Farewell to Lingju on Double 7th Festival 鹊桥仙·七夕送陈令举

Farewell to Lingju on Double 7th Festival

--to the tune “Celestial lovers on the Magpie Bridge”

Chinese original: Su Shi

English version & annotation: Julia Min (Sept. 2024)

Unlike the foolish weaver bound to mortals,

fallen to her cowherd, to the earthly sorrow,

A young soul, Prince Jin, rose up on Mt Gou

when his mind was free from worldly control.

He flew on a crane while waving to the people.

His flute phoenix tune reached Moon’s cradle.

Legend says a rainstorm sent a bamboo boat

From the sea to Starry River’s rippling flow.

Perhaps in a past life, we were very close,

Meant to meet here and drink until mellowed.

Life is a floating leaf in a clime unforetold—

Who knows where we’ll meet after you go?

Notes:

1. Lingju — Chen Lingju, a close friend of Su Shi (Su Dongpo), to whom this poem was addressed.

2. Double Seventh Festival (Qixi) — Often called Chinese Valentine's Day, celebrated on the evening of the 7th day of the 7th lunar month. It honours the annual reunion of the Weaver and the Cowherd.

3. The Weaver and the Cowherd — A legendary love story. The Weaver, a celestial maiden, fell in love with a mortal cowherd. They married and had two children, but Heaven punished them by separating them across the Starry River (the Milky Way). Only on the night of the Double Seventh Festival may the family reunite, crossing a bridge formed by magpies.

4. Ziqiao (Prince Jin / Wang Ziqiao) — According to legend, Wang Ziqiao (Prince Jin) became a celestial immortal on Mount Gou (today's Mt Songshan in Henan Province). People witnessed him flying on the wind while playing his flute — the legendary "phoenix tune."

Appreciation:

This poem offers a distinctive and elevated perspective on the theme of lovers' day, making it deeply resonant and original.

It was composed in the evening at a farewell party on the Double Seventh Festival — Chinese Valentine's Day. While other gentlemen indulged in charming verses about youthful, erotic love, Su Shi steered attention away from the stereotyped theme of earthly joy. Instead, he elevated the discourse to a transcendent theme: freeing oneself from earthly attachments that bind the pure soul — a Daoist pursuit of ascending beyond the mortal cycle of reincarnation into the celestial realm.

Thus, in Su Shi's understanding, the Weaver and her Cowherd are not romantic heroes but foolish souls bound by attachment. The poem serves as his wake-up call to fellow mortals.

The Dao applies not only to romantic relationships but also to kinship and friendship. Meetings and partings are but natural expressions of karma — a system of cause and effect. There is no need for excessive sentiment. Take it lightly. Accept what comes. Once you overcome the obstacles on your path, your spirit transcends to a new level, drawing closer to a freer soul.

Similar ideas appear throughout Su Shi's poetry, such as in "How I Compare the New Arrivals in a Life Journey" (《和子由渑池怀旧》), also translated elsewhere on this site.

鹊桥仙·七夕送陈令举

原作: 苏轼（字子瞻, 号东坡居士; 11世纪北宋）

缑山仙子，高清云渺，

不学痴牛騃女。

凤箫声断月明中，

举手谢、时人欲去。

客槎曾犯，银河微浪，

尚带天风海雨。

相逢一醉是前缘，

风雨散、飘然何处？

Reference:

1. m.gushiwen.cn(古诗文网）