Far and Wide the Lake Spreads before the Wind -- the Tune of Yuanwangsun composed by Li Qingzhao ( 12th century) old trans. by Gordon Osing and Julia Min(1990) revised trans. by Julia Min(Jul.2021) Far and wide the lake spreads before the soft wind. It’s late autumn already, lotus fragrance lingering. These waves, this light, the hills, and many more, - are the eternal echoes of ancient music performing. The lotus are seed pods with leaves brown and thin. Dews cleanse duckweed blooms, the grassy strands. The gulls and herons sleeping there don't even care to lift their heads to the girls abandoning this scene. Appreciation: This ci was written in Li Qing-zhao's early twenties, and is sometimes called "In Praise of Lotus." The quantity and zeal of the acceptance in this early poem certainly contrast with her states of mind, especially her inconsolability, in later poems. The Source Text in Chinese: 怨王孙.湖上风来波浩渺 (又作“双调忆王孙.赏荷”) 作者：李清照 湖上风来波浩渺， 秋已暮、红稀香少。 水光山色与人亲， 说不尽、无穷好。 莲子已成荷叶老， 清露洗、苹花汀草。 眠沙鸥鹭不回头， 似也恨、人归早。 Pinying and Word -For-Word Translation: yuàn wáng sūn – the musical tune hú shàng fēng lái bō hào miǎo – on the lake wind comes waves far and wide, qiū yǐ mù、hóng xī xiāng shǎo - autumn already late, pink rare fragrance little. shuǐ guāng shān sè yǔ rén qīn – water light hill color with people intimate, shuō bú jìn、wú qióng hǎo – can’t express fully, boundless beauty. lián zǐ yǐ chéng hé yè lǎo – lotus seeds already formed lotus leaves wither, qīng lù xǐ 、píng huā tīng cǎo – crystal dews wash clover flowers waterside grass. mián shā ōu lù bú huí tóu – sleeping on sand gulls herons not turn back their heads, sì yě hèn 、rén guī zǎo – as if also hate people return early.

西江月·平山堂 原作: 苏轼（字子瞻, 号东坡居士; 11世纪北宋） 英译: 闵晓红(2024.02) 三过平山堂下， 半生弹指声中。 十年不见老仙翁， 壁上龙蛇飞动。   欲吊文章太守， 仍歌杨柳春风。 休言万事转头空， 未转头时皆梦。   My Visit to Pingshan Hall (in memory of my beloved teacher) -to the tune The Moon over West River Chinese original: Su Shi (11th AC, social name 'Dongpo') English translation: Julia Min (Feb. 2024) This is my third visit to his Pingshan Hall. In a snap of fingers my life’s already half short. He’s absent for ten years, gone to heaven. Yet his cursive on the wall lives a flying dragon.   In memory of the mayor who left great writings, We sing his ci ‘weeping willows in spring wind’. Don’t say all things are nothing upon one’s leaving. I’d say life’s but a dream even before one’s leaving. Notes: 1.  Pingshan Hall: the Hall of Mt Ping, or Pingshan, a complex of halls and pavilions attached to the Daming Temple at Yangzhou. The site enjoys a panoramic view of the Yangtze River and a network of hills and lakes. If you’d like to know a bit more about the site, please refer to our translation in this series “ To Zhang Woquan at the Bracing Pavilion of Huangzhou” 《水调歌头. 赠张渥全》 . 2.  my beloved teacher: Lord Ouyang who had the hall built and gave its name when he was Mayor of Yangzhou. 3.   a flying dragon: the Chinese dragon is a long, snake-shaped mascot, and cursive calligraphy can be as vivid as a dragon flying in the sky. 4.  the mayor … wind: Ouyang Xiu called himself ‘the mayor who left great writings’ in his ci poem “ Pingshan Hall” 《朝中措.平山堂》where he wrote the famous line about weeping willow in spring wind. ("... 手种堂前垂柳，别来几度春风？ 文章太守，挥毫万字，一饮千钟。...") Appreciation: It was likely 1084 when Dongpo visited his favorite place again.  He was at last released from his banishment at Haungzhou, now on his way north.  Lord Ouyang had been a great influence on Su Shi ever since the young lad entered the Imperial Exam. The last couplet reflects the Buddist realization that the world we see is just illusion. Reference: baikebaidu.com 《朝中措.平山堂》 欧阳修（1007－107 2），字永叔，号醉翁 平山栏槛倚晴空，山色有无中。 手种堂前垂柳，别来几度春风？ 文章太守，挥毫万字，一饮千钟。 行乐直须年少，尊前看取衰翁。 picture from Google

Flower Shadow Chinese original: Su Shi (11th AC, social name 'Zizhan', art name 'Dongpo') English translation & annotation: Julia Min (Aug. 2024)   Shadow came in tiers on the blooming terrace. I had servants sweep them away but in vain. Thank goodness the setting sun took them off. Yet, they are sent back by the moon again. Appreciation: Imagine Dongpo in a tipsy mood after drinking a few bowls of wine with friends in a gracious garden in its fullest bloom. The place was showered in shimmering golden light except for the shadow which was getting bigger and longer as the sun was setting, as if attempting to overrule the flowers it relied on for existence. The greater value of this short poem is the implied message under the simple lines. It was written in 1076, shortly after Wang Anshi became the Prime Minister again to carry on with his New Law which had brought disaster to the people when it was first enacted. As a leader of the conservative party, Su Shi sighed: Not again! 花影 原作: 苏轼（字子瞻, 号东坡居士; 11世纪北宋） 英译及赏析: 闵晓红(2024.08) 重重叠叠上瑶台， 几度呼童扫不开。 刚被太阳收拾去， 又教明月送将来。（‘又教’有版本作‘却教’） Reference: picture from dongya.com      gushiwen.cn

减字木兰花.莺初解语 原作: 苏轼（字子瞻, 号东坡居士; 11世纪北宋） 英译及赏析: 闵晓红(2024.08) 莺初解语，最是一年春好处。 微雨如酥，草色远看近却无。 休辞醉倒，花不看开人易老。 莫待春回，颠倒红英间绿苔。 The best spring begins when orioles start to sing Chinese original: Su Shi (11th AC, social name 'Zizhan', art name 'Dongpo') English translation & annotation: Julia Min (Aug. 2024)   The best spring begins when orioles start to sing, A warm embrace, attuned to the drizzling rain. The winter lawn awakens to a green impression， Obvious afar, obscure anear, the promise of spring.   Let your young heart get drunk in her charm again. Let your eyes feast on the busted buds unfolding. Her golden glory waits for no man behind, That’ll lament to see her weakened and fallen. Appreciation: This is a very descriptive poem Su Shi sent to his brother on his way to a new post in February 1063, likely just after the Chinese New Year when he had to say goodbye to his family and his young brother. He was only 28, going to 30 soon. This poem was perhaps his first sigh on his young days leaving him to maturity, to more social responsibilities.   The first stanza on scenery brings us a joyful early spring with the twitting golden orioles, the misty warm drizzle, and the subtle changes on the lawn. The second stanza expresses his appreciation on the promise of spring, but also his awareness that his spring days were fleeting, so he urged his brother to cherish every beautiful moment.   While enjoying translating this poem in the early spring of Melbourne, my mind started roaming her way to William Wordsworth’s “Lines Written in Early Spring” and “Daffodils” written when he was 28 and 32 years of age. Reference: picture from 个人图书馆360doc.com徐你一世 baikebaidu.com

洞仙歌·冰肌玉骨 原作: 苏轼（字子瞻, 号东坡居士; 11世纪北宋） 英译及赏析: 闵晓红(2024.07) (仆七岁时，见眉州老尼，姓朱，忘其名，年九十岁。自言尝随其师入蜀主孟昶[chǎng]宫中，一日大热，蜀主与花蕊夫人夜纳凉摩诃[hē]池上，作一词，朱具能记之。今四十年，朱已死久矣，人无知此词者，但记其首两句，暇日寻味，岂《洞仙歌》令乎？乃为足之云. )   冰肌玉骨，自清凉无汗。 水殿风来暗香满。 绣帘开，一点明月窥人， 人未寝，倚枕钗横鬓乱。   起来携素手，庭户无声， 时见疏星渡河汉。 试问夜如何？夜已三更。 金波淡，玉绳低转。 但屈指西风几时来？ 又不道流年暗中偷换。 Pure as Snow Her Complexion Chinese original: Su Shi (11th AC, social name 'Zizhan', art name 'Dongpo') English translation & annotation: Julia Min (July. 2024)   (There was an old nun in my hometown Meizhou. I’m not sure about her first name but pretty sure that her family name was Zhu. I was about seven and she was in her nineties. I remember she was quite proud in sharing with us that she had often followed her master in her visits to the palace of King Meng Chang the ruler of Shu State. And she was quite impressed by a ci poem composed by the King when he and his Consort Flora were enjoying a cool night by Mohe Pool in a hot summer evening. She could literally remember every line. But the poem can’t be retrieved now that forty years have passed and she must be long dead. I can only remember the first two lines, and often I lingered on the rhymes and vibes for the tune. As it happened, the tune “The Celestial from the Cave” struck my mind. So here it is, an effort for a possible complete version.)   Pure as snow her complexion, The grace of jade from within. A subtle perfume infused in gentle breeze Sneaks in from her bath pool of blossoms. Naughty is the Wind that opens for the Moon Her embroidered curtains for a quick glimpse. There she is, leaning on a soft cushion, Her eyes vacant, her long hair loosened.   Gently, she raises herself, Her fair hand in mine, stepping to the garden. The stars are scattered on the Milky River, And Alioth of Dipper are about to descend. She asks for the time,  and I reply: “My darling, it has now past midnight.” From brimming to dimming the Moon turns. She figures with her fingers and sighs: “It’s drawing nearer, the falling season. Another year of gold will soon be stolen.” Notes ： 1.  Shu State: a state conquered by the Great Song ( Northern Song Dynasty). 2.  Meng Chang(孟昶): Shu State’s last king, in reign from 934 to 964 AC, who died 7 days after 被那个kept under house arrest in Bianliang (Kaifeng today), the capital of Northern Song. He’s well known for his talent in art, including his ci poems. 3.  Consort Flora(花蕊夫人): the most favored consort of Meng Chang, well-known for her beauty and her poems. Legend has it that the Song Emperor was impressed by her beauty and poetic talent that he kept her in the palace as his consort. 4.  Mohe Pool: the historical site can still be traced today in Zhaojue Temple in Chengdu City. The word Mohe (摩诃) came from Buddhist script, meaning wisdom. Appreciation: Based on the prelude, we may conclude that Dongpo was about 47 years old when he completed this poem, thus the year could be somewhere 1983/84, about the last year of his banishment in Huangzhou. This poem is another example of Su Shi’s sentimental poems, romantic and sophisticated in the vibes, though outshined by his heroic poems. The rhyming wave flows from the beauty’s secret bath pool of fresh flowers to her chamber, and to the garden in the company of her lover the king, then extended to the sky scene, hinting the happy night about to end, then back to the garden. The theme is explored further with the season and the year to deepen the sentiment that nothing gold can stay. It’s a sigh from the beauty but also a sigh from Dongpo who strongly felt his prime years were so wasted there at Huangzhou, and his ambition was as if gone with the west wind. Such was the tune of his writings during his five-year banishment, full of regrets yet still wishing to be summoned back to the Court, as you could find it in his “Meditating on the Past at Red Cliff” and also his prose poems on his boat drinks at Red Cliff (前后赤壁赋）.   Reference: 1.     baike.baidu.com ;

赤壁赋 原作: 苏轼（字子瞻, 号东坡居士; 11世纪北宋） 英译: 闵晓红(2024.05) 壬戌之秋，七月既望，苏子与客泛舟游于赤壁之下。清风徐来，水波不兴。举酒属 客，诵明月之诗，歌窈窕之章。少焉，月出于东山之上，徘徊于斗牛之间。白露横江，水光接天。纵一苇之所如，凌万顷之茫然。浩浩乎如冯虚御风，而不知其所止；飘飘乎如遗世独立，羽化而登仙。(冯 通：凭)    于是饮酒乐甚，扣舷而歌之。歌曰：“桂棹兮兰桨，击空明兮溯流光。渺渺兮予怀，望美人兮天一方。”客有吹洞箫者，倚歌而和之。其声呜呜然，如怨如慕，如泣如诉；余音袅袅，不绝如缕。舞幽壑之潜蛟，泣孤舟之嫠妇。   苏子愀然，正襟危坐而问客曰：“何为其然也？”客曰：“‘月明星稀，乌鹊南飞。’此非曹孟德之诗乎？西望夏口，东望武昌，山川相缪，郁乎苍苍，此非孟德之困于周郎者乎？方其破荆州，下江陵，顺流而东也，舳舻千里，旌旗蔽空，酾酒临江，横槊赋诗，固一世之雄也，而今安在哉？况吾与子渔樵于江渚之上，侣鱼虾而友麋鹿，驾一叶之扁舟，举匏樽以相属。寄蜉蝣于天地，渺沧海之一粟。哀吾生之须臾，羡长江之无穷。挟飞仙以遨游，抱明月而长终。知不可乎骤得，托遗响于悲风。”   苏子曰：“客亦知夫水与月乎？逝者如斯，而未尝往也；盈虚者如彼，而卒莫消长也。盖将自其变者而观之，则天地曾不能以一瞬；自其不变者而观之，则物与我皆无尽也，而又何羡乎！且夫天地之间，物各有主，苟非吾之所有，虽一毫而莫取。惟江上之清风 ，与山间之明月，耳得之而为声，目遇之而成色，取之无禁，用之不竭。是造物者之无尽藏也，而吾与子之所共适。”(共适 一作：共食)   客喜而笑，洗盏更酌。肴核既尽 ，杯盘狼籍。相与枕藉乎舟中，不知东方之既白。 A Moon-Night Drink on a Boat by Red Cliff --A prose poem Chinese original: Su Shi (11th AC, social name 'Zizhan', art name 'Dongpo') English translation &annotation: Julia Min (May 2024)   It was in 1082, the following night after July’s full moon, when I took my friends for a drink in a boat, rowing upstream from the Red Cliff. The Yangtze River seemed dosing off into a peaceful slumber in the cool breeze under the cosy moonlight. I raised a toast, and soon we started reciting together the famous moon poems from The Book of Song Lyrics, and picking up the tune of the first lyric on Her charming beauty. By now the fair Moon, cloudless, had ascended well above the musical skyline of the eastern hills, gracefully taking her pace between the Dipper and the Hunter. We floated on a sea of gleaming waves that joined the sky beyond. Before long, our chemistry ran boiling high and we felt breezy like wings riding the wind, roaming in the dome of firmament, as if entered the dream world of Heaven.      On and on we toasted with drinks while tapping the boat sides to the rhythm, on and on we sang the famous romantic hymns:   “On a cinnamon boat with magnolia oars we row and row. Floating on the moonlight ripples, upstream we go and go. My yearning has been soaked in the song, so deep and long. Roaming in poetry motion, my beauty’s above and beyond. … …”   Then one friend started echoing the tune with his flute. The music deepened the sentiments, weaving them with intense love and desperate longing for reunion, and a nameless sadness confessing regrets. When we finished, the rhymes and vibes lingered on, rippling in the air across the dreaming river. Should there be a dragon living in a deep valley under the waves, it would emerge and dance to the music in the sky. Should there be a widow on the boat, she would be surely moved and cry.   I was a bit lost in the change of mood, becoming curious at the same time. So I sat up straight and asked my friend why on earth picked such a sad tune for such a beautiful night. He looked up and replied: “Just look beyond, in the expanse amidst the waters, -- ‘To the south the black crows fly,/ Through dimming stars in moonlit sky.’ Is this place a perfect match for the verse of the great leader Mengde (Cao Cao’s social name)? And over there, west and east, are Xiakou and Wuchang facing each other, with lush green hills rolling down both banks of the River. If this is not where Mengde was trapped by General Zhou, then where could it be? The great and mighty leader, who came and conquered Jingzhou, took Jianglin city, and followed Yangtse’s flow down to here. His great fleet was said to cover hundreds of miles end to end, like a moving great wall holding up the sky with flags and sails. There he stood by the River, wielding a long spear in one hand, holding wine in the other. He toasted to the River with his Short Verse Lyric . … …. Nonetheless, as powerful and heroic as he was, where is he now? Even he could lose his mark in the running waves of times, so where could you and I stand in the long streaming river? We are just a bunch of fishermen enjoying a drink on a leafy boat, and leading a life by the river with elks, fish and shrimps, with a lifespan short like a mayfly compared with the ever-present Nature, and a role as teeny tiny as a drop in the ocean. I can’t help but grieve for our short lives in this world where the Yangtse River has been running as if forever. How I wish to be a celestial, roving the earth to the end in the company of the fair Moon. But it’s a dream that will never come true, so here I am sending all my regrets and yearnings through my flute to the cool wind.”    “Do you really know the truth of the running water and the bright moon?” I said. “Time passes by like the water flowing out of our sight, but still exists somewhere in the river. The moon’s waxing and waning, but does not really wax nor wane. The changing cycle of waxing and waning is constant. A dynamic perspective would take you to a world that never stops changing, whereas a static point of view would take you to the constant nature of the universe, the source of which is nothing but energy. This energy, while giving birth to matter forms that would change, remains constant, even, and fulfilled in nature, never in need for less or more. So why should we hunger for anything beyond our means? The world changes but the rule of change doesn’t change. Every experience in our lives is governed by this rule, defining each individual’s fate with an accurate touch, not a penny more, not a penny less. Nevertheless, the breeze on the river becomes cool when your ear and body sense it. The moonlight is bright and soothing as your eyes pick up her pleasant beams. Such treasures of Nature are boundless since ancient, and forever free for every living soul to enjoy. Do you agree?”   My friend broke into an understanding smile, starting to wash his wine cup in the river for a new round of rice wine. The party carried on into the night till all the food and fruits were finished, leaving messy tables with empty cups and plates. Before long, the Moon saw us reclined on each other, sinking into oblivion of dreams, while the morning dawn is about to break in the east. Notes: 1.     The Book of Songs : the first collection of lyric poems printed in China; If I may, I’d translated it into ‘ The Book of Song Lyrics’. 2.     “On a cinnamon boat …”: a lyric with the subject and expressions borrowed from the poems by Qu Yuan (339 BC – 278 BC), a great patriotic politician of the Chu State during the Warring States period. 3.     ‘in the expanse amidst the waters’ : An expression I borrowed from Genesis 1:6-8  “ God said: Let there be a firmament made amidst the waters:… ”  4.     ‘To the south the black crows fly,/ Through dimming stars in moonlit sky. ’: verse from Caocao’s heroic poem “Short Verse Lyric” . Cao Cao, social name Mengde, was born in 155 CE, Qiaoxian (today’s Bozhou,  Anhui  province) and died in 220, Luoyang (a city in today’s  Henan  province) was one of the greatest of the generals at the end of the  Han dynasty  (206 BCE–220 CE) of  China , according to Britannica ( https://www.britannica.com/biography/Cao-Cao ). 5.     General Zhou ,  (175–210), social name Gongjin, was a military general under the warlord Sun Ce in Eastern Han dynasty.  Please refer to Su Shi’s famous poem I translated: “Meditating on the Past at the Red Cliff”（《念奴娇.赤壁怀古》） https://www.rhymesandvibes.com/post/meditating-on-the-past-at-the-red-cliff-1 6.     Jingzhou … Jianglin: Jingzhou(荆州), a state of eight districts (covering areas in today’s Hunan and Hubei Provinces; Jianglin City (江陵), the administrative office governing Jingzhou (a county today). 7.     Xiakou and Wuchang: Xiakou is today’s Wuchang（武昌）, while the Wuchang is today’s E’zhou (鄂州), both in Hubei Province. 8.     a drop in the ocean: borrowed from the 13th-century Persian poet Rumi – "you are not a drop in the ocean, you are the entire ocean in a drop." 9.     not a penny more, not a penny less: borrowed from Jeffery Archer’s novel: Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less (Localization in translation) More, Not a Penny Less (Localization in translation) Appreciation: This is a travelogue in the form of prose poetry. Su Shi’s original calligraphy is still well-preserved and open to the public in Taiwan, at the National Palace Museum. There are many sources available online today introducing this famous piece of work, both on the prose poem as well as on the calligraphy, since both have been regarded as landmark works in the history of prose poem writings and Chinese calligraphy.   I’d only touch upon the philosophical insights in the concluding paragraphs. It’s clearly an influence from Zhuangzi’s Daoist ideas, or you may also understand it as that Daoism worked best for Dongpo during his days of banishment in Huangzhou, Huizhou and Danzhou. His literature during these periods highlighted the unconventional detached mindset to go with the flow for a natural balance. In Daoism, everything is nothing but energy. So whatever happens in your life is generated by your energy flow. There’s no life or death, loss or success in the ultimate understanding, just energy flow like the river. By following the flow, you’d lead a happier life and become easily satisfied, because you accept whatever coming along is your own doing. Dongpo went to the roots of this dynamic and static world for a deeper exploration of the natural rules behind, that govern every phenomenon we know of. Humans are just a living form of Nature, by Nature, and for Nature before we value ourselves as social beings of the people, by the people and for the people.   The theme is philosophical which is quite common in the Song dynasty, a rational touch to artistic works from writings, calligraphy, paintings and music, which in turn penetrated into every part of Song people’s everyday lifestyle, including tea culture, costume and colors, even a common object like a mirror could have a poem at the back saying appearance is only skin deep. It seems there’s always some message hidden or presented to enhance your understanding of men and nature. Song dynasty embraced a rational, reserved, modest and simple taste as compared with the glorious Tang dynasty which favored romantic and extravagant lifestyles as you could find in France starting in the late 18th Century.   Reference: 1.     baike.baidu.com ; 2.     Pictures from Google;

玉楼春·腊前先报东君信 原作：李清照 / 无名氏（存疑） 英译及注释：闵晓红 腊前先报东君信， 清似龙涎香得润。 黄轻不肯整齐开， 比着红梅仍更韵。(有版本为‘仍旧韵’) 纤枝瘦绿天生嫩， 可惜轻寒摧挫损。 刘郎只解误桃花， 怅恨今年春又尽。 A Spring Message has Touched the Winter Land - to the tune “The Jade Tower in Spring” written by: Li Qingzhao / Anonymous Eng. translation &annotation: Julia Min A Spring message has touched the winter land with honeyed fragrance like ambergris scent. Light yellow and tender petals translucent, self-effacing but sweeter than plum blossoms. The slim boughs to the thin flowers attend, braving the frosty winter’s chasing wind. Liu the poet knew only the peach blossoms; For me, this withering ends the spring season. Appreciation: This is another riddle-like Ci poem about a flower blooming in winter. Have you figured it out? The flower blooms alone on bare boughs from early December to March at the latest next year. Her waxy yellow petals with touches of crimson in the middle give a subtle perfume longer and sweeter than the red plum blossoms. It is indeed the Chinese wintersweet. On the cultural level, however, wintersweet and the plum blossoms share similar symbolic meanings, only the plum blossoms more conveyed in Chinese literature. After the highly appreciated qualities of wintersweet, the theme is emphasized further in the concluding lines with a contrast against other flowers. Wintersweet shows brave courage and proud spirit, blooming in dead winter, even earlier than the plum trees. The poet has no interest in the loud pink and clustered peach flowers that choose only the comfort zone. This could be read as a criticism against the luxurious life of the gentlemen class of the Song during the threat of invasion. The poet’s cultural taste and spiritual pursuit are well-pictured. Notes: 1. This poem is listed under Li Qingzhao in some versions but others have it under ‘Anonymous’ 2. “The Jade Tower in Spring”: In pinyin, the tune is called Yulouchun (玉楼春); 3. ‘Liu the poet’: referring to Liu Yuxi (815 AC) in the Tang dynasty when he wrote a famous poem about peach blossoms. The symbolic meaning of peach blossoms in China associates with romance，posterity，secluded lifestyle and female beauty. Reference: 1. 李清照文集 作者：（北宋）李清照著，刘振鹏https://books.google.com.au/

东坡八首（第八首） (余至黄州二年，日以困匮。故人马正卿哀余乏食，为于郡中请故营地数十亩，使得躬耕其中，地既久荒，为茨棘瓦砾之场，而岁又大旱，垦辟之劳，筋力殆尽。释耒而叹，乃作是诗，自愍其勤。庶几来岁之入，以忘其劳焉！) 原作: 苏轼（字子瞻, 号东坡居士; 11世纪北宋） 英译: 闵晓红(2024.05) 马生本穷士，从我二十年。 日夜望我贵，求分买山钱。 我今反累生，借耕辍兹田。 刮毛龟背上，何时得成毡？ 可怜马生痴，至今夸我贤。 众笑终不悔，施一当获千。 Eight Poems on my Farm, the East Slope (8) (Our second year in Huangzhou often saw us starving due to a gradual lack of food. My friend Ma Zhengqing made huge efforts in negotiating with the local officers for a piece of the local military land. It’s about 10 acres deserted for a long time being infertile and rocky. We worked very hard to clear the rubble, the thistles and thorns before planting anything. But then there was a dry spell followed, threatening our crop yields. And now  comes the long-waited rain, thus I write these 8 poems in appreciation of our team work, hoping all the hard work to be paid off in the coming years. By then we can be totally relieved of such arduous toil.) Chinese original: Su Shi (11th AC, social name 'Zizhan', art name 'Dongpo') English translation: Julia Min (Apr. 2024) Mr Ma is my friend, a poor scholar, And a follower of mine for twenty years. Sincere is his wish for my luck of fortunes, And for a share to buy land when he retires. He’s now stuck in my bad luck, like others, Working his socks off like a local farmer. It’s like trying to make warm wear for winter By scraping the shell of a turtle for the fur. Yet I remain a man of values in his mind, And no one could ever change his judgment. Very little have I offered him all these years, But the drop is paid with a spring in return. Appreciation: Of all the followers, Mr Ma was a most valuable one as he physically followed Su Shi for 34 long years, rain or shine. Su Shi, during this hard times, felt heavily in debt towards such a loyal friend and made some special strokes or you may say ‘eternal lines’ in his poetry collection. This reminds me of Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18 – “So long as men can breathe or eyes can see, So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.” Yet the tears were running inward for a man like Su Shi. The teasing tone in the first part is used to cover the hidden tears. He knows how lucky he was to have such a valuable friend. So the last few lines show his appreciation and indebted gratitude. Reference: 1. Picture from 360doc.com (海曲上人）

东坡 原作: 苏轼（字子瞻, 号东坡居士; 11世纪北宋） 英译: 闵晓红(2024.04) 雨洗东坡月色清， 市人行尽野人行。 莫嫌荦确坡头路。（荦luò确） 自爱铿然曳杖声。（铿kēng…曳yè） A walk at Dongpo, the East Slope Chinese original: Su Shi (11th AC, social name 'Zizhan', art name 'Dongpo') English translation: Julia Min (Apr. 2024) The moon starts to glow after the rain on the East Slope. No more hustles and bustles, just an idler walking alone. I’m taking the rocky road you can’t have on the street; And I love the clicking tone of my stick on the stones. Appreciation: Dongpo, the Chinese pinyin for ‘东坡’ (meaning east slope), was a barren land on a hillside near the Red Clift outside the old East Gate of Huangzhou Town. The farm life as a criminal politician opened a unique chapter for Su Shi where he managed to cultivate his character for a more sophisticated insight about the world. In a Chinese idiom, we may say, “Out of the sloppy muddy mess grows a proud and pure lotus flower (出污泥而不染)”. His ability of tolerance came from his broad-minded character and optimistic attitude about life. His wife Wang Fo commented that he saw no enemy in his life journey.  The five-year’s rocky journey (1079-1084) could have ruined many public celebrities but proved to be a great turning point marked with huge success in Su Shi’s artistic creation. This little poem gives us a glimpse of his life at Huangzhou. The irony is deeply webbed in the comparison between a busy fame-seeking world and a solitary night at East Slope. He was just a forgotten outsider marginalized from the Song political centre. Yet, he could enjoy the moonlit barren land where the clicking of his walking stick hears like music, -- an attitude as in the movie “Singin’ in the Rain”. He believed the shadowed moon would come out clear and shine again. And indeed, this dark and dreary experience was just an appetiser, getting him ready for something big on the way. The East Gate and parts of the building complex (still standing today) have always been a famous destination on Su Shi’s must-see sites. I was lucky to have 3-year teaching experience at a normal institute which could well be on the old East Slope as it suits what has been recorded in books and poems. The Red Cliff was our morning reading venue where I volunteered to tutor my students on weekdays. Every fiber in the texture there was woven into my mind and heart without me fully realising it until thirty years later. Reference: 1. Picture from Google search

贵妃阁春帖子 原作：李清照 英译：闵晓红 金环半后礼， 钩弋比昭阳。 春生百子帐， 喜入万年觞。 注：钩弋gōu yì是一个姓名，出自《汉书外戚传上孝武钩弋赵倢伃》— 百度 A Quatrain for the Noble Consort’s Chamber - a season’s greeting scroll for Spring Festival written by: : Li Qingzhao ( 12th century) translated by： Julia Min Honoured with the gold bracelet, almost an Empress, you have no need to envy Han’s Shaoyang Palace. May you be dearly loved and blessed with more sons, embracing a new year full of cheers and happiness. Appreciation: This is a seasonal greeting poem written on a red scroll for the Noble Consort Wu who became the Empress a few months later. Again the theme focuses on happiness and on having more children. Shaoyang Palace in the Han Dynasty is said to be a very luxurious living place for Noble Consort Zhao of Emperor Chen. Yi’an made the comparison to emphasize how much Wu was favoured by the Emperor. Please refer to “The silkworm breeding season is over - A scroll for the Empress’s chamber hall to celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival”. Reference: 1. baike.baidu.com (百度百科) 2. zh.wikipedia.org (维基百科） 3. 《李清照集笺注》李清照撰，徐培均笺注； 2002年上海古籍出版社 4. 《李清照文集》 作者：（北宋）李清照著，刘振鹏https://books.google.com.au/ 5. All pictures are selected from google search.

洗儿戏作 原作: 苏轼（字子瞻, 号东坡居士; 11世纪北宋） 英译: 闵晓红(2024.04) 人皆养子望聪明， 我被聪明误一生。 惟愿孩儿愚且鲁， 无灾无难到公卿。 A Joke for the Baptism of my Newborn Chinese original: Su Shi (11th AC, social name 'Zizhan', art name 'Dongpo') English translation: Julia Min (Apr. 2024) All parents want their kids to be clever; Yet my cleverness had my life all screwed. I hope this son to stay simple and stupid; - Good fortune favours dummies and fools. Appreciation: The Chinese Baby Baptism is a traditional ceremony where a newborn is bathed for the first time three days after birth. While most parents and relatives express their best wishes for the child to become handsome, intelligent, and wealthy, Dongpo just wanted him to be stupid and simple-minded for a smooth life. This is just a reflection of how he felt after his 103 days in prison followed by the banishment to Huangzhou where his fourth son was born in 1083. He understood that a clever person may become the victim of his own ingenuity. The sense of humor reminds me of the story Forrest Gump, and also the famous quote there -- Mama says, “Stupid is as stupid does.” Reference: 1. Picture from Google search

永遇乐. 落日熔金 原作：李清照 （宋） 落日熔金，暮云合璧，人在何处。 染柳烟浓，吹梅笛怨，春意知几许。 元宵佳节，融和天气，次第岂无风雨。 来相召、香车宝马，谢他酒朋诗侣。 中州盛日，闺门多暇，记得偏重三五。 铺翠冠儿，捻金雪柳，簇带争济楚。 如今憔悴，风鬟霜鬓，怕见夜间出去。 不如向、帘儿底下，听人笑语。 Again, the Sun’s Melted Gold in a Jade Ring -to the Tune of Yongyuyue written by: Li Qingzhao ( 1084 – 1155?) old Eng. version: G Osing, J. Min & H.Huang (1991） Revised Eng. version: Julia Min (2023) Again, the sun’s melted gold in a jade ring at dusk, but how come my spirit is all gone? The willows shrouded in haze, hardly our Spring! And, here comes the flute Plum Blossoms Falling? The last day on Lantern Festival, already warm, Why does one dread, at every hour, a storm? Friends came for me, in carriages and horses bedecked with ornaments. Of course I ignored. I recall other days, and better, in Zhongzhou, a lady at home in her boudoir, toasting the festival, wearing a cap of inlaid jade, and twisted rolled gold to snow willows for children, a vision of elegance. But now, pallid and thin, hair frosted, disheveled, how ought she dare to appear for their merriment? She's best seen not at all, curtained and listening to their laughter, loud and empty as their talk. For appreciation: This ci could be composed in 1150 when our poet was in her late sixties. Feeling like a traveler in a strange place Lin’an, the temporary capital of the new Southern Song, she also had to give up her hope of returning to her homeland in this lifetime. The barbarian tribes from the Jin and the Mongols were simply too violent and strong on battlefields for the Song to reclaim lost states.  It was the Lantern Festival day, and her friends wanted her to celebrate with them, but she couldn’t. All she could do was to recall the grand festivals in Zhongzhou (Kaifeng, Henan Province now), the old capital, and to listen bittersweetly to the laughter and talk of the celebrants. Notes: 1.     ‘jade ring’: evening clouds circling jade, meaning clouds around the sun; 2.     The flute “The Plum Blossoms Falling”: the old bittersweet tune played with the flute was frequently heard at this time of the year when plum trees were in full bloom, and with the weather warmer in this southern town, would shed flowers even earlier. It was our poet’s favorite flower, so the sentiment was felt stronger with the flute music. 3.     ‘hardly our Spring’: ironic remark on her status as an emigrant in a strange land, a strong melancholy over the hopeless return to her invaded homeland for such a reunion festival. The so-called ‘temporary court’ in Lin’an seemed permanent, so again she was criticizing the weakness of the Royal against the invaders. 4.     ‘The Lantern Festival’: the night on the 15th of the first lunar month, 15 days after the Chinese New Year, the last day of the longest festive season; 5.     ‘Zhongzhou’: the old name for Kaifeng, the Song capital (in Henan province today); Chinese describe China as Jiuzhou (nine states), with Zhongzhou in the centre,  meaning ‘the middle state’, or the middle kingdom which has been often misunderstood by the English world. 6.     ‘papers of gold’: ornaments made for children’s hairdo at festival times, paper of rolled gold folded and braided like the leaves of willow strands. Pinyin yǒng yù lè . luò rì róng jīn luò rì róng jīn ， mù yún hé bì ， rén zài hé chù 。 rǎn liǔ yān nóng ， chuī méi dí yuàn ， chūn yì zhī jǐ xǔ 。 yuán xiāo jiā jiē ， róng hé tiān qì ， cì dì qǐ wú fēng yǔ 。 lái xiàng zhào 、xiāng chē bǎo mǎ ， xiè tā jiǔ péng shī lǚ 。 zhōng zhōu shèng rì ， guī mén duō xiá ， jì dé piān zhòng sān wǔ 。 pù cuì guàn ér ， niǎn jīn xuě liǔ ， cù dài zhēng jì chǔ 。 rú jīn qiáo cuì ， fēng huán shuāng bìn ， pà jiàn yè jiān chū qù 。 bú rú xiàng 、lián ér dǐ xià ， tīng rén xiào yǔ