Poem by Xin Qizi

[snowynight]

辛棄疾: 寄調 醜奴兒/ 採桑子: 書博山道中壁

Xin Qizi (1140-1207): To the tune of Chou Nu Er/ Cai Sang Zi (The Ugly Page/ Picking Mulberries): Written on a Wall on the Way to Boshan

 

1    少年不識愁滋味

2    愛上層樓

3    愛上層樓 

4    為赋新詞強說愁

 

5    而今識盡愁滋味 

6    欲說還休

7    欲說還休 

8    卻道天凉好個秋

 

1    When young I never did know the taste of woe or sorrow,

2    Up to the top floor, I loved to go;

3    Up to the top floor, I loved to go---

4    For to compose new verses, I feigned my sorrow and woe.

 

5    Now sorrow and woe I've tasted, and the bitterness withal,

6    To speak, I wish, and yet I stall;

7    To speak, I wish, and yet I stall---

8    O how fair though chilly this autumn! I say, after all.

Translated by Andrew W.F. Wong (Huang Hongfa)      譯者: 黃宏發

Link to the translation

Comments

[jjhunter]

Now I'm really curious about the tune! Is it a popular one in China that everyone would know? I like how this blends that boundary between poetry and song lyric (always a wavering one to begin with), and am curious if the rhyming element holds true in the original, and how tonal differences come in.

[snowynight]

This poem belongs to a kind of ancient China poetry, ci, which's written to a tune. The translation follows the rhyming scheme of the original poem. he tone of the tunes used in ci're mostly lost now, sadly.

[jjhunter]

I'd love to hear or read more about 'ci'. Might I trouble you to direct me to a resource or two where I might learn more?

[snowynight]

There's the wikipedia page: Ci on wikipedia. And I find these books: Song Proses, Gateway TO Chinese Classical Literature. They should be a start.

[jjhunter]

Thank you! I'll bookmark them & look forward to reading further when I have time later this week. I thought you did a wonderful job as Poetry Host this week, by the way - thank you so much for volunteering!