Aug 27, 2006

LISTEN TO THE TEXTLISTEN TO SHIRLEY PLAYING & SINGING THE POEM

Hi, friends, do you have any experience that your body is in a place, but your heart is in another place? In Chinese culture, we call this situation is "Shen zhai Cao ying xin zai Han", it is an idiom from a story that in the Three Kingdoms Times (Wei, Shu Han and Wu -which divided China from A.D. 222 -- A.D.280), a spy who was working for Han in Wei, his body was in the Cao Cao's barback of Wei, but, his heart was in Han. Now, we usually use it to express the meaning that a person's body is here and his/her heart is there. :-)

The poem that I have chosen for you just expresses the similar meaning. The difference is that this poem writes out how the poet's heart was going back his hometown in the South with the clouds in the sky when his body was moving to the North with the wild geese together. How he missed his hometown on the Double Ninth Festival, the day for most of the family reunite to do something uphill, to drink and enjoy the chrysanthemums. About this, I have introduced you another poem by Wang Wei: Thinking of My Brother on the Double Ninth Festivaland hope it is help to you to know more about the Chinese custom.   

This poem was written by Tang Dynasty(816 - 907) poet Xu Jingzong (592 - 672), names Ni Jiang Ling Jiu Ri Gui Yang Wei Fu -- Writing on the Double Ninth Festival for Jiang Ling ( "Ling" here maybe a offical position name )Going Back Yang Zhou. I give it a translation as "Heart in the South and Body in the North   

As usual, I had written a piece of music to match it and I have sung it for you and hope you enjoy them.   


MAIN MEANING OF THE POEMLISTEN TO SHIRLEY PLAYING & SINGINg THE POEM

Heart in the South and Body in the North   

Pursuing the clouds,
my heart has left for the South;
Flying with the wild geese together,
my body has come to the North.
The chrysanthemums by the fence in my hometown,
how many flowers are blossoming
when the family are reuniting today?

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

拟江令九日归扬为赋

许敬宗    （唐）

心逐南云逝，
形随北雁来。
故乡篱下菊，
今日几花开？

LISTEN TO SHIRLEY PLAYING & SINGING THE POEM :

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 Forum For Friends as well.
--Shirley
Written, Sung, Translated and Recorded on Sun, Aug 27, 2006