浣溪沙. 细雨斜风作晓寒 (元丰七年十二月二十四日，从泗州刘倩叔游南山。) 原作: 苏轼（11世纪北宋） 英译旧版: 戈登.奥赛茵, 闵晓红, 黄海鹏(1990) 英版修改: 闵晓红(2023) 细雨斜风作晓寒， 淡烟疏柳媚晴滩。 入淮清洛渐漫漫。 雪沫乳花浮午盏， 蓼茸蒿笋试春盘。 人间有味是清欢。 A Light Rain in Cold Wind Sways the Willows (I visited Mt South with Liu Qianshu in Sizhou on 24 Dec. 1084) - to the tune “The Washing Stream" written by: Su Shi (1084) 1st En. trans. by: G. Osing, J. Min & H. Huang (1990) En. revision by: Julia Min (2023) A light rain in cold wind sways the willows, Embracing the river banks in drifting smoke. - River Luo feeds into River Huai in vast folds. My lunch is the tade sprouts and bamboo shoots, And the tea crema tops my cup like smooth snow.- The real taste of life roots in a simple living mode. Appreciation: In 1084, Su Shi was moved from Huangzhou to Ruzhou ( in today’s Henan Province), a turning point for his career. On his way passing Sizhou, he visited Mt. South with a friend. The life in the mountain was so peaceful, not to mention the locals had all the fresh produce of spring on the table. His spirit had been troubled with too much chaos and complexity from the so-called civilization, and here, he felt the blissful joy of a return to basics, to the minimal living mode, and of relearning or recovering his taste in real life by connecting with Nature. It’s said that he had sent a letter to the Emperor asking for retirement from official post to a recluse life. This ci could be an evidence for his intention. The 3-line stanzas are of the original structure for this lyric ci tune which I often translated into four conventional 4-line stanzas to deal with the complexity of content embodied under the lines. This poem, however, is a simple clear picture of his experience of the day, no reference of historical figures or legendary stories involved. The last line has been often quoted. Being the theme of this poem, all the previous five lines feed slowly like five branch rivers to the main stream. Very tasty indeed. Notes: 1. Liu Qianshu: a friend who lived in Sizhou (approximately in Si County, Anhui Province today); 2. Mt South: located at the southeast of Sizhou then; 3. River Luo: a river branch flowing from northwest to the north east of Anhui and joins River Huai there. 4. Tea: tea-making in the Song dynasty was a huge part of daily life with a variety to serve at the table. This creamy tea making was called ‘Dian Cha’, seen still today in Japan and some countries in south Asia. Today’s Cha latte, Mocha. Reference: Blooming Alone in Winter by Gordon Osing, Julia Min and Huang Haipeng，published by the People's Publication House Henan Province in 1990 (《寒心未肯随春态》戈登.奥赛茵，闵晓红，黄海鹏) (A light rain showing the cold angle of the wind cleared out/And then we saw the thin smoke of a home, scattered willows tending an empty bank/Where Luo Creek feeds easily as clear into the River Huai.// White as snow, white like milk-flowers boils my cup of tea at noon./My Spring plate is full of the taste of fresh lettuce and wild greens,/Better these simple luxuries than bowls-full of greasy society. ) 2. painting from google；

咏史 原作：李清照/无名氏 英译：闵晓红 两汉本继绍， 新室如赘疣。 所以嵇中散， 至死薄殷周。 A sigh on a history rewind written by: : Li Qingzhao / Anonymous translated by：Julia Min West or East, it’s truly just the same Han. Whatever new bottle, it’s the old wine. Thus a great mind in Three Kingdoms, Ji Kang disdained Zhou’s King Wu and Yin’s King Tang. Appreciation: Yi’an must have written many poems on history though only a few remained today. Her understanding of Chinese history seems as profound as what a great mind could acquire. After translating all her works we have today, I get the impression that she was a lady of double characters. She was seriously formal in history matters so she always chose the more strict classical form of poetry in five-character lines, or in seven-character lines. No sentiment comes in between her subjects, themes and forms – an image of a materialist. Such a style sustained all through her life as in her long poems -- “ The Great Revival” and “ Two Poems to Lord Han Xiaozhou”. When it comes to sentimental subjects about seasons, love, and everyday life matters, she was an idealist where idealism sets the keys for every aspect of romantic beauty and forms. She would use the more dynamic lines of ci poetry, showing the forever revolving motions in the Yin and Yang world, totally different vibes and rhymes from her poetry. Do you agree? Notes： 1. Han: divided into West Han and East Han Dynasties (西汉和东汉202 BC -220 AC), implying the division of Northern Song and Southern Song dynasties (北宋和南宋）; 2. Ji Kang: (嵇康) a philosopher in Daoism and an artist in music and literature from Wei State during the Three Kongdoms (220-280 AC); 3. Zhou’s King Wu: King Wu of the Zhou Dynasty (周朝1046 – 256 BC); 4. Yin’s King Tang: King Tang of the Yinshang period (殷商approx. 1300-1046 BC ); 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.

鹧鸪天（时谪黄州） 原作: 苏轼（字子瞻, 号东坡居士; 11世纪北宋） 英译旧版:戈登.奥赛茵, 闵晓红, 黄海朋(1990) 英译修改:闵晓红(2023) 林断山明竹隐墙， 乱蝉衰草小池塘。 翻空白鸟时时见， 照水红蕖细细香。 村舍外，古城旁， 杖藜徐步转斜阳。 殷勤昨夜三更雨， 又得浮生一日凉。 Before the Walls the Bamboos Extend to the Hills - to the tune “ Francolin Sky” written by: Su Shi (11th AC, social name 'Dongpo') En. trans. by: G. Osing, J. Min & H. Huang (1990) En. revision by: Julia Min ( Feb. 2023) Before the walls the bamboos extend to the hills. In drooping grass by the pool the cicadas still trill. Flocks of white birds rise to the sky here and there, Lotus are flushed in water mirror, sweet and subtle. Walking past the village outside the old town, My cane moves slowly and the sun’s going down. How kind and thoughtful was the midnight’s rain, To make this short life of mine fulfilled, still again. Appreciation: This ci was composed at early autumn in 1083. The poet cleanses his senses here with a rich country scene after a rain. The premise is again filled with Taoist implications where an ordinary scene treasures true magic. Sounds familiar? Yeah, Wordsworth and Monet come to mind… Reference: Blooming Alone in Winter by Gordon Osing, Julia Min and Huang Haipeng，published by the People's Publication House Henan Province in 1990 (《寒心未肯随春态》戈登.奥赛茵，闵晓红，黄海鹏) (By walls hidden in bamboo I see past groved hills,/And I hear the tiny racket of cicadas in the withered weeds by the pool./Over and over, I see a white bird rising into the sky./Sweet lotus blooms look down to see themselves perfectly.//Walking past the village houses outside an old town,/My cane goes slowly and I turn to the setting sun./How kind and thoughtful was last midnight’s rain/To make my temporary life quite full again.) 2. painting from google；

水调歌头 黄州快哉亭赠张偓佺 原作：苏轼（ 11th Century） 英译旧版：戈登.奥赛茵，闵晓红(1990) 英译新版：闵晓红(2023) 落日绣帘卷， 亭下水连空。 知君为我， 新作窗户湿青红。 长记平山堂上， 欹枕江南烟雨， 杳杳没孤鸿。 认得醉翁语， 山色有无中。 一千顷， 都镜净， 倒碧峰。 忽然浪起， 掀舞一叶白头翁。 堪笑兰台公子， 未解庄生天籁， 刚道有雌雄。 一点浩然气， 千里快哉风。 To Zhang Woquan，at the Bracing Pavilion of Huangzhou - to the tune “River Tune’s First Notes” Written by: Su Shi (11th AC, social name 'Dongpo') En. trans. by: G. Osing, J. Min & H. Huang (1990) En. revision by: Julia Min ( Feb. 2023) The embroidered curtains rolled at sunset, the river before the porch runs to the sky. The scarlet ink is shining, paint still wet, just for me, this window, this splendid sight. I often recall my times at the Hall of Mt Ping for the mist and rains of River South’s spring. The best view was from the window on my pillow. Some lonely goose would fly by and out of sight. “The hills appear to disappear” in drifting smoke…. I could taste Xiu’s thinking in his drinking ci poem. The river by the pavilion spreads far and wide, like broad sea, mirrors easily all the green peaks. A wind rises, lifting as if a white leaf yonder -- an old boy in his boat winding down the river, as free as a bird on wind, as light as a feather…. I can’t help but laugh at Song Yu’s nonsense here. He couldn’t understand Zhuang Zi on moving air, but went on fooling the king with male and female. Just look there, a fearless spirit and a strong wind are all you need to sail rocky waters on your feet. Notes: 1. ‘the Bracing Pavilion’: built by Zhang Woquan, who, like Su Shi, was banished to Huangzhou, a small town by the Yangtze River. They became good friends and often spent time here at this pavilion overlooking the river view. 2. ‘Xiu’: Ouyang Xiu (Aug 6, 1007 – Sept 22, 1072), was a historian, a poet, an artist and the leading scholar of the Royal Hanlin Academy in the Song Dynasty. He was deeply impressed by the talent of the Su brothers and once said to his son: “This man (Su Shi) would become so famous that I would be forgotten by the world.” He had been loved and respected like the best teacher to Su Shi ever since the Imperial Exam. Xiu had a pavilion built at Yangzhou’s Mt. Ping for a magnificent view of the rivers, lakes and hills, giving it the name “Hall of Mt. Ping”. Dongpo, our poet, likens himself here to his teacher. 3. ‘River South’: a term for the large territory south of the Yellow River before it emerges into the East Sea. River South has been regarded as the richest and most beautiful place in China over many millennia, including Yangzhou, Hangzhou, etc. 4. ‘my pillow’: both Xiu and Dongpo were once the local mayors of Yangzhou, so it’s just natural that Hall of Mt Ping became Dongpo’s favourite spot to socialize with his friends. 5. ‘Song Yu’: （宋玉）a handsome and talented prose writer (298-222 B.C.) in the Warring States period. Su Shi called him ‘the Lord at Orchid Platform’ in this poem as it was here the king (Chu State)’s asked Yu: The wind passing me and the wind passing the common subjects are the same or different? Song Yu replied that the wind passing the king absorbed the royal vibes so it became noble with masculine quality of heroic vibes, whereas the wind passing the common subjects had seen all the miseries of the poor became humble, thus it would bear the weak feminine qualities. He was a productive and influential writer with strong imprint of Qu Yuan. Works include “On Wind”, “My Reply to the King’s Question”,… His comment about the winds are also interpreted by some critics as a hidden irony against the king implying the people suffered heavily under his sovereign. 6. ‘Zhuang Zi”: the great philosopher Zhuang Zhou (庄周/庄子)of the Warring States ( 475-221 B.C.). He define sound/music into three categories – heavenly sounds ( wind, rain, birds singing, waterfall…), earthly sounds (wind interacted with earth such as a hole, a forest, …) and human sounds (music played on instruments). Appreciation: This is another heroic poem Dongpo wrote at Huangzhou after “Meditating on the Past at the Red Cliff” which was widely embraced by his contemporary scholars, including the emperor himself. This was again an immediate success and the last couplets of both stanzas have been very popular as being so often quoted in literature. Daoism has always been a great saviour / guide to transcend from a downturn, not to mention Dongpo had been a big reader of Zhuangzi, the famous philosopher of Daosim after Laozi. Zhuangzi often talked about Lie Zi (列子) who rode the wind after he let go of the weight of human purposes and worldly attachments. When the mind barrier separating himself and the external world had disappeared, so had the heaviness of his bones and flesh. Lie Zi said in his book Lieh Tzu as translated by Eva Wong: “Without knowing it, I was being carried by the wind. Drifting here and there, I did not know whether I rode on the wind or the wind rode on me.” There’s a famous story in the book Zhuangzi as translated by Watson Translation: “Suddenly he woke up …… But he didn't know if he was Zhuang Zhou who had dreamt he was a butterfly, or a butterfly dreaming that he was Zhuang Zhou..” See the connection? The message here in this poem is all about the transformation, the transcendence for the union with the universe. There’s no good or bad, noble or humble, rich or poor, right or wrong. These are just social concepts tailor-made for the human world of duality which provides the soil for spirit to transcend and grow. Such realization had inspired Dongpo in his heroic vibes manifested in his poetry, prose, paintings and calligraphy which in turn inspired many generations since then. I reckon it’s the real value and ultimate distinction between heroic school and the sentimental school in ci poems of China. This ci poem is also well structured. The first stanza paints the broad background landscape zooming in and out for a yin-yang effect, enriched with a happy moment of the past highlighted with a famous historical figure Ouyang Xiu, hinting the good days of his official career when he was appreciated and promoted by his teacher. The second stanza reveals his Daoist desire to retreat from the world of duality. His inclination was let go of the social values and become one with heaven and earth to experience a life free as a bird and as light as a feather. Reference: 1. Blooming Alone in Winter by Gordon Osing, Julia Min and Huang Haipeng，published by the People's Publication House Henan Province in 1990 (《寒心未肯随春态》戈登.奥赛茵，闵晓红，黄海鹏)（"The embroidered curtain rolled at sunset, /the river beneath the porch disappears into sky./Just for me, this window, this scene, /the ink and scarlet shining, wet paint./I find myself recalling times of Ouyang Xiu /Gazed from his pillow south along the river at the smoke and rains. /And in the farthest distance saw no lonely wild-goose./I seem to see that drinker’s words, /“Mountains appear to disappear.”//The river is a thousand miles wide, /mirrors easily all the green peaks. /A wind rises in the distance, /lifting a white-haired bird on a leaf, /an old boy in his boat. /Here I can laugh at the feudal sprout of Lantai /Who can’t understand Zhuang Zhou’s theory of moving air, /Who pretends royal-male and ordinary-female are its categories. /Here, just that old boy’s spirit is enough to live in the strongest winds. "） 2. painting from google；

阳关曲·中秋月 原作：苏东坡 (11世纪) 英译：闵晓红（2022） 暮云收尽溢清寒， 银汉无声转玉盘。 此生此夜不长好， 明月明年何处看？ The Clouds at Dusk have all Cleared Up - to the tune of Yangguan written by Su Dongpo（11th century） translated by Julia Min (2022) The clouds at dusk have all cleared up, and here, you and me under the blue and cool empyrean. The Milky Way, so quiet, slowly appears, pulling the full and bright moon high and near. This night of this life will be over soon; Where might we be to see the moon next year? For appreciation: This poem moves from natural scenery to the sentiments inside the poet’s mind – a common practice in poetry. The source text is one four-line stanza, while the English version is restructured and settled at six lines. The poem was composed in 1077 when finally the two brothers ( Su Shi and Su Zhe) joined together for the Moon Festival after being apart for 8 years. The previous Moon Festival saw the birth of his masterpiece “When was the Moon ever so Bright”. You could imagine the joy they shared when they quietly sat there in the garden as in childhood, maybe together with other friends, waiting for the dusk clouds cleared for a blue sky. And then, the stars appeared one by one, and then the whole milky way, and next, the full moon rising from the distance, getting brighter as it drew nearer overhead. The Moon Festival is celebrated after the golden harvest in China, a time when you have done most of your work and now getting ready to settle for the winter, for family reunions, for weddings and friends gatherings, and finally for the Chinese New Year. Actually the moon has been one of the most depicted subjects in Chinese artistic world with a diversity of sentiments – romance, loneliness, homesickness, yearnings for family reunion, gentle nature, pure spirit… Chinese gentlemen and gentleladies would on this day write poems and riddles for social meetings. The most popular ones are from the Song dynasty where ci lyrics were written to a popular musical tune and sung by the singing girls right there and then, somewhat similar to a western garden party, adding romantic vibes to the festival celebration. Food on the table was not the most important thing as in today. Mooncakes were served with flower tea, oranges, tangerines, nuts, and other seasonal delicacies. Together on the scene, or in the big hall, or in the drawing room in the upstair pavilion, with sweet incense smoking from the burners, you would see the gentry class playing the Guqin music, doing paintings, writing calligraphy, composing a new lyric to resonate the poem by another guest there… The whole scenario makes you feel that’s what an art club should be like, should there be one in this contemporary world. Reference: 1. Blooming Alone in Winter by Gordon Osing, Julia Min and Huang Haipeng，published by the People's Publication House Henan Province in 1990 (《寒心未肯随春态》戈登.奥赛茵，闵晓红，黄海鹏) (“Mid-Autumn Moon: Evening shadows gathered in, a bright chill spills over the land./The Milky Way is silent and the jade plate spins./This night - this life - we don't have the food things for long./And new year's moon-- who knows? -- if we'll see her together again.”) 2. pictures from 潘望京书法

定风波.莫听穿林打叶声 ( 三月七日，沙湖道中遇雨。雨具先去，同行皆狼狈，余独不觉。已而遂晴，故作此词。) 原作：苏轼（ 11th Century） 英译：戈登.奥赛茵，闵晓红(1990) 新版修订：闵晓红(2022) 莫听穿林打叶声， 何妨吟啸且徐行。 竹杖芒鞋轻胜马， 谁怕？ 一蓑烟雨任平生。 料峭春风吹酒醒， 微冷， 山头斜照却相迎。 回首向来萧瑟处， 归去， 也无风雨也无晴 Barely, I hear the rains - to the tune “ Pacify the Turmoil” (on 7 March, we encountered stormy weather on our way to Sand Lake. Unfortunately our rain gear were taken before us, so we were all soaking wet. Everyone else felt out of place except me. The sky cleared a moment later when I wrote this ci poem.) Written by: Su Shi ( 11th AC) English trans. by: Gordon Osing & Julia Min (1990) Revision by: Julia Min (2022) Barely, I hear the rains invading the woods, lashing the leaves… You can’t have all these bugging your reciting of poems, walking in ease. Straw shoes and a bamboo stick, have been doing just great as one on steed. Who cares! One straw raincape is all you need for a lifetime’s beating rains and thick mist … A crisp wind wakes me， to a chilly spring from a cosy wine dream. But then, on a crest, some angling beams of a sunset greeting me! Looking back at the road taken, where the rains rattled the trees, I fear no difference. It’s just a tempest in a cup of tea, - no storm in the forest, no wind from the east. Appreciation: This ci, too, dates from march of 1082. Dongpo and his friends were on their way to Sand Lake when the storm suddenly came sweeping the terrain. He saw it, as his banishment to this town, too shall pass. The ci tune is well chosen to express his strong courage gained after a deeper philosophical understanding of his reality. ‘steed’ here implies his previous success in the Royal Court while the bamboo stick, the straw shoes and raincape are associated with the ordinary life of common people. The English translation is restructured for the more dynamic, free and brave spirit captured under the lines in this revised version. “the road taken” is used here for an association with the poem by Robert Frost The Road Not Taken (1915). “ tempest in a cup of tea” comes from the English proverb: a storm/ tempest in a teacup. “ wind from the east” is the general wind direction in spring season. Reference: 1. Blooming Alone in Winter by Gordon Osing, Julia Min and Huang Haipeng，published by the People's Publication House Henan Province in 1990 (《寒心未肯随春态》戈登.奥赛茵，闵晓红，黄海鹏)（"Barely, I hear the rains invading the woods, lashing the leaves…/I can’t have it bothering my reciting of poems, walking in ease./Straw shoes and a bamboo stick are lighter than horseback,/ Why fear one straw raincape in the smoke of a lifetime’s rains? //A crisp Spring wind clears out the wine, but leaves me chilled. /Then, on a crest, angling rays of a sunset greeting me!/Looking back at my path, where the rainstorm rattled the trees,/I fear no changes, no storm in the forest, nor clarities."） 2. Picture from jianshu.com（ 简书 ）

浣溪沙. 游蕲水清泉寺 （游蕲水清泉寺，寺临兰溪，溪水西流。） 原作：苏轼（ 1082） 英译：闵晓红(2022) 山下兰芽短浸溪， 松间沙路净无泥。 潇潇暮雨子规啼。 谁道人生无再少？ 门前流水尚能西！ 休向白发唱黄鸡。 A visit to the Clear Stream Temple - to the tune “The Washing Stream“ ( I visit the Clear Stream Temple today at Qishui County. It’s a catching view from the temple on the slope, and the Orchard Stream at the foot of the hill actually flows west, hence the poem.) Written by: Su Shi ( 1082) English trans. by: Julia Min (2022) Down the hill, all along the white sandy beach, sweet orchids are budding again in the stream. A sand path winds into the pine trees, mud free. The dusk, drizzling, hears the cuckoos’ melodies. Who said our time can’t fly back to youth, to teens? Look here, back to west flowing the Orchid Stream! You may stop sighing over your hair turning grey, It’s just your swelling fear by cockcrow or the day. Notes: 1. cuckoos’ melodies: implying a traveller’s homesickness in Chinese culture; 2. back to west: all rivers in China flow from the west to the east, with Yangtse and the Yellow River both sourced from Himalaya region; 3. the Orchid Stream: named in the Tang dynasty for the wild orchids growing like endless clouds along the river’s wet sandy belt. It’s changed to Xishui River later; Interestingly, the name of Orchid is still used today for the lower part of the river till emerging into the Yangtse River; Appreciation: The year 1082 could be the most productive year in Su Shi’s life and the second stanza, where the theme is concluded, is one of the most recited by Chinese for over a thousand years. Whenever someone sigh over the passing of spring days, the three lines are often quoted to encourage for a different perspective about aging, as what westerners would say: “you are just as old as you feel. ” So, Su Shi felt immensely chirpy and cheerful at this mesmerizing view in front of the temple – a river that flows from the east sunrise to the west sunset! His inward eye, exhilarated, discovered a new understanding about life that gives him blissful joy and transcendence. It just happened this beautiful riverside town is my birthplace where I spent childhood and teenage years. The landscape might have changed a lot since Dongpo’s days but the river, the orchids, the wide sand beaches mottled by the rocks during the dry seasons, the misty distant hills on the east where the sun popped out on my morning walk to school, and the many murmuring streams flowing down from the hilly river banks. The sandy river was so clean we collected in buckets for drinking and cooking. There were only some orchids, not many as in this poem, but many wild flowers growing on riverside shallow waters and exposed sandy islands. Cuckoos were not many either. The thousand-year temple is still standing today overlooking the flowing water, but no clean water, no orchids, no pines, and no cuckoo melodies. The river is drying up, unfortunately, as in many places around the globe. Sometimes I wonder what Dongpo would say if he could visit the temple today. … … Reference: 1. Blooming Alone in Winter by Gordon Osing, Julia Min and Huang Haipeng，published by the People's Publication House Henan Province in 1990 (《寒心未肯随春态》戈登.奥赛茵，闵晓红，黄海鹏)（"At the foot of the hill, sweet shoots of thoroughwort root in the stream;/Off into the pines goes the sand road that never is mud./Dusk and the rains are incessant; the cuckoo gives forth./Who says, when all's said, you can never again be young?/Back to the west flows the River, past this temple's porch,/So White Hair, why hasten the morning with old rooster's song."） 2. Picture by An Tian

散佚残句： 原作：李清照 英译：闵晓红 1.诗情如夜鹊， 三绕未能安。 2.少陵也自可怜人， 更待来年试春草。 3. 南渡衣冠欠王导， 北来消息少刘琨。 4.露花倒影柳三变， 桂子飘香张九成。 5.南游尚怯吴江冷， 北狩应悲易水寒 Poem fragments as quoted in other people’s writings: Written by: Li Qingzhao English translation by Julia Min 1. Heart like water as in poetry vibes, restless like magpies circling at night. 2. My empathy goes to the poor horse of Shaoling, for enduring patience for the grass of next spring. 3. We need Wang Dao for our Court roaming south. and can’t find Liu Kun in the news from the north. 4. The water reflection plays a show of dewy flowers by Sanbian Liu. The scented breeze tells a scented tale of the Osmanthus by the recluse Wugou. 5. We know the Wu River is cold here in the south; so how cold the Yi River when they hunt north! Notes: 1. the poor horse of Shaoling: Du Fu, one of the greatest poet in Chinese history, called himself ‘Shaoling Yelao’, a self-depreciation meaning ‘descent family background but now in a desolate commoner’, which is similar to the self-mockery name of ‘Dongpo’ meaning the east slope where Su Shi farmed to survive after his experience in prison. 2. the grass of next year: both the horse and the grass are metaphoric where the horse refers to Du Fu and next year’s green grass hints the Royal Exam in the coming spring, hence the empathy towards Du Fu’s huge efforts but repeated failed experience in the exams. 3. Liu Kun: a patriotic hero, referred here to imply the lack of such fighters in the Song court, reminding us of the Song General Yuefei being killed by the emperor. 4. a show of … Liu: an irony on the famous poet Liu Yong for the flowery and erotic language in his ci-poem writings. His birth name was Liu Sanbian, meaning literally ‘willow’s three changes/characters’. 5. a scented tale: an associated irony implying the flowery language in the Osmanthus poem by Zhang Wugou, another poet and official who later lived a reclusive life. 6. the Yi River: ‘Yishui’ in Chinese pinyin, in today’s Yi County in Hebei Province; Here it refers to the heroic song written and sung at the river by Prince Yan to see off his hero Jingke to kill the Qin Emperor -- a trip of no return ( about 227 BC). Since then, ‘the Song of Yishui’ had always been a farewell song to heroes before their trip to battles. Yi’an used the story to hint the two emperors taken by the Jin to the north might not be able to return. ‘hunt north’ is just the Court message for the public, a way to cover the real story. Please refer to her other poem: “ Two Poems to Lord Han Xiaowei” 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.

卜算子. 缺月挂疏桐 （黄州定慧院寓居作） 原作：苏东坡 (11世纪) 英译：闵晓红（2022） 缺月挂疏桐， 漏断人初静。 谁见幽人独往来？ 飘缈孤鸿影。 惊起却回头， 有恨无人省。 拣尽寒枝不肯栖， 寂寞沙洲冷。 A Waning Moon Descended the Parasol Tree （composed at Dinghui Monastery,Huangzhou） - to the tune of Busuanzi written by Su Dongpo（11th century） translated by Julia Min (2022) A waning moon descended the parasol tree near a wanderer in the dark -- just the old me. The night smiled serenely as water clock stopped and a goose arrived seeking for his flock of geese. He winged up the air, turning head back to check, only to find regrets in a barren world retrieved. No company, no home on cold branches to rest, he’d surrender to the unblemished sandy beach. For appreciation: Composed in 1082 during his first career downturn after being banished from the Royal Court to this remote little town Huangzhou (in today’s Hubei Province) on the north bank of the Yangtze River. He arrived here in 1080 with his family and had to live in a small house by Dinghui Monastery, still under the watch of the town’s magistrate. Without any income from government, he had to plough the fields for food like the local farmers – a challenge that would weigh on his tolerance and endurance, but trained him to become not only a most resistant and gracious mind, but also a great poet, calligrapher, and a painter. Huangzhou had indeed witnessed most of his greatest works loved for a thousand years onward. The poem features a few metaphorical touches. A waning moon implies a decline in life. A parasol tree is symbol of decent and noble qualities as it is the only tree the king of birds, the phoenix in China, would rest upon. And here the leafless parasol tree in winter represents a miserable time of a noble being. The goose is simply a personification of the poet himself. Chinese has always taken the flying wild geese as a bird with noble qualities of loyalty, trust and devoted love for family. The concluding lines are perceived as his courage to face the challenge for not drifting away with the social current. Reference: 1. Blooming Alone in Winter by Gordon Osing, Julia Min and Huang Haipeng，published by the People's Publication House Henan Province in 1991 (《寒心未肯随春态》戈登.奥赛茵，闵晓红，黄海鹏) (“A waning moon hung in the Decembered limbs of the parasol tree,/The top of the hourglass is empty, and people are deeply asleep./Who’ll see the loneliness of my coming and going/In the mists, faint as that shadow of a swan.//Startled into the air, looking back startled?/But no one cares about the disdains of such an one./Who would not take shelter in all the frozen branches,/Wants no chances but choosing rest in wintered sand.”) 2. pictures from baike.baidu.com（百度百科）

蝶恋花 . 花褪残红青杏小 原作：苏东坡 (11世纪) 英译：闵晓红（2022） 花褪残红青杏小。 燕子飞时， 绿水人家绕。 枝上柳绵吹又少。 天涯何处无芳草。 墙里秋千墙外道。 墙外行人， 墙里佳人笑。 笑渐不闻声渐悄。 多情却被无情恼。 When the catkins are vanishing in weakening wind - to the tune “Butterflies in Love with Flowers” written by Su Dongpo（11th century） translated by Julia Min (2022) When the catkins are vanishing in weakening wind， and the spring blossoms give way to apricots green, swallows swoop around the houses and over waters. There is splendour in grass as the glory in flowers. Behind the walls some girls are laughing on swings. Outside on the road a traveller’s lost in thinking, until the rejoicing cheers faded in the distance. The sentiments of autumn, the innocence of spring. For appreciation: This poem could be, more likely, written in Huangzhou, Hubei Province. The composing structure is designed by contrasting between the young and the old, the happy world and the lonely melancholy, and possibly, the favoured new party inside the Song Royal Court and the banished old party outside. Dongpo made an effort in the last line of the first stanza comforting himself with an optimistic turn of tone: life still has so much to offer. Let’s appreciate and enjoy the ‘philosophic mind’ that can only be obtained as one ages. The second stanza ends with a strong sentiment on the desperate situation of his official career, his ambition and contribution for the country unappreciated and wasted here in a desolate town of Huangzhou. It’s a sarcastic comment made with the two antonyms: the outside and the inside -- the heartfelt sentiments and the heartless innocence. ‘splendour in grass’ and ‘the glory in flowers’ are borrowed from Wordsworth’s poetry: "...The radiance which was once so bright Is now forever taken from my sight. Though nothing can bring back the hour of splendor in the grass Of glory in the flower We will grieve not Rather find strength in what remains behind.” Reference: 1. Blooming Alone in Winter by Gordon Osing, Julia Min and Huang Haipeng，published by the People's Publication House Henan Province in 1991 (《寒心未肯随春态》戈登.奥赛茵，闵晓红，黄海鹏) (“It's time for flowers to fade and wither; the tiny apricots are green./And swallows dart over the fish ponds around the houses./ The wind can't scatter the catkin willows any more./Where is not the spice of all things growing?//Inside a wall a lady swings, outside I have my road, apart./Outside the wall a wanderer walking, inside a lady's pretty laughing./It seems that laughter fades forever on the wanderer's ears;/He feels too much and knows that laughing knows no heart.”) 2. pictures from 汪国新

永遇乐. 明月如霜 (彭城夜宿燕子楼，梦盼盼，因作此词) 原作：苏轼 英译：戈登.奥赛茵，闵晓红 明月如霜， 好风如水， 清景无限。 曲港跳鱼， 圆荷泻露， 寂寞无人见。 紞如三鼓， 铿然一叶， 黯黯梦云惊断。 夜茫茫, 重寻无处， 觉来小园行遍。 天涯倦客， 山中归路， 望断故园心眼。 燕子楼空， 佳人何在， 空锁楼中燕。 古今如梦， 何曾梦觉， 但有旧欢新怨。 异时对、黄楼夜景， 为余浩叹。 The moon’s frost white; the wind’s fresh and cool - to the tune of Yongyule written by: Su Shi ( 11th century) translated by: Gordon Osing and Julia Min The moon’s frost white; The wind’s fresh and cool. A boundless quietude till a fish leaps the winding pool. The dews trickle from lotus leaves, and no one but me.- The night hears three drum-beats and then, a falling leaf. A sadness takes me as I startle awake from a deep sleep. Out in the garden I seek her of my dream: where’re thee? I can feel her everywhere, yet nowhere to be retrieved. The night is seemingly endless here in the far east. A traveller, tired of the world, I’ve drained my heart‘s eye looking for my way back in the mountains of the west. The Swallow Pavilion is long empty, the beauty, where? Locked in dust, there’re only deserted nests in here. The past and the present are dreams that never end. What added daily are just memories and new regrets. Someday, there’ll be travellers to my Yellow Pavilion. I wonder if they’d sigh at midnight so deeply for me. Appreciation: In the Tang Dynasty, Emperor Zhang Jian-feng built the Swallow Pavilion (Peng City, Xuzhou in the east of the Song) by a lake for his newly married concubine Guan Panpan, a famous singer and dancer. The pavilion attracted many swallows nesting there, hence the name. After he died, she lived on, refusing to remarry out of faithfulness in memory. The story was often referred to in poetry to imply the loss of love and fulfillment. This ci poem was composed in 1078, apparently after Su Shi’s new project The Yellow Pavilion was completed. He was then the governor of Xuzhou. Su Shi stayed at Swallow Pavilion one night and dreamed the brief visit of the beautiful lady’s spirit there and then. A late autumn night scene under a full moon is a moment often painted in Chinese poetry to express a lost sense of eternal and fulfilled love. The melancholy was also coupled with his shaky status in the Royal Court where the two parties were experiencing a tough political conflict. Daoism came to his comfort for a return back to nature, to his home in Sichuan mountains in the west of the Song. This subject worked as a theme line throughout his career life, a persistent stress whether he should be fully committed to the official career or just leave it and return to nature as a recluse. Well, we all know Su Shi was a man of times and tides. He would always have so much worldly concern that he would never choose a Daoist life over an official life for the Song Court. Reference: 1. 古诗文网https://so.gushiwen.cn/ 2. All pictures are selected from google search.

西江月. 照野弥弥浅浪 ( 顷在黄州，春夜行蕲水中，过酒家饮。酒醉，乘月至一溪桥上，解鞍曲肱，醉卧少休。及觉已晓，乱山攒拥，流水锵然，疑非尘世也。书此语桥柱上。) 原作：苏轼（ 11th Century） 英译：戈登.奥赛茵，闵晓红(1991) 新版修订：闵晓红(2022) 照野弥弥浅浪， 横空隐隐层霄。 障泥未解玉骢骄， 我欲醉眠芳草。 可惜一溪风月， 莫教踏碎琼瑶。 解鞍欹枕绿杨桥， 杜宇一声春晓 The Moon Brightens the Murmuring Shallow Stream - to the tune of the Moon on River West (composed during my spring trip on my horse from Huangzhou to Qishui Town; After a few drinks at the local tavern, I felt tipsy while walking to a bridge under a bright moon. So I unsaddled the horse and inclined by the bridge for a nap, only to find myself wake up to a spring dawn with the murmuring river winding the landscape from distant mountains and hills. It was so beautiful. For a moment I thought it were the dream world, hence I wrote this poem on a baluster of the bridge.) Written by: Su Shi ( 11th AC) English trans. by: Gordon Osing & Julia Min (1990) Revision by: Julia Min (2022) The moon brightens the murmuring shallow stream. A haziness in the sky might be the thinnest clouds. Holding back my steed from crossing in his turnouts, I want to lie down in the rich grass on sandy beach. It’s so lovely, the gleaming river in a cool breeze. I can’t let him trample it to pieces of broken jade. Unsaddled, he’ll rest with me by Willow Bridge, till cuckoos wake me up to the peep of a spring day. Appreciation: This Ci was composed in March, 1082 which was Su Shi’s third spring in Huangzhou. He was riding along then called 'the Orchard River' ( today’s Xi River in Xishui County, not far away from Huangzhou). I’m quite familiar with the place as it’s my birthplace where I cherish many childhood memories (1963-82). The bridge, called 'the Old Bridge' today, was on my way to my primary and middle schools on the temple side. I can still picture it that it was built with rammed earth on wooden structure with wooden tiers deep into the fast running sand river which was about 150-200 metres wide, exposing wide sandy beach on the temple side in the dry seasons. We also practised military trainings there in summer. The other side of the river is less sandy, and usually covered with wild flowers I used to collect them after school. There was no cement used, no bridge railing on either side and there were many holes on it. As children we used to jump over them for fun, totally ignorant that it was indeed a dangerous bridge on the brink of breaking down after many years’ poor maintenance. The landscape must be more beautiful at Dongpo’s time with much less buildings. He could have visited the temple, rode along the River enjoying the river view and stopped at a tavern for perhaps a few cups of local wine. Then he probably inclined for a nap which quickly turned into a desire for a whole night’s rest there and then. The implied theme is the unbounded timeless sensation and the desire to surrender to his social reality and return to the slow pace lifestyle of the natural world, which he hinted by holding back his horse’s high spirit to run through the night and lie down in the rich grass. A Daoist spirit is strongly sensed here in his aspiration for a union with Mother Nature. Notes: 1. Willow Bridge: the site can be found today in the east of Xishui County, Hubei Province. A new bridge was built beside the old ruins. It’s actually about half a mile away from Clear Stream Temple where he wrote another famous poem “A Visit to Clear Stream Temple by the Orchard River Flowing East”. 2. cuckoos: the cuckoo’s cry in spring is believed in China to conjure homesickness, especially in the mind of a wearied traveller. Reference: 1. Blooming Alone in Winter by Gordon Osing, Julia Min and Huang Haipeng，published by the People's Publication House Henan Province in 1990 (《寒心未肯随春态》戈登.奥赛茵，闵晓红，黄海鹏)（The moon brightens the wild murmurings of a shallow stream;/a haziness in the sky might be the thinnest clouds./Ok as is,/But I’m drunk and want to lie down in rich grasses. // They’re lovely, the full stream and the white moon./I can’t let him trample to pieces of broken jade all this./I’ll unsaddle him here, rest my head on Green Willow Bridge,/Till cuckoo wakes me and it’s already a Spring dawn.）