in the previous year, to compare the similarity and difference. It indirectly expresses the sign of emotion from the bottom of the poet's heart in a lucid and mellow way and there is much aftertaste.
Comparison, reflection and personification are important methods to help the poet to express his feelings in the poem.
|#|When I read the poem, I was smiling together with the peach blossoms. I was glad for the happy outcome of this story and I enjoyed the style of personification in this poem. Since the peach flowers have lives and they are able to smile, birds and the spring can certainly witness this beautiful love story and talk about it to us. Right?
With this idea and a big smile, I translated this poem and created a piece of music for the poem in 2006,and painted a painting to match the music and the poem in 2011. Then I re?painted a new painting as my assignment at Chinese National Academy of Arts to match them in 2012.
I really hope that my efforts will be of some help for you in learning about Chinese culture and language.
If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, please write to shirley@ebridge.cn.
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