添字采桑子.窗前种得芭蕉树 原作：李清照 （宋） 英译：戈登.奥赛茵，闵晓红 窗前种得芭蕉树， 阴满中庭。 阴满中庭， 叶叶心心， 舒卷有余情。 伤心枕上三更雨， 点滴凄清。 点滴凄清， 愁损离人， 不惯起来听。 Before my Window - to the Tune of Tianzicaisangzi written by Li Qingzhao ( 1084-1155?) trans.by Gordon Osing and Julia Min Before my window, day in, day out, a dreamy shadow dominates my patio -- the banana tree, most reluctantly, unfolding her tender leaves. Awaked midnight by the drippings, my pillow of sorrow hears the rain, like a story of melancholy in endless weeping. A wanderer's heart breaks, unable to bear such listening. For appreciation: This ci was written in a season of profound homesickness, sometime after 1127, a time of turmoil when Northern Song just came to an end after the fall of the capital. The Royal Court moved south，opening a new page, the Southern Song dynasty. Banana tree bears a symbolic meaning associated with sorrow and separation in Chinese literature, especially for lovers or loved ones. It could be offered during a funeral to show deep love and respect, and a reluctance to let go of the dead. It’s also a favourable plant used to enhance feng shui both indoors and outdoors. So, the subject of this ci is well chosen, is it? ----

临江仙.庭院深深深几许 (欧阳公作《蝶恋花》，有“深深深几许”之句，予酷爱之。 用其语作“庭院深深”数阕，其声即旧《临江仙》也。) 原作：李清照 （宋） 英译：戈登.奥赛茵，闵晓红 庭院深深深几许？ 云窗雾阁常扃。 柳梢梅萼渐分明。 春归秣陵树， 人老建康城。 感月吟风多少事， 如今老去无成。 谁怜憔悴更凋零。 试灯无意思， 踏雪没心情。 How deeply shrouded her courtyard had been - to the Tune of Linjiangxian written by Li Qingzhao （ 1084-1155？） translated by Gordon Osing & Julia Min How deeply shrouded her courtyard had been, the windows clouded with mist, chambers shut. But see! The tips of willows, plum buds, and a full Spring returned to the Moling trees, as if for an aging stranger locked in J.K. City. Who sings so softly of the moon and the wind, of getting old too, and cut-off from honors, … and no one pitying her, pallid and withering, too glum for the festival lanterns of Spring, unable to go out in the fresh snow fallen. For appreciation: According to Another Collection of Li Qing-zhao, this ci was composed in 1129, after she had joined her husband in Jiankang, now the city of Nanjing. Before the Lantern Festival（元宵节），the last day of Spring Festival (Chinese New Year) people tried on lanterns to be used the next night. Our poet cannot bring herself to participate; she can't give up thinking about her own and her country's sad retreats before the invading enemy. The sorrow in this, her second Spring in Jiankang, is for her country, not merely on celebrating when the nation is in such dire peril. Notes: l. “Moling” and "Jiankang": both refer to the same city which is today’s Nanjing. This is her second Spring there with her husband and she is yet to allow herself to feel at home; she can't, for the sake of her country's trouble. 2. "lanterns of Spring” try the lamps made to celebrate the Lantern Festival on the 15th day of the first lunar month which is usually in February in the western calendar. Pinyin and Word -For-Word Translation: lín jiāng xiān .tíng yuàn shēn shēn shēn jǐ xǔ tíng yuàn shēn shēn shēn jǐ xǔ ？ yún chuāng wù gé cháng jiōng 。 liǔ shāo méi è jiàn fèn míng 。 chūn guī mò líng shù ， rén lǎo jiàn kāng chéng 。 gǎn yuè yín fēng duō shǎo shì ， rú jīn lǎo qù wú chéng 。 shuí lián qiáo cuì gèng diāo líng 。 shì dēng wú yì sī ， tà xuě méi xīn qíng 。

摊破浣溪沙 . 揉破黄金万点轻 原作：李清照 英译：闵晓红 揉破黄金万点轻， 剪成碧玉叶层层。 风度精神如彦辅， 大鲜明。 梅蕊重重何俗甚， 丁香千结苦麄生。 熏透愁人千里梦， 却无情。 Hidden under leaves shaped like green jade - to the tune of Tanpo Huanxisha written by: Li Qingzhao ( 1084 – 1155?) translated by Julia Min Hidden under leaves shaped like green jade are spotted blooms like gold rolled into sunrays. Unworldly as Yanfu, the man of honest grace, you are also a mirror of your soul and taste. Plum trees shy away for her cluttered filaments, so are the tacky lilacs arrayed in tiered blossoms. Yet this fragrance, so sensible, kills the romance, and fumigate my sweet dream beyond reasons. For appreciation: This poem could be written by Li Qingzhao as agreed by most scholars. The last sentence could be an indication of the composing time being after she settled in Lin’an where her only hope of returning home is in her dream. Osmanthus together with chrysanthemum, are the most favoured by the Chinese among the few flowers blooming in Autumn, and so they are often the subjects in literature, especially associated with the Moon Festival. The first stanza is on the sensual features concluded with the unique quality of a crystal soul, the highlight beyond all other poems on Osmanthus. You could read it as a criticism against the fame-seeking and pleasure-hunting luxurious life of many hypocritical politicians at the time. The other hit point is the courage she used plum blossom saying it’s pale in comparison, a risky comment on the most depicted flower in Chinese art which is a respected member of “The Four Noble Beings” and also regarded, by many, as “The National Flower”. A dangerous, very very narrow, escape could be sensed as she carefully chose only the filaments, a minor property much less mentioned in literature for her symbolic spirit. Our poet has written at least two poems which are, in my opinion, the most sophisticated of all listed in history. If she were here today she’s worthy of being crowned with laurel leaves to honour her contribution to Chinese poetry. This flower poem, like many of her poems on flowers, is a riddle-like description of the form, the colour, the scent, the feel and the quality associated with Osmanthus. With such a perspective, I’d choose not using ‘Osmanthus’ as the title as many others, just leaving it open for some intellectual entertainment. This should suit her taste as my understanding of Li Qingzhao being a lady of worldly pursuit with a rare talent of eloquence and a noble elegance shared by very few in history. Yet the most attractive part is the hidden, unappreciated quality of her sensational humor and subtle taste in life itself from an intellectual perspective. Her life and works are one of the most ideal mirror of the rhymes and vibes in the Song Dynasty, a time of turmoil, a time of greatest politicians, philosophers, poets, calligraphers, artists and a time of economic innovations, philosophy, education, and scientific achievements. Together they made the period “The Renaissance of the East”. So, I’d like to conclude this poem as a masterpiece. Notes: 1. Tanpo Huanxisha: the music sub-tuned from the main tune of Huanxisha; 2. Yanfu: the social name of Yue Guang (247-304 AD), a well-recognized politician in the Jin Dynasty, a man of reason, truth, honesty, and integrity but also unearthly, unromantic, stubborn and even 'a bit cruel' when too sensible, unable to appreciate the subtleness of sentiments and imagination; 3. mirror: often used in literature as a symbol of truth, discovery, honesty and chrystal clarity; Here it’s used to emphasize the noble quality of Osmanthus;

玉楼春. 红酥肯放琼苞碎 原作：李清照 （宋） 英译：戈登.奥赛茵，闵晓红 红酥肯放琼苞碎。 探著南枝开遍未。 不知酝藉几多香， 但见包藏无限意。 道人憔悴春窗底。 闷损阑干愁不倚。 要来小酌便来休， 未必明朝风不起。 No sooner the jade buds are turned to rosy lips - to the Tune of Yulouchun written by Li Qingzhao （ 1084-1155？） translated by Gordon Osing & Julia Min No sooner the jade buds are turned to rosy lips, I fear already the south blooms were fading; one needn't care how rich are their perfumes to discover all of a soul's glowing yearnings. They say someone in my favorite window grows pale, whose hand drags along the balustrade of her distress; come to her soon, while the thirst declines not the least; tomorrow, who knows, if the blossoms fall to gales. For appreciation: In some editions, this ci is titled "The Plum Tree". According to Another Collection of Li Qing-zhao, this ci was composed sometime between 1108 and 1127, placing it in what is regarded as her second period of work. As carefully as she can, considering her distress in loneliness, Li Qing-zhao projects her anxieties into the days and hours of peak fragrance of the plum tree blossoms outside her window. Arguably, she could be asking her husband / lover to join her for a cosy moment with the plum trees while they are still in full bloom. Again, she made the theme implicit for you to figure it out for yourself, the same way Song’s paintings works with the readers for a complete performance of the art, as shown in our introduation ‘A Message from the Translators’. It’s a fun game being played for a thousand years now in the artistic world of China. Many flowers have been enriched in meanings in Chinese culture owing to poets like Li Qingzhao, including plum blossoms, chrysanthemum, peony, Osmanthus, lotus flowers, crabapple blooms, bramble rose, etc. Notes: 1. jade buds: the buds of the plum tree; ‘jade’, in Chinese culture, bears the sense of gentle, pure and ideal nature. 2. south branches: those that bloom first. We may refer to "The south branches wither while the north ones are still blooming " from Chinese folklore, perhaps an allusion to the life of eros and the life of the heart. Pinying and Word -For-Word Translation: yù lóu chūn . hóng sū kěn fàng qióng bāo suì hóng sū kěn fàng qióng bāo suì 。 tàn zhe nán zhī kāi biàn wèi 。 bú zhī yùn jiè jǐ duō xiāng ， dàn jiàn bāo cáng wú xiàn yì 。 dào rén qiáo cuì chūn chuāng dǐ 。 mèn sǔn lán gàn chóu bú yǐ 。 yào lái xiǎo zhuó biàn lái xiū ， wèi bì míng zháo fēng bú qǐ 。

念奴娇. 萧条庭院 原作：李清照 英译：戈登.奥赛茵，闵晓红 萧条庭院， 又斜风细雨， 重门须闭。 宠柳娇花寒食近， 种种恼人天气。 险韵诗成， 扶头酒醒， 别是闲滋味。 征鸿过尽， 万千心事难寄。 楼上几日春寒， 帘垂四面， 玉阑干慵倚。 被冷香消新梦觉， 不许愁人不起。 清露晨流， 新桐初到， 多少游春意。 日高烟敛， 更看今日晴未。 Rains threading across the wintered yard - to the Tune of Niannujao written by Li Qingzhao translated by Gordon Osing & Julia Min Rains threading across the wintered yard and all the doors desolate, locked shut, the Cold Food Festival is getting closer, a time for flowers and willows to flutter. I languish over a poem with hard rhymes, and at dawn still more of last night's wine. The messenger geese are gone, my mind too heavy anyway to send a word to anyone. How many days! The upper room's cold in spring! The limp curtains and balcony miss our company. The incense dead, my quilt chilled through the night, my dreams are gone and me, having no desire to rise. So what's this? The dew thick like jewels on the leaves sprouted on parasol trees inviting me for an outing? The sun seems lifting the grey before my eyes; But look again, it might not stay this clear in time. Appreciation: According to Another Collection of Li Qingzhao, this ci was composed in 1121 , when the poet was living in Qingzhou. Sometimes it is called "Spring Thoughts" in some other collections. It is her response to loneliness during her husband's absence, to be sure, and also her spirit's determination and sentiments in reaffirming its relation to the outer world. Notes: ① "han shi": the Cold Food Festival; ② "fu tou jiu": "easy drunk wine ", i.e., it is easy to get drunk with wine first thing in the morning if one had been drinking before going to sleep the night before. ③ "lan gan": jade rail, i.e., again, not actual jade, but simply "ideal" or perfect rail, or vista, vantage point for watching, also watching for her husband's returning. ④ "bu xu...bu qi": a double negative, as in Elizabethan English, for emphasis. i.e., it does not allow a weary person to get up . ⑤ "tong ": parasol tree. Pinying and Word -For-Word Translation: niàn nú jiāo . xiāo tiáo tíng yuàn xiāo tiáo tíng yuàn ， yòu xié fēng xì yǔ ， zhòng mén xū bì 。 chǒng liǔ jiāo huā hán shí jìn ， zhǒng zhǒng nǎo rén tiān qì 。 xiǎn yùn shī chéng ， fú tóu jiǔ xǐng ， bié shì xián zī wèi 。 zhēng hóng guò jìn ， wàn qiān xīn shì nán jì 。 lóu shàng jǐ rì chūn hán ， lián chuí sì miàn ， yù lán gàn yōng yǐ 。 bèi lěng xiāng xiāo xīn mèng jiào ， bú xǔ chóu rén bú qǐ 。 qīng lù chén liú ， xīn tóng chū dào ， duō shǎo yóu chūn yì 。 rì gāo yān liǎn ， gèng kàn jīn rì qíng wèi 。

凤凰台上忆吹箫·香冷金猊 原作：李清照 英译：戈登.奥赛茵，闵晓红 香冷金猊， 被翻红浪， 起来慵自梳头。 任宝奁尘满， 日上帘钩。 生怕离怀别苦， 多少事、欲说还休。 新来瘦， 非干病酒， 不是悲秋。 休休， 这回去也， 千万遍《阳关》， 也则难留。 念武陵人远， 烟锁秦楼。 惟有楼前流水， 应念我、终日凝眸。 凝眸处， 从今又添， 一段新愁。 The incense in the golden lion is now cold - to the tune of “Phoenix Tower on the Flute” written by Li Qingzhao translated by Gordon Osing & Julia Min The incense in the golden lion is now cold. Billowing red waves is my restless quilt. Still how tiresome to rise and fix hair, so, let the dresser disappear in dust there. If the sun's at the curtain hooks, who cares! If only I were not afraid of your departure! It gives me a pause to think of all I might say, but I'm wasted in another blooming year. It’s not because of much drinking yesterday; It’s I know this Fall will never go away. Alone from now on. Alone; the parting's done. Although we sang a thousand times the farewell song of "Yangguan", you can't stay. - What could I say? Lost in smoke is the Phoenix Tower, lost in the world the Wuling lover. Only the departing stream before our chamber knows me gazing into the distance every day. This yearning grows deeper and stronger, adding to the dreamy eyes just new despair. --- Appreciation: Another Collection of Li Qing-zhao dates this ci in 1121. It is sometimes titled "Boudoir Thoughts", or "Thoughts on Departure." The husband is gone on prolonged career appointment by the emperor, and his lady pines for his company. Notes: 1. "jin ni": lion shaped brass burner. It was customary to mold incense burners in the shapes of mythical animals, and having the fragrant smoke come out of their mouths. 2."yong guan": a song traditionally sung on occasions of parting, on the way out from the village or town as the host saw the guests off, singing the refrain together until the distance took them. 3. "wu ling ren": man in the Wuling story, lost in a paradise on earth while herding his flocks, and lost again when he came out into the world and could not find his paradise again. 4. "qin lou": The Tower of the Phoenix, as it is sometimes called in folk tales. Here the perfect lovers, Lord Qin-mu's daughter and Xiao Shi, lived until they were carried together into Heaven. Pinying and Word -For-Word Translation: fèng huáng tái shàng yì chuī xiāo ·xiāng lěng jīn ní xiāng lěng jīn ní ， bèi fān hóng làng ， qǐ lái yōng zì shū tóu 。 rèn bǎo lián chén mǎn ， rì shàng lián gōu 。 shēng pà lí huái bié kǔ ， duō shǎo shì 、 yù shuō hái xiū 。 xīn lái shòu ， fēi gàn bìng jiǔ ， bú shì bēi qiū 。 xiū xiū ， zhè huí qù yě ， qiān wàn biàn 《yáng guān 》， yě zé nán liú 。 niàn wǔ líng rén yuǎn ， yān suǒ qín lóu 。 wéi yǒu lóu qián liú shuǐ ， yīng niàn wǒ 、 zhōng rì níng móu 。 níng móu chù ， cóng jīn yòu tiān ， yī duàn xīn chóu 。

鹧鸪天·暗淡轻黄体性柔 原作：李清照 英译：戈登.奥赛茵，闵晓红 暗淡轻黄体性柔， 情疏迹远只香留。 何须浅碧轻红色， 自是花中第一流。 梅定妒，菊应羞， 画阑开处冠中秋。 骚人可煞无情思， 何事当年不见收。 An Ode to the Golden Blossoms - to the tune ‘A Sky of Francolins’ (Zhegutian ) written by Li Qingzhao translated by Gordon Osing & Julia Min Pale, softest yellow and delicate her form is, or desolate, but far away her fine fragrance drifts. She needs no loud red on common green boughs to be found her blossoms blessed with the best. Now let plum blooms envy, and chrysanths confess. The carved rails display autumn’s highest praise. Qu Yuan must have lost the taste to appreciate. How come in Li Sao she’s not even possessed? ---- Appreciation: This ci is thought to have come from Li Qingzhao's early period (1108-1127), before she fled south. It is some-times called an "Ode to Osmanthus Flowers." The great Chu State poet Qu Yuan had written a treatise on the virtues of each blossom in the flower Pantheon, forgetting to include the Osmanthus golden blossoms. Here the poet uses the osmanthus to suggest the unrecognized and the unappreciated, which could be her own creations, and, indeed, herself, too fine a lady to offer the world some loud address. Although she was already very well received but still not included in the State’s Official collection, simply because she was a woman. This also explains why today we have such a small number of her poems left. As an ode lyric, she didn’t follow the conventional way of focusing on the beauty only, but shifting the readers’ attention to the comparison with the tone of a critic. The other hit among flower poems is her choice to describe the quality of Osmanthus flower without naming it in the whole poem. If we haven’t added it in the title but used the first line as the title as often the case with Ci poems, the whole poem would read like a riddle again, like her other poem on peony flower ( ‘’Tis the Last Flower of Spring Days – to the tune of Qingqingchaoman). I could imagine it is not just her personal style but more a humorous sensation among the gentle society entertainment occasions. I’m all for it for the fun, not wasting her effort. Riddle game was very popular in ancient China, still so today during festive season celebrations. The plum blossom, that occurs in late February or early March, when Winter is still upon the land, represents thus endurance, honor in adversity and lonely courage, as in the famous poem “The Plum Blossoms” by Su Shi (Su Tong-po). Chrysanthemums, that bloom at the end of the Summer and into the Autumn, represent spirit growing beautiful and expressing love of life as the Winter draws near. Notes: "sao ren": Qu Yuan（340—278 BC）founder of Romanticism in Poetry. He wrote the longest lyric Li Sao in ancient China. It covers many flowers in terms of the qualities each suggested to the Confucian gentlemen. Pinying and Word -For-Word Translation: zhè gū tiān ·àn dàn qīng huáng tǐ xìng róu àn dàn qīng huáng tǐ xìng róu ， qíng shū jì yuǎn zhī xiāng liú 。 hé xū qiǎn bì qīng hóng sè ， zì shì huā zhōng dì yī liú 。 méi dìng dù ，jú yīng xiū ， huà lán kāi chù guàn zhōng qiū 。 sāo rén kě shà wú qíng sī ， hé shì dāng nián bú jiàn shōu 。

多丽·小楼寒 原作：李清照 英译：戈登.奥赛茵，闵晓红 小楼寒， 夜长帘幕低垂。 恨萧萧、无情风雨， 夜来揉损琼肌。 也不似、贵妃醉脸， 也不似、孙寿愁眉。 韩令偷香， 徐娘傅粉， 莫将比拟未新奇。 细看取、屈平陶令， 风韵正相宜。 微风起， 清芬蕴藉， 不减酴釄。 渐秋阑、雪清玉瘦， 向人无限依依。 似愁凝、汉皋解佩， 似泪洒、纨扇题诗。 朗月清风， 浓烟暗雨， 天教憔悴度芳姿。 纵爱惜、不知从此， 留得几多时？ 人情好， 何须更忆， 泽畔东篱。 In her cold chamber the whole night long - to the tune of Duoli written by Li Qingzhao translated by Gordon Osing & Julia Min In her cold chamber the whole night long, the curtains sagging, tightly drawn, she hates the incessant winds and rains that chase to ruin her jade complexion. Forget Yang Guifei's tipsy smile, Sun Shou's frowned crescent eyebrows, or Han shou's stolen incense and Lady Xu's powdered face. Look closer, my friend, Qu Ping and Magistrate Tao knew better! The breeze lifts a subtle fragrance like raspberry, but all the sweeter. Autumn deepens, and her fine snowy skin shows an ultimate reluctance that is human, like the sorrow at Hangao for lost pendants, or Lady Ban’s poem of tears on her silk fan. Under the full moon in chilly winds, in thickening haze and darkening rains, the Gods spend all her fragrance. No matter how we cherish the moment, only out of time, she’s never for long. If the world weren't so wrong, who'd need the effort to send for Lord Qu in his lakeshore garden! --- Appreciation: This ci is thought to have come from Li Qingzhao's early period (1108-1127), before she fled south. It is some-times called an "Ode to Osmanthus Flowers." The great Chu State poet Qu Yuan had written a treatise on the virtues of each blossom in the flower Pantheon, forgetting to include the Osmanthus golden blossoms. Here the poet uses the osmanthus to suggest the unrecognized and the unappreciated, which could be her own creations, and, indeed, herself, too fine a lady to offer the world some loud address. Although she was already very well received but still not included in the State’s Official collection, simply because she was a woman. This also explains why today we have such a small number of her poems left. As an ode lyric, she didn’t follow the conventional way of focusing on the beauty only, but shifting the readers’ attention to the comparison with the tone of a critic. The other hit among flower poems is her choice to describe the quality of Osmanthus flower without naming it in the whole poem. If we haven’t added it in the title but used the first line as the title as often the case with Ci poems, the whole poem would read like a riddle again, like her other poem on peony flower ( ‘’Tis the Last Flower of Spring Days – to the tune of Qingqingchaoman). I could imagine it is not just her personal style but more a humorous sensation among the gentle society entertainment occasions. I’m all for it for the fun, not wasting her effort. Riddle game was very popular in ancient China, still so today during festive season celebrations. The plum blossom, that occurs in late February or early March, when Winter is still upon the land, represents thus endurance, honor in adversity and lonely courage, as in the famous poem “The Plum Blossoms” by Su Shi (Su Tong-po). Chrysanthemums, that bloom at the end of the Summer and into the Autumn, represent spirit growing beautiful and expressing love of life as the Winter draws near. Notes: "sao ren": Qu Yuan（340—278 BC）founder of Romanticism in Poetry. He wrote the longest lyric Li Sao in ancient China. It covers many flowers in terms of the qualities each suggested to the Confucian gentlemen. Pinying and Word -For-Word Translation: zhè gū tiān ·àn dàn qīng huáng tǐ xìng róu àn dàn qīng huáng tǐ xìng róu ， qíng shū jì yuǎn zhī xiāng liú 。 hé xū qiǎn bì qīng hóng sè ， zì shì huā zhōng dì yī liú 。 méi dìng dù ，jú yīng xiū ， huà lán kāi chù guàn zhōng qiū 。 sāo rén kě shà wú qíng sī ， hé shì dāng nián bú jiàn shōu 。

晓梦 原作：李清照（宋） 英译：闵晓红 晓梦随疏钟， 飘然蹑云霞。 因缘安期生， 邂逅萼绿华。 秋风正无赖， 吹尽玉井花。 共看藕如船， 同食枣如瓜。 翩翩坐上客， 意妙语亦佳。 嘲辞斗诡辩， 活火分新茶。 虽非助帝功， 其乐莫可涯。 人生能如此， 何必归故家。 起来敛衣坐， 掩耳厌喧哗。 心知不可见， 念念犹咨嗟。 My Dream at Dawn translated by Julia Min The sleepy chimes sent me to a dream at dawn. I paddled along rosy clouds fluttering beyond. As if arranged I met Anqi of Penglai before long, and E Luhua, the fairy from ‘South Mount’. Autumn doesn’t have the taste to appreciate, the Yujin Lotus blooms being chased and gone. The lotus seeds we found are long like a boat, and big as melon are the dates we feast upon. Then other friends in white robes join the table. We echoed to and fro with ci, the lyric songs, in graceful elegance and whimsical eloquence, over fresh tea made on the pot fire till morn. A lady can never succeed by the Song throne, but I have so much joy in the dream beyond, What more could I ask for after this event? It’s better than my homeland dream long-drawn. I got dressed and sat in respect like a new born, feeling so real as if the dreamland’s where I belong. Ear shut to the bustling world, I tried to re-enter, though I knew not possible to meet again beyond. --- Appreciation: This is her only poem on dream left today though dream is mentioned in some of her Ci poems. From the line ‘It’s better than my homeland dream long-drawn’, we may conclude the composing year could be in her later life after she fled to the Lin’an (the temporary Court of the Song after the fall of the capital in Bianliang, today’s Kaifeng City.). The poem articulates a comparison of her dream world where she longs for and a reality of helpless frustration and anger, aiming to criticize the hopeless Court in their response against the invasion from the north -- a similar sensation as Li Bai and Du Fu in a world of turmoil. This poem also reminds me of W.B. Yeats (1865-1939) who wrote ‘The Second Coming’ where the great Irish poet (Nobel Prize winner) crafted and elaborate over the turmoil of the world, like the above mentioned poets, feeling just helpless in changing it but putting his hope for some miracle to save the world. With such talented artistic quality, these poets, most common people would say, do not belong here but there beyond. Notes: 1. Anqi of Penglai: Penglai Mountain on an island off the East China Sea is the legendary fairyland for the immortals. Gentleman Anqi is a legendary figure appeared in the Qin Dynasty when he was already a thousand year old. 2. E Luhua, the legendary fairy who claimed that she was from ‘South Mount’ which is not known to the world. 3. Yujin Lotus blooms: a legend borrowed from Han Yu’s poem “Ancient Sensation” where he wrote: On the peak of Taihua ( Today’s Mount Hua), the Yujin Lotus blooms are over ten metres in size and the lotus seeds are long like a boat. 4. friends in white robes: a popular image of a learned gentleman in ancient China; Pinying and Word -For-Word Translation: xiǎo mèng xiǎo mèng suí shū zhōng ， piāo rán niè yún xiá 。 yīn yuán ān qī shēng ， xiè hòu è lǜ huá 。 qiū fēng zhèng wú lài ， chuī jìn yù jǐng huā 。 gòng kàn ǒu rú chuán ， tóng shí zǎo rú guā 。 piān piān zuò shàng kè ， yì miào yǔ yì jiā 。 cháo cí dòu guǐ biàn ， huó huǒ fèn xīn chá 。 suī fēi zhù dì gōng ， qí lè mò kě yá 。 rén shēng néng rú cǐ ， hé bì guī gù jiā 。 qǐ lái liǎn yī zuò ， yǎn ěr yàn xuān huá 。 xīn zhī bú kě jiàn ， niàn niàn yóu zī jiē 。

长寿乐·南昌生日 原作：李清照（宋） 英译：闵晓红 微寒应候， 望日边， 六叶阶蓂初秀。 爱景欲挂扶桑， 漏残银箭， 杓回摇斗。 庆高闳此际， 掌上一颗明珠剖。 有令容淑质， 归逢佳偶。 到如今， 昼锦满堂贵胄。 荣耀， 文步紫禁， 一一金章绿绶。 更值棠棣连阴， 虎符熊轼， 夹河分守。 况青云咫尺， 朝暮重入承明后。 看彩衣争献、 兰羞玉酎。 祝千龄， 借指松椿比寿。 Nanchang’s Birthday - to the tune of Longevity Grace. written by Li Qingzhao translated by Julia Min On a day the calendar plant grew its sixth leaf, the winter sun about to rise by the mulberry tree, the water clock dripping low on silver arrow scale, the Dipper Stars on the Milky Way turning sails, you were born with a silver spoon in your palm, since then you were the moony pearl of charm, well-bred for gentle class n wedded to your oyster. For your birthday today, your offspring gathered, in the Place of Honour built by your forefather, who retired to return in glory from the Emperor. Now I see an array of blue-blooded gentlemen - the esteemed, the renowned and the eminent. For generations down, your family is civil servant to the Crowns, favoured for countless achievements. Many have held the seal of gold in green ribbon. Now both sons are appointed as governors, given the Tiger’s Tally to command on military mission, and a caroche with bear handrail on the sedan, so close to the throne, so promising and prominent. Today, before you both gentlemen kneeled down, followed by the Purples and Blues in the crowd, blessing you with food in porcelain n wine in jade. I, too, wish you to live long as pines and toonas,- a reward for the worthy only in kindest grace. Appreciation: This Ci poem could be the most intellectual birthday poem ever written, which led to a most challenging translation work I ever translated into English. Li Qingzhao is not confirmed as the writer as some critics think that the language style is more complicated than most of her poetry, esp. so to contemporaries as there are so many things in it do not exist anymore but were well known by the Song people. It is indeed an aristocratic birthday celebration in the 12th century China, a most flourishing time in history where the gentlemen’s class exceeds any other dynasty not only in number and income, but also in quality and prestige. So, in my humble opinion, it could be Li Qingzhao’s creation ( could be in her late fifties) for the readership was the invited guests, ‘the Purples and Blues’, in the birthday celebration at the Place of Honour. As you may know, their intellectual level, as gentlemen and gentleladies of the Song, was way out of our lead today. It was most likely written right there, and then recited, and then sung by some celebrity, a popular entertainment of the time. Li Qingzhao was never a flattery type. The intelligence and sincerity showed here explains her close relation with the Han family. Her father was a student of Premier Han Qi (the ‘forefather’), so both families have been close for generations. Nanchang could be her close friend since childhood, but had all the luck in the world that Li Qingzhao was unfortunately deprived of. The tone of this ci poem overflows with her heartfelt admiration for her friend’s happy family, especially her sons. So it is not just a story of Nachang’s , or the Han’s, past and present, but also a contrast between Nanchang and Li Qingzhao if you know what our poet had been through before this day. Notes: 1. Calendar plant : a legendary plant that grows one leaf a day until the full moon and then falls a leaf a day until the moon is waned. So, the 6th leaf means the 6th day of the month in the lunar calendar which the Chinese used before the solar calendar was introduced; 2. Mulberry tree: legend has it too that the winter sun rises from a place where there was a big mulberry tree; 3. Water clock: a water dripping clock device with an arrow-shaped silver scale in it to tell the time. The water would be almost finished for refill early in the morning. 4. The Dipper Stars: the stars that would shift in direction before daybreak; 5. The Place of Honour: a very famous place in history, the residence built and named by Hanqi upon his return after his retirement from the Royal Court. The site is preserved today in Anyang, Henan Province. There is still a stone scripture there telling the story. 6. Golden seal in green ribbon: the seal used by high officials appointed by the emperor; 7. The Tiger’s tally: a tally given by the emperor to high officials with military power, such as a great general; it works like an official order to summon the army for a mission. 8. A caroche with a bear：a handrail in the front of a descent carriage, or a caroche, hinting the high position of the person sitting in it. Pinying and Word -For-Word Translation: chǎng shòu lè ·nán chāng shēng rì wēi hán yīng hòu ， wàng rì biān ， liù yè jiē mì chū xiù 。 ài jǐng yù guà fú sāng ， lòu cán yín jiàn ， biāo huí yáo dòu 。 qìng gāo hóng cǐ jì ， zhǎng shàng yī kē míng zhū pōu 。 yǒu lìng róng shū zhì ， guī féng jiā ǒu 。 dào rú jīn ， zhòu jǐn mǎn táng guì zhòu 。 róng yào ， wén bù zǐ jìn ， yī yī jīn zhāng lǜ shòu 。 gèng zhí táng dì lián yīn ， hǔ fú xióng shì ， jiá hé fèn shǒu 。 kuàng qīng yún zhǐ chǐ ， zháo mù zhòng rù chéng míng hòu 。 kàn cǎi yī zhēng xiàn 、 lán xiū yù zhòu 。 zhù qiān líng ， jiè zhǐ sōng chūn bǐ shòu 。

转调满庭芳.芳草池塘 原作：李清照（宋） 英译：闵晓红 补字：闵晓红 芳草池塘， 绿阴庭院， 晚晴寒透窗纱。 几声金鏁， 管是客来唦。 寂寞尊前席上， 惟笑我， 海角天涯。 能留否？ 酴釄落尽， 犹赖有黄花。 当年， 曾胜赏， 生香熏袖， 活火分茶。 更游龙骄马， 流水轻车。 不怕风狂雨骤， 恰才称, 煮酒残花。 如今也， 不成怀抱， 得似旧时那？ 注：‘几声’, ‘笑我’, ‘黄花’, ‘更游’ 本为原版缺字，后闵晓红不满意其它版本的补字，又根据词意补上。 The Fragrant Grass by the Pond - to the tune of Mantingfang written by Li Qingzhao translated by Julia Min The fragrant grass by the pond has stirred my memory beyond. The wind sends chill through the screens, waking my dream in the shaded green. Did I hear knockings at the gate? Maybe I have friends joining dinner today?- Well, nothing gold can ever stay. Just me at the table, drinking alone. Here, laugh if you will at this sickening lady who’d not care as she’s so remote from home. Now that bramble roses faded to mud, we have but to expect for chrysanthemum. I remember, I remember, the happy parties with friends over, -- the creamy teas made on pot fire followed by warm rice wine in a hall with incense burners, until our sleeves are filled with the aroma until our spirits flew in feathers… Not to mention the gallant horses, and crafted carriages flowing like river. Even thunderstorm couldn’t stand in our way. - Whatever blooms fallen, we’d not care a moment. Today, I see a water view so similar, but a feel peculiarly unfamiliar. Appreciation: It’s believed that our poet wrote this ci at the age of 54 when she had settled in Lin’an. On a hot summer day, she was resting in her big balcony behind the screen under a big tree near a pond surrounded with green grass plants scented by the roseleaf bramble flowers just fallen after the rain. She seemed to have heard knockings at the gate but her maid returns alone. Just another illusion! At such ‘a remote corner of the world’, how could she find her old friends?! She realized the happiness of her days are gone forever. There is only her resistant courage and gracefulness for the remaining years of her life, which is hinted in the concluding line of the first stanza. The second stanza explores further her memory of the happy old days before the fall of the Northern Song Dynasty when her beloved husband, family and friends often get together during summer season. It was a carefree luxurious life style with sweet incense burning in the room, tea game going hectic to see who could make the creamiest tea, the young drinking to new poems far into the night… where she of course was often the winner or the hit of the party. Melancholy and loneliness were not in her dictionary, and all just feels like yesterday! The whole poem structures on the contrast between the past and the present to achieve a striking artistic effect on the readers’ mind about the transforming years between Northern Song and Southern Song. The impact on the intellectual world was obviously a strong one as we have discovered so many artistic works on the period. Notes: 1. roseleaf bramble: It was the last bloom of flowers that wither in summer, hinting the last days of beauty and happiness in Chinese culture. 2. creamy teas: popular tea serving in the Song dynasty where a tea ball is crushed to powder and mixed with water seven times until it becomes creamy before sharing into cups for guests. It’s been inherited by the Japanese, and now getting popular in mainland China. 3. remote：it’s more the distance in the mind than the actual miles. Having tumbled here and there with the escape team of the Royal court to many a new destination along the sea borders, even to some islands, Li Qingzhao used hǎi jiǎo tiān yá, i.e. the edge of the sea and heaven, to exaggerate how she felt there and then. Pinying and Word -For-Word Translation: zhuǎn diào mǎn tíng fāng . fāng cǎo chí táng fāng cǎo chí táng ， lǜ yīn tíng yuàn ， wǎn qíng hán tòu chuāng shā 。 jǐ shēng jīn suǒ ， guǎn shì kè lái shā 。 jì mò zūn qián xí shàng ， wéi xiào wǒ ， hǎi jiǎo tiān yá 。 néng liú fǒu ？ tú mí luò jìn ， yóu lài yǒu huáng huā 。 dāng nián ， céng shèng shǎng ， shēng xiāng xūn xiù ， huó huǒ fèn chá 。 gèng yóu lóng jiāo mǎ ， liú shuǐ qīng chē 。 bú pà fēng kuáng yǔ zhòu ， qià cái chēng , zhǔ jiǔ cán huā 。 rú jīn yě ， bú chéng huái bào ， dé sì jiù shí nà ？

钓台 原作：【宋】李清照 英译：闵晓红 巨舰只缘因利往， 扁舟亦是为名来。 往来有愧先生德， 特地通宵过钓台。 The River Traffic by Yan’s Fishing Pavilion translated by Julia Min Look at all the boats coming for a token of fame, and the ships sail away for silver and gold. I can’t help feeling ashamed of my escape, so we sneaked passed in midnight’s cold. Appreciation: Again, our poet chose the form of Poem instead of Ci when she expressed a stronger theme, an open criticism against the weakness of the ruling Court in military defence, and more ironically, the gentlemen’s society that were still busy in the hustle and bustle of fame-seeking game when they were expected to seek for national integrity threated by Jin from the North. Even Li Qingzhao herself ran for her life following the Empress Dowager’s long team of escape, hence, she chose to pass Yan’s fishing spot in the dark feeling so ashamed of doing it in daylight. It appears as if it’s her shame but a much stronger irony is meant for the gentlemen’s society. Females in the Song were not accepted in the army, otherwise she might have joined and written to encourage a stronger defence in some military force. I wouldn’t be surprised considering her temperament since teenage years being an elegant lady with a heart of heroic courage, as we may also see in her other works – By the River of Wujiang (“Alive, I’d be a hero for the people,/Dead, a paragon of ghosts in Hell.”); The Eight Verses Tower,…… Notes: 1. Yan’s Fishing Pavilion: Legend has it that this is the riverbank spot where Yan Zilin used to do fishing when he chose to live in seclusion rather than living for fame and money in a high official position offered by Emperor Guangwu of the Han Dynasty ( Liu Xiu 5-57 AD). He is respected for his courage in pursuing the value in his heart rather than the social value of the chaotic world, the heroic integrity Li Qingzhao failed to see in the Southern Song’s Court officials. Pinying and Word -For-Word Translation: diào tái jù jiàn zhī yuán yīn lì wǎng ， biǎn zhōu yì shì wéi míng lái 。 wǎng lái yǒu kuì xiān shēng dé ， tè dì tōng xiāo guò diào tái 。