Listen to Shirley Singing the Poem in English August 21, 2011Listen to Shirley Singing the Poem in Chinese August 21, 2011Listen to Shirley Singing the Poem in Chinese June 25, 2006 Listen to Shirley Introducing This Poem & Chinese Characters Follow Shirley to Read the Poem & Chinese CharactersLearn the Meaning of the Poem With Shirley TogetherSee Shirley Created Picture & Calligraphy for the Poem August 21, 2011See Shirley Created Picture & Calligraphy for the Poem August, 2010
This is a small Chinese classical poem, names Zao Mei-- the Early Plum Blossom by Tang Dynasty (618-907) poet Zhang Wei.
Plum Blossom is one of the favorite flowers of Chinese. We admire it for its beauty and blossoms earlier than other flowers, before snow has melted. This quality is just like the people who have the beautiful, brave and strong personality and the ability to live and to work in the most difficult conditions and in the coldest season...
There are thousands and thousands of art, music and literature works in the Chinese culture admiring the plum blossom. Then, what is the reason that this little poem can be passed down from Tang Dynasty to now?
It is special because it has written about the word - early.
-- The first line describes how a plum tree is covered by her beautiful flowers, just like a white jade in the cold season.
-- The second line tells us where the plum blossom tree is -- by a bridge and far away from the village.
-- The last two lines describe the feelings of the poet: do not know the flowers by the water blossom earlier than it is in the other place, so that I have doubted it is the snow of the winter has not melted yet in the early spring...
In the little poem, we have touched the flowers, tree, snow, bridge, village and may be the water and its sounds under the bridge, the breath of the spring and the poet itself...
With my own imagination, I had created a piece of music for the peom and sang it in 2006, then in August 2010, I created a painting of golden pheasant, instead of creating the poet in my painting, I would like to express the surprised feelings by the birds instead of a person itself... :-)
This week, August, 2011, I have painted a new painting to be the graphical interpretation of the peom, also, I have corrected my translation, music and re-sang it for you.
I do hope that my effort and exploration will be some help with you to learn Chinese langauge and culture.
MAIN MEANING OF THE PEOM :
Flowers cover a plum blossom tree as a white jade in the cold,
It is by a bridge far away from the village.
Don't know the flowers blossom early by the water,
Doubt it's the snow in the winter has not melted.
NEW WORDS & CHINESE CHARACTERS:
You are welcome to clink any Chinese Character to open the New Character Board and to see the Chinese pinyin, meaning, pronunciation and follow me to read the new words早梅 - Zǎo Méi
张渭 （唐）- Zhāng Wèi (Táng)
一树寒梅白玉条 - Yīshù hánméi báiyù tiáo,，
迥临村落傍溪桥 - jiǒnglín zūnluò bàng xīqiáo。
不知近水花先发 - Bùzhī jìn shuǐ huā xiān fā，
疑是经冬雪未消 - yí shì jīng dōng xuě wèi xiāo。
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 Jun 25, 2006/ August 1, 2010/August 21, 2011
