雨中游天竺灵感观音院 原作: 苏轼（字子瞻, 号东坡居士; 11世纪北宋） 旧版英译:戈登.奥赛茵, 闵晓红, 黄海鹏(1990) 新版英译及赏析: 闵晓红(2023) 蚕欲老，麦半黄， 山前山后水浪浪。 农夫辍耒女废筐， 白衣仙人在高堂。 Visiting Guanyin Temple at Tianzhu written by: Su Shi (11th AC, social name 'Dongpo') old En. trans. by: G. Osing, J. Min & H. Huang (1990) new En. trans.+annot. by: Julia Min ( Feb. 2023) It’s time the silkworms made their cocoons, And the wheat started turning yellow. But the rain pour down soaking the hills, No man is farming, no woman’s basket filled, Yet, the goddess in white sits perfectly still. Notes: 1. Guanyin: a Boddhisa from India worshipped by Chinese all over the world. Guanyin was well-established in China during the Song Dynasty as a feminine deity. In her left hand, she holds a water vessel filled with the divine nectar of compassion that possesses special healing properties. In her right hand she has a small willow branch, which she uses to gently sprinkle the divine nectar on those to save them from sufferings. This temple was the venue where the Song emperors attend the rituals and was believed to be efficacious, which could be reason why Guanyin became a most revered diety in the Chinese mind ever since the Song Dynasty. 2. Tianzhu: Mt Tianzhu. The temple is on the south side of Mt Tianzhu in Hangzhou’s West Lake area. The name Tianzhu is associated with India. Appreciation: This little poem was written in 1072, when the New Law was enacted across the country. It was a hasty effort causing chaos and disorder among the official venues as well as the farmers. Su Shi was not against reforms but couldn’t accept the reckless pace and the unqualified officials put in place for the practice. Instead of debating in the Royal Court, he asked to be sent to a post closer to see what’s really happening in the country. So here he was, as the governor of Hangzhou, inspecting the flooded farming area. Again he took a political stand by the farmers, the common people. This poem sounds heavy with sarcasm, a warning call to the New Party in hope of their attention to the injustice. 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) ("It’s time the silkworms made cocoons, for yellow wheat in the fields,/But waters pour down on waters pouring down from the hills./And no man is ploughing, not one woman’s basket is filled,/Yet the high temple goddess sits sleeping or perfectly still.) 3. pictures from Google；

游金山寺 原作: 苏轼（字子瞻, 号东坡居士; 11世纪北宋） 旧版英译:戈登.奥赛茵, 闵晓红, 黄海鹏(1990) 新版英译及赏析: 闵晓红(2023) 我家江水初发源，宦游直送江入海。 闻道潮头一丈高，天寒尚有沙痕在。 中泠南畔石盘陀，古来出没随涛波。 试登绝顶望乡国，江南江北青山多。 羁愁畏晚寻归楫，山僧苦留看落日。 微风万顷靴文细，断霞半空鱼尾赤。 是时江月初生魄，二更月落天深黑。 江心似有炬火明，飞焰照山栖鸟惊。 怅然归卧心莫识，非鬼非人竟何物？ 江山如此不归山，江神见怪惊我顽。 我谢江神岂得已，有田不归如江水。 注：1071年苏轼赴杭州任通判，途径镇江金山寺，留宿。二更夜看见寺前的长江现异象，遂写此诗记下。 Visiting Jinshan Temple written by: Su Shi (11th AC, social name 'Dongpo') old En. trans. by: G. Osing, J. Min & H. Huang (1990) new En. trans.+annot. by: Julia Min ( Feb. 2023) This river’s sourced from Mt Min at my hometown. My career followed the waves all the way down. She’s lost peace at times to high tides, they say, Rolling sands to the sea through this gate way. Yet, the rocks on Zhongling Stream south Are never moved by waves, soft or loud. For a better view, to the peak I made my way Only mountainous green, Mt Min’s not found. As my mind wanders, the day’s getting late. Better head home but my boat’s not around. The monks bid me stay for the sunset here. Rosy clouds change shapes roaming in mid-air; - A breeze plays on rippling waves, far and near, Night descents with crescent moon like whisker. Just then, on the river a shining object appears, The hills are floodlit and crows cawing in fear. The night is pitch-dark a moment later. I can’t sleep, lost for a comment proper. Maybe River God’s vexed with this wanderer, Still here after fame, not back to my homeland. I seek his pardon for my stubborn nature, And promise to return when I have some land. Notes: 1. Jinshan Temple: an old temple complex on Mt. Jin (‘shan’ meaning a hill here) in Zhenjiang City, Jiangsu Province today. The complex land used to be an island in the middle of the Yangtze River during Su Shi’s time, but is now just a part of south bank. 2. Mt Min: Su Shi was born in Meizhou, a small town nestled at the bottom of the great Mt Min which was believed back then to be the source of the Yangtze River. 3. Zhongling Stream: a stream running down Mt Jin to the Yangtze River; Appreciation: On his way to his new post at the mayor of Hangzhou, Su Shi was invited by his friends, two monks at Jinshan Temple, to visit the famous complex. It could be the monks’ idea to hide Su Shi’s boat away so they could spend more time with their beloved friend. Just at that night under a crescent moon, they saw with awe a super-natural thing in the middle of the Yangtze River which, in today’s sense, could be an unidentified object. It happened at about 10 o’clock pm on November 3, 1070, Chinese lunar calendar, about early December in solar calendar. This poem of 7-character verse could be simply read as a travelogue. But the touch of a celebrity with his sentiment at that particular moment enhances the artistic effect with dramatical imaginations. It structured on three parts, so can be reasonably divided into three stanzas to suit today’s poetry format. (Ancient Chinese writings didn’t use paragraph format, nor punctuations.) It started with a melancholy sigh that he’s wandering further away on his official journey from his hometown on the Yangtze River, foreshadowing the ending verse. The sightseeing and aesthetic values are detailed here with the rocks on south bank to symbolize his obstinate personality, hinting he’s so buried in this hustle and bustle of fame-hunting game, not wakened to free his true nature. The 2nd stanza tells the main incident of the miraculous object in flames lighting up both banks of the river. He made an effort to conclude this experience with an intellectual interpretation by echoing his precious melancholy with fantasy and a promise of return to the mountains. 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) ("For how long now have these shores been altered by waves!/I climb a peak to look for my native place…./There are only the river, north and south, and mountainous green./Homesick, afraid, and finally, I remember my boat,/But the old monk bids me watch the sun go down./A light wind blows over the wide river, like a wavering sail.//The last of the clouds, mid-air, are red fishtails./And now the moon must five the river light;/Now midnight nears and day is deepest dark./What are those, torches? Out in mid-stream, burning?/What is it startling crow from his nightly home?//How sadly I go to bed, my heart not knowing/If it was spirit, trick, or man, or what it was./“Why not return here, it’s all so beautiful.”/The river god’s mystery accuses foolish me./I thank his silver mercies, what else can I do?/If I’ve a land an don’t abide there, make me this river) 3. painting from Google；

Intro: The month of July seems more productive in our family as signalled by the pomegranate tree in my dream. The July 2021 saw the launching of this poetry blog where the best Ci poetry of China has been tested to the limit in translation to English. And July 2022 embraced the birth of my dearest granddaughter Eloise. Her presence has brought so much joy amid the hazy time of the pandemic. For new parents, a new life always feels like a rising star, the apple of their eye, or 'a pearl in the palm' in Chinese sense. Here we gather today to celebrate the blessings given and received, and the friendship challenged and transformed. To little Ellie this Ci poem is composed, both in Chinese and in English. 临江仙.红溪南岸柳树边 （壬寅虎年月圆之夜，喜得孙女云溪。周岁宴作。） 闵晓红 红溪南岸柳树边， 蔷薇含笑拱门。 感风应月知东君， 明珠入掌心， 云溪七月生。 初为父母方知苦， 日夜呵护不停。 明眸入心暗星辰， 一笑轻九鼎， 一语乐众亲。 By a Willow Tree on Blackburn South (for my grandchild’s first birthday celebration, July 13, 2023) - to the tune of “The Celestial Being by the River” By Julia Min By a willow tree on Blackburn South, A rose arch cheered to early buddings. The full moon wakes up a new being, A blessed girl named Eloise Yunxi Min. Baby care's been an endless commitment, Her bright eyes can ease the sentiment. A random babbling, a heartless chuckling Bring so much joy like music of heaven.

瑞鹧鸪·双银杏 原作：李清照（宋） 英译：闵晓红 风韵雍容未甚都， 尊前甘橘可为奴。 谁怜流落江湖上， 玉骨冰肌未肯枯。 谁教并蒂连枝摘， 醉后明皇倚太真。 居士擘开真有意， 要吟风味两家新。 An Ode to Ginkgo Fruit - to the tune of Ruizhegu written by: Li Qingzhao ( 1084 – 1155?) translated by Julia Min So blessed is she with elegant grace, So humbled for oranges the mundane. Who’d know she’s away from her own world, To be found her virtues more fair and pure? A small branch is plucked with twin fruit on, A picture of the Emperor n Yuhuan after wine. I’d like to open the ginkgoes with gentle care, To share with my love the fresh taste with flair. --- Appreciation: Again if the editor chose not adding the title, it could work as a riddle-like poem for an sense of intellectual humour in the structure of the past and the present contrast, an interplay of yin and yang, or a stream of consciousness manifested to enrich our imagination for a stronger artistic impact. It has been reasoned that this might not be our poet’s creation as the ci’s poetic meters and rhyming patterns not closely followed, and Li Qingzhao is well recognized for her strict standards on the musical rules, even called by some ‘The Mother of Ci’. The style, the perspective and the subjects chosen, however, do match her habitual way. The first stanza resembles most and could stand alone, even better I’d say, as a poem rather than a ci. The second stanza seems pale in comparison, mainly due to an insignificant contrast in the concluding couplet lines that I would doubt about the source. Notes: 1. ginkgo fruit: the symbolic implication associated with nobility, well-bred, well-designed, profound love that stands the test of many life cycles thanks to the fair skin, delicate petite oval shape, and the loving pair nuts inside the fruit. It’s said to be the only survivor in the family 290 million years ago, also called ‘the living fossil’. It has a longer life span than all other trees. The one still thriving is over 1400 years old in the ancient capital of the Tang Dynasty, planted by the 2nd emperor Li Shimin himself in Chang’an ( today’s Xi’an). 2. ‘from her world’: referring to the uncomfortable status where our poet and her dear husband had travelled all the way to the south due to the invasion in the north. They tried to start new in a strange place. 3. ‘Emperor and Yuhuan’: the Tang Emperor Li Longji and his loving concubine Yang Yuhuan, being written in so many literature works and plays, became a symbol of love for a long time in history.

水龙吟. 似花还似飞花 (次韵章质夫杨花词） 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) 似花还似飞花， 也无人惜从教坠。 抛家旁路， 思量却是，无情有思。 萦损柔肠， 困酣娇眼，欲开还闭。 梦随风万里， 寻郎去处，又还被莺呼起。 不恨此花飞尽， 恨西园，落红难缀。 晓来雨过， 遗踪何在？一池萍碎。 春色三分， 两分尘土，一分流水。 细看来，不是杨花， 点点是离人泪。 Like and yet Unlike Flowers - to the tune of Shuilongyin in the same rhyming scheme as “An Ode to Catkin” by Zhang Zhifu written by: Su Shi (1084) 1st En. trans. by: G. Osing, J. Min & H. Huang (1990) En. revision by: Julia Min (2023) Like and yet unlike flowers, No one honours their obedience to a fate of falling. They’re called ungrateful on roadside. But I think It’s not heartless, the homeless drifting of flying. The leaf budding wound a heart with eyes tender, Trying to open, yet linger over a dream on wind, Seeking her mate far away. Then an oriole sings! For catkins leaving their parent willows, I don’t fear. What I regret are the followers from West Garden. After a good morning rain, the remnants, where? Into a pool of duckweed, driven here and there. Spring has three fates -- two in dust, one in water. Look closer: they’re not flowers but desolate tears! Notes: 1. Zhang, Zhifu: an official in Hubei who enjoyed writing poems with the same rhyming scheme of Su Shi’s ci poem. Su Shi did just the same echoing Zhifu’s ci poems. Appreciation: Although Dongpo is better known for his heroic poetry, his sentimental ci poems are well received as well, and this is a fairly good example. This ci dates back to 1087 when the poet and politician had already had an intention of resigning from the Royal Court after seeing the fierce struggle between the old and the new parties over the New Laws. Catkins from weeping willows are often used as a subject in literature alluding to the helpless fate of drifting on flowing water, hinting a fate beyond one’s control, while here it associates with his official career and ambitions driven by the big social machine or program. The tender eyes of the budding leaves clearly suggest the poem by Jiu Changxu ( Tang Dynasty)” Spring Grief”, where a lovesick lady dreamed a reunion with her husband But disrupted by the oriole singing at her window. She cried out: “ Drive the birds away. She breaks my dream of my love far away in West Liao. ” The insinuation here is an interrupted, distracted moment of beauty, as in the chaos of social activities intruding into the poet’s pursuit to live true to his own desires. West Garden here could refer to his followers in the Old Party. Su Shi was then a leading figure in the party, as it was sometimes called “The West Shu Party” (West Shu refers to his native place in Sichuan Province in the west of China). Soon after he was sentenced to prison, his followers were ticked off the political centre roles one by one. Thus he sighed his spring days are over, yet most regretfully, his downfall affected the fate of all his followers. It's also worthwhile to appreciate the format of this ci where Su Shi wrote with the same rhyming scheme and sequence, even using the same rhyming words as in Zhifu’s ci poem. Very strict with himself indeed! Being recognized as one of the great poets in the gentry class, Su Shi was often challenged for such an intellectual entertainment which was quite popular at his time. Su’s poem wins over Zhang’s in many ways. I’m attaching a copy of Zhang’s poem for your entertainment if you could read Chinese. The implied meaning of flying catkin in Chinese today is often associated with disloyal wives who go with the flow of their sexual chemistry, leaving their husbands and families. 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) ("Like and yet unlike flowers, /No one honours their obedience to a fate of falling./They’re called ungrateful there at the roadside, but I see/It’s not heartless, the sorrow and drift of their flying./Their twining flowers wound a heart whose tender eyes /Are trying to open, but close upon a dream ten-thousand miles /Away, seeking her husband where he’s gone. Then oriole wakens! //No, I don’t hate the catkin willows, completely barren. /I do fear I can’t put back the flowers, in the West Garden. /The morning after a good rain, though. Their remnants, where’d they go? /Into the pool of duckweed, driven one way then another./There are three Springs, two dust, one water, flowing away./Look closer: they’re not catkins; each fallen one’s a lady’s desolate tear.") 2. 章质夫杨花词《水龙吟》：燕忙莺懒芳残, 正堤上、柳花飘坠。轻飞乱舞，点画青林，全无才思。闲趁游丝，静临深院，日长门闭。傍珠帘散漫，垂垂欲下，依前被、风扶起。//兰帐玉人睡觉，怪春衣、雪沾琼缀。绣床旋满，香球无数，才圆却碎。时见蜂儿，仰粘轻粉，鱼吞池水。望章台路杳，金鞍游荡，有盈盈泪。 3. painting from Google；

行香子.清夜无尘 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) 清夜无尘，月色如银。 酒斟时，须满十分。 浮名浮利，虚苦劳神。 叹隙中驹，石中火，梦中身。 虽抱文章，开口谁亲？ 且陶陶，乐尽天真。 几时归去，做个闲人。 对一张琴，一壶酒，一溪云。 The Night Is Pure - To the tune of Xingxiangzi written by: Su Shi (1084) 1st En. trans. by: G. Osing, J. Min & H. Huang (1990) En. revision by: Julia Min (2023) The night is pure, the moonlight silver. Make sure my cup is filled, overfilled. Fame and fortune, just bubbles in air, --- a flash, a dream, or a spark of fire. I had worlds to say, but who will share? Glad as I can, content to be entertained. I’d rather be away, free of worldly care, just my qin, my wine and a misty river. Appreciation: This ci could be composed after he was back at the Royal Court in 1086. It was at dinner with an old bosom friend when Su Shi, after some wine, succeeded in rejecting the contemporary official morality and the falseness of the public civil service. His inclination was to retire after achieving his career goal, but he was still unappreciated for his political ideas. Now what? Maybe just forget about the world and embrace a carefree life with friends, with music in nature… … The musical qin, of course, is the Chinese poetic equivalent of the lyre, in its associations with poetry. Great authors were frequently represented by the presence of a qin in the background of a painting. 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) ("The night is pure, free of the commotions of dust, the moonlight silver./Pouring the wine into my cup, I’d see it over-filled./What a waste to slave in vain for fame and profit, both bubbles…/A white steed racing in a rift -- stone sparks -- a dream of self.//For though I had worlds in mind to say to others, who will share?/Be glad as you can, my heart, content to be simply entertained. /When can I return to my mountains, be unofficial, freed/To face my old qin, a pot of wine, and a stream of clouds. ") 2. painting from Google；

满庭芳.归去来兮 （元丰七年四月一日，余将去黄移汝，留别雪堂邻里二三君子，会仲览自江东来别，遂书以遗之。） 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) 归去来兮，吾归何处？ 万里家在岷峨。 百年强半， 来日苦无多。 坐见黄州再闰， 儿童尽、楚语吴歌。 山中友，鸡豚社酒， 相劝老东坡。 云何，当此去， 人生底事，来往如梭。 待闲看秋风， 洛水清波。 好在堂前细柳， 应念我、莫剪柔柯。 仍传语，江南父老， 时与晒渔蓑。 Go back to the mountains! But where are they? (On 01 April, 1084, I’m about to leave Huangzhou after being reappointed to another post in Ruzhou. It’s an unforgettable moment saying farewell to my Snow Hall, my good neighbours and a few gentlemen friends. My friend Zhongluan also came all the way from River East.) written by: Su Shi (1084) 1st En. trans. by: G. Osing, J. Min & H. Huang (1990) En. revision by: Julia Min (2023) “Go back to the mountains!” But where are they? Mt. Min and Mt E Mei are a thousand miles away. I’m half a hundred now, numbered are my days, Still idling away to the 2nd leap year since I came. My kids have learned Wu songs and Chu’s lingo. I’ve made many friends from villages in the hills. With chickens, pigs, wine for the shrine, and more, They’re tempting me to grow old at my East Slope. Yet, I’m taking my leave today. What can I say? Time flies faster than a weaver’s shuttle game. I’d forget the hustle and bustle, and be away For the autumn breeze and Luo’s rippling waves… … My willows by the Snow Hall will miss me, I know. So please leave the slender boughs for future days. Tell my fishing buddies on the south of the River also To often air-out my straw rain-cape, come what may. Appreciation: This ci was written in 1084, just as Su Shi was leaving Huangzhou after being assigned a post in Ruzhou which was closer to the Royal Court. He had lived here for over four years, and had seen his children speaking the local dialect. Being Su Dongpo, he could make friends wherever he went, even with the local villagers. Huangzhou people loved him, helping him out on the fields and on many other things. They honoured him as ‘the Big Scholar’. With their help, Su Shi built the Snow Hall where he taught local students. Many years later, though Su Shi never returned, the local descendants still kept rebuilding his favorite place-- Dongpo’s Red Cliff by the Yangtze River. Today Huangzhou is home to some of the best high schools in China. I was born in a nearby town, just half an hour drive from Red Cliff where happened to be linked with my first teaching venue - Huanggang Normal Institute. For three years my students followed me for morning exercise and reading at Red Cliff on every school day. I do feel as if my life has been arranged for this translation mission. What can I say. It’s such an honour and privilege indeed! This poem starts with “ Go back to the mountains!” (“归去来兮”), a famous line from the great poet Tao Yuanming. It bears a strong Daoist’s inclination for a return to nature, to a country life, away from the fame-seeking world. This theme runs straight through to the end. At this first downturn, Dongpo’s mind had started drifting away from the hustle and bustle of society for a simple life in the village. Notes: 1. Mt. Min and Mt. Emei: the two big mountains (Sichuan Province) where our poet’s native place Meishan is located; 2. ‘leap year’: a calculation based on Chinese Calendar where every four years there’s a leap month. During his time in Huangzhou, there were two leap years -- 1080 and 1084. 3. Wu songs and Chu lingo: Huangzhou was a town of the Chu people in the Warring States ( 475-221 B.C.) and of the Wu people during the Three Kingdoms ( 228-265 A.D.) 4. Luo’s rippling waves: River Luo in central China; 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) (""{Go back to the mountains! But where are they?/It’s more than a thousand miles back to Min and E Mei./I’m half-a-hundred now, my days are numbered./I’ve already stayed here past two leap years./My children all speak your lingo, sing your songs, too./Friends in from the hills, with chickens, pigs, sacrificial wine,/Tempt me to grow old out at Dong-po. //As I take my leave what can I say?/In life, things fly by like the shuttle in the loom./I’ll watch the autumn wind’s waves on the Luo River in days to come./Who’ll take care of my slender willows at Snow Hall?/If you remember me, don’t cut their delicate branches down./Tell my old fishing buddies, too, on the south side of the River,/To air-out my straw rain cape for me, and do it often...") 2. painting from https://zhuanlan.zhihu.com/（知乎）；

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