Listen to Shirley to Sing the Poem in English Sep 27, 2010Listen to Shirley to Sing the Poem in English Sep 27, 2010Listen to Shirley to Sing the Poem in Chinese August 20, 2006 Listen to Shirley to Explain the Poem & Follow Me to Read ItFollow Shirley to Read the New Words & the Chinese CharatersRead Shirley's Comments about This Poem Sep 12,2010 See Shirley Created Paintings & Calligraphy for the Poem Sep 12,2010
Hi, friends, have you touched any Chinese music instrument?
Today, I would like to introduce a new Chinese classical poem that describes the music by a Chinese instrument --
Sheng Ting Lin Jia Chui Sheng -- Listen to a Neighbor Playing Chinese Sheng by Tang Dynasty（618-907）poet Lang Shiyuan.
This poem is famous because it has written out how beautiful a Chinese music of Sheng sounds like:
A piece of lovely music was coming from the other side of the colored clouds, just like a phoenix was singing over there. To be attracted by the beautiful music, the poet went out of his house, for he would like to make sure which his neighbor was playing it. However, what he has found was that all of the gates in the streets were locked tightly, so, he guessed that maybe the wonderful music was just from a fairyland that there were thousands of the peach blossoms inside.
After reading this poem, several pictures jumped into my mind:
-- A piece of music is flying over the colored clouds.
-- A poet is enjoying the sound that is like the singing of a phoenix.
-- The poet is looking for where the music is coming from?
-- All gates in the streets are closed tightly.
-- A beautiful fairyland that is full of the wonderful music, peach blossoms, birds and fruit in the heaven...
So, I did want to create a series of the paintings to match this poem. Then I did and created a new painting with very bright colors this Sunday.
Also, I have corrected the music that I had written August 20, 2006, re-translated it and re-played it and sung it in English and Chinese for you.
I do hope that my effort will be some help with you to understand this poem, to learn Chinese language and cultures.
MAIN MEANING OF THE POEM Listen to a Neighbor Playing Sheng
By Lang Shiyuan (Tang)
A phoenix is singing over the colored clouds
I wonder which neighbor is playing the lovely music.
All gates are locked tightly and I can’t find where it is from.
Doubt it's from a fairyland with thousands of the peach blossoms.
NEW WORDS AND RONUNCIATION :
Please hit any Chinese character that you need help with, to see its Chinese pinyin, pronunciation, and meaning and follow me to read it.CHINESE CHARACTERS 听邻家吹笙
郎士元 （唐）
凤吹声如隔彩霞，
不知墙外是谁家。
重门深锁无寻处，
疑有碧桃千树花。
If you have any questions, comments and suggestions, please write to
shirley@ebridge.cn or
shirleyz004@yahoo.com. You are welcome to publish your opinions in
Message Board as well.
Shirley Zhang
Written, Sung, Translated & Recorded Sun, August 20, 2006 / September 27, 2010
