Listen to Shirley Singing the Poem in Chinese Jan 1, 2012Listen to Shirley Singing the Poem in English Jan 1,2012 Listen to Shirley Reading the Poem in Chinese Jan ,2012 Listen to Shirley Introducing the Poet & Commenting the Poem Jan ,2012 Learn the Meaning of the Poem with Shirley TogetherShirley Created Picture for the Poem Jan 1, 2012Shirley Created Picture for the Poem Sep 9, 2007 Name of the most famous litterateur in Song Dynasty（960-1279）.
Hi, friends, today, I would like to introduce a new Chinese classical poem
Hui Chong Chun Jiang Wan Jing ? Inscription on Huichong’s Painting " The Evening Scene on a Spring River by Su Shi(1037－1101).
About the PoetSu Shi(1037－1101) was the representative of the highest literature achievement for his outstanding contribution on poetry, lyrics and essays in Song Dynasty. He was also a great calligraphist and famous artist. :-)
Su Shi was from Mei Shan, Sichuan Province. He had a very good educational background and he was one of the San (three) Su with his father and younger brother together.
After becoming a successful candidate in the highest imperial examination, he had much achievement on many positions as an official.
In poetry field, he had a very famous reputation as same as Huang Tingjian and be called " Su and Huang".
In lyric field, Su Shi created the highest achievement no matter on its content and form in North Song (960-1126). He was the founder of the poetry genre of “the Bold and Unconstrained Poetry Genre ” and be called "Su and Xin" with the other greatest poet Xin Qiji in South Song (1126 -1279) .
In essay field, Su Shi was very good on dissertation. He is one of the Tang and Song Eight Great Masters. He had a same good reputation as Ou Yangxiu and be called "Ou and Su"
As a calligraphist, he was famous for his running hand and regular script. As an artist, his favorite is bamboos.
Su Shi was not only famous on writing, painting and handwriting, but also he had his own literature and art theory. He emphasized that literature should be unique, expressive force and art value.
He has left more than 4000 poems, about 340 lyrics and many essays in the world.
This poem was written on a painting by a monk and artist Hui Chong, with several short lines, it has "painted" a beautiful picture of the early spring view in the south area of the Yangtze River.
To write a poem on a painting was started from Song Dynasty, this kind of poems names Ti Hua Shi -- Poem on the painting.
I am sure that in China, instead of remembering the title of the poem, most of people remember the famous line in the poem: "Chun jian shui nuan ya xian zhi -- ducks know the spring river water gets warm first.” Therefore, I had used it as the title of my translation of this poem, but, this weekend, according to the opinions of the publishing house, I worked more “ Seriously ” and translated the title according to the meaning of the original title. :-)
Enjoy the Poem with Shirley Together First line: 竹外桃花三两枝 -- Zhú wài táohuā sān liǎng zhī. Beyond the bamboo grove there're few twigs of peach blossoms.
With the simple line, we have known:
-- The bamboo grove is sparse. Therefore, we can see the peach blossoms;
-- The season is early. So, the peach blossoms have not been in full bloom.
-- The green or yellow bamboo and the pink peach blossoms have showed us the step of a new spring is coming to us already.
Second line: 春江水暖鸭先知 -- chūn jiāng shuǐnuǎn yā xiān zhī. The spring river water gets warm, ducks know it earliest.
蒌蒿满地芦芽短 -- Lóugāo mǎn dì lúyá duǎn -- Wormwood herb is everywhere, reeds' buds just grow.
正是河豚欲上时 -- zhèng shì hétún yù shàng shí. It is the time that globefish will swim upstream( the other version: It is the time that the globefish will be in the market).
After writing the scenery of spring in the first three lines, via the last line, it has written out some of the association of ideas of the poet.
It is said by the Yangtze River, the native people usually cook globefish with wormwood herb, reed buds and Chinese cabbage together. So the poet just thought of this naturally.
Whole of the poem is full of the beautiful life breath. :- )
I have been enjoined it since I read it first time, therefore, I created a piece of music to match it in 2005; then I created 2 paintings for it in 2007 and Jan, 2012. This weekend, I tried to do all of the music, painting, translation and writing work once more and hope my effort will be some help with you to learn Chinese language and culture.
Main Meaning of the Poem Beyond the bamboo grove there're few twigs of peach blossoms,
The spring river water gets warm, ducks know it first.
Wormwood herb is everywhere, reeds' buds just grow.
It is the time that globefish will swim upstream.
Chinese Characters & Pronunciation:
You can clink any Chinese Character to open the New Character Board and to see its Chinese pinyin, meaning, pronunciation and follow me to read them, also, you can hit the links over to enter the Painting Column, to read my painting for the poem 惠崇春江晚景 -- Huì Chóng Chūn Jiāng Wǎn Jǐng
苏轼 -- Sū Shì
竹外桃花三两枝 -- Zhú wài táohuā sān liǎng zhī,
春江水暖鸭先知 -- chūn jiāng shuǐ nuǎn yā xiān zhī。
蒌蒿满地芦芽短 -- Lóugāo mǎn dì lúyá duǎn,
正是河豚欲上时 -- zhèng shì hétún yù shàng shí。
If you have any questions, comments and suggestions, please write to
shirley@ebridge.cn , or
shirleyz004@yahoo.com, You are welcome.
Shirley ZhangWritten, Sung, Translated & Recorded August 4, 2012/ Jan 1, 2012/ Sep 16, 2007/ Feb 25, 2005.
