Apr 20, 2008

Listen to Shirley Created Music & Sung the Poem in Chinese April 20, 2008
Listen to Shirley Created Music & Sung the Poem in English April 20, 2008
Listen to Shirley Read the Poem April 20, 2008
Seeing Shirley Created Picture & Calligraphy for the Poem April 19, 2008
Learning the Meaning of the Poem

Guan Jun is a famous ancient folk love poem in the Chinese poetry history. It was collected into the first poetry anthology of China -- Shi Jingthat has a history for more than 3000 years and be listed No. 1.

With three parts, this poem spoke an interesting love story. When a man saw a couple of water birds -- Ju Jiu (ospreys) on the sandbar in the river, he thought of that a beautiful girl should be his ideal spouse. Then in the second part, he was missing the girl so that he could not get sleepy. Finally, in the third part, he made sure that he should court her and please her.

For the first part is the most famous. That is why, I had introduced it in September,2005and I had created my first music to match it. Anyway, then, I had not have a database to save and to deal with the characters, I could not be able to accompany for myself when I was singing and also I could not sing it in English yet. This week, I have done them and I have re-written the music, re-sung it and re-recorded the comments. Also, I have created a new painting to match it.

Since this week, I will record the poem and poem comments into two files so that you are convenient to listen to them and follow me to read them one by one.

I do hope that my effort will be a little bit help to you to know more about Chinese culture and to learn Chinese language.

MAIN MEANING OF THE FIRST PART OF THE POEM

Guan! Guan! Singing ospreys，
on the sandbar in the River,
a(the) beautiful girl,
a(the) gentleman’s ideal spouse.

A translation of whole of the poem on the China Business Translation Site:

GUAN! GUAN! CRY THE FISH HAWKS

Guan! Guan! Cry the fish hawks
on sandbars in the river:
a mild-mannered good girl,
fine match for the gentleman.


A ragged fringe is the floating-heart,
left and right we trail it:
that mild-mannered good girl,
awake, asleep, I search for her.
I search but cannot find her,
awake, asleep, thinking of her,
endlessly, endlessly,
turning, tossing from side to side.


A ragged fringe is the floating-heart,
left and right we pick it:
the mild-mannered good girl,
harp and lute make friends with her.
A ragged fringe is the floating-heart,
left and right we sort it:
the mild-mannered good girl,
bell and drum delight her.


NEW WORDS AND PRONUNCIATION :

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 :

关雎 ? Guang Ju

关关 雎 鸠 -- guan guan jujiu，
在河之洲 -- zai he zhi zhou。
窈窕 淑女 -- yaotiao shunǚ，
君子 好逑 -- junzi hao qiu。

参差荇菜 -- Cenci xingcai，
左右流之 -- zuoyou liu zhi。
窈窕淑女 -- yaotiao shunǚ，
寤寐求之 -- wumei qiu zhi。                     
求之不得 -- Qiu zhi bude，
寤寐思服 -- wumei si fu。
悠哉悠哉 -- Youzai you zai 。
辗转反侧 -- zhanzhuan fance。
                    
参差荇菜 -- Cenci xincai，
左右采之 -- zuoyou cai zhi。
窈窕淑女 -- yaotiao shunǚ，
琴瑟友之 -- qinse you zhi。                     
参差荇菜 -- Cenci xincai，
左右毛之 -- zuoyou mao zhi。
窈窕淑女 -- yaotiao shunǚ。
钟鼓乐之 -- zhonggu yue zhi。

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 and Recorded on Sun, April 20, 2008