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LISTEN TO SHIRLEY TO SING THE POEM
Hi, friends, today I would like to introduce a new Chinese classical poem
Wuti -- No Title by Tang Dynasty (618- 907) poet Li Shangyin.
Li Shangyin was the greatest poet in the later period of Tang Dynasty. He was a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations when he was 25 years old. He fell over himself for polity and some innovation. However, just in the cruel political struggle, he was excluded and his political dreams could not be true until he was dead when he was only 45 years old with a poor life, chill and depressed heart...
Anyway, maybe for his sad life experience, made Li Shangyin became a famous representative poet in the later period of Tang Dynasty. He had a same reputation as Du Mu and be called "Little Li Du" (The big “Li Du” is Li Bai and Du Fu) but he had more and bigger effect to the poets and their create in his times and the following Chinese poetry history. Now there are more than 600 poems by him in the world. The highest accomplishment of his is Lǜ Shi -- a kind of poetry with eight lines, every line 5 or 7 words with different tones and rules -- if every line has 5 words and 8 lines is Wuyan Lǜshi; if every line has 7 words and 8 lines is Wuyan Lǜshi:-)
Li Shangyin wrote many poems with titles of "Wuti" ? No Title. This poem that I chose for you today is famous for its first 4 lines and I would also just like to introduce the first 4 lines for you. It expresses the sincere love of people. Now the last 2 lines were used on many places in Chinese cultures to admire the people who love and be in loyalty to their feelings, careers, nations and so on.
As usual, I wrote a piece of music for it and also I played and sang it for you and hope it is a little help to you to know something more about Chinese culture and language.
Note: You are welcomed to hit any Chinese word that you need to help to see its Chinese pinyin, meaning, pronunciation and follow me to read it.
MAIN MEANING OF THE POEMLISTEN TO SHIRLEY TO SING THE POEMNo Title
It's hardly possible to meet you for awhile,
It's more hardly possible to leave from you.
In the later spring breeze,
All of the leaves of flowers are flying to the ground.
My love to you is just as a spring silkworm,
never stops to spin her threads until she is dead,
and also like a burning candle,
never stops her tears until she becomes to be ash...
Translated By Someone Else
Time was long before I met her,
but is longer since we parted,
And the east wind has arisen
and a hundred flowers are gone,
And the silk-worms of spring
will weave until they die,
And every night the candles
will weep their wicks away.
Mornings in her mirror
she sees her hair-cloud changing,
Yet she dares the chill of moonlight
with her evening song.
...It is not so very far to her Enchanted Mountain
O blue-birds,
be listening!
-Bring me what she says!CHINESE CHRACTERS AND PINYINLISTEN TO SHIRLEY TO SING THE POEM无题
相见时难别亦难 -- xiāngjiàn shí nán bié yìnán，
东风无力百花残 -- dōngfēng wúlì bǎihuá cán 。
春蚕到死丝方尽 -- chūncán dào sǐ sī fāng jìn，
蜡炬成灰泪始干 -- làjù chénghuī lèi shǐ gān。晓镜但愁云鬓改 -- xiaojin dan chou yunbin gai，
夜吟应觉月光寒 -- yeyin yingjue yueguang hai。
蓬莱此去无多路 -- penglai ciqu wu duo lu，
青鸟殷勤为探看 -- qingniao yinqin wei tankan。
That is all for this poem. Hope you enjoy it. :-)
Note: You are welcomed to hit any Chinese word that you need to help to see its Chinese pinyin, meaning, pronunciation and follow me to read it.
If you have any questions, comments and suggestions, please write to
shirley@ebridge.cn , or
shirleyz004@yahoo.com, You are welcomed.
--ShirleyWritten, Edited and Recorded on Sun, Jan 8, 2006
