Chinese Poets － Confucius

Confucius

Confucius, (551-479 B.C.) Confucius was a Chinese teacher, editor, politician, and philosopher. Confucius’ thoughts and interpretation of classical texts gained the sanction of the Chinese state and his works became highly influential in Chinese government and society.

Confucius was born and died in the state of Lu. He lost his father at the age of three and grew up in straightened circumstances, under his mother’s care. As a boy he liked to set up sacrificial vessels and to imitate the gestures of ritual. At the age of nineteen he married, and a son and two daughters were born to him. His relations with his wife and children were without cordiality. He was a large man of great physical strength.

“By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest.”

“To put the world in order, we must first put the nation in order; to put the nation in order, we must first put the family in order; to put the family in order; we must first cultivate our personal life; we must first set our hearts right.”

― Confucius

Chinese Poets－Lao Tzu

Lao Tzu

Lao Tzu (6th Century B.C.) also known as Lao Tse, Laotze, Laosi, Laocius) was a poet and philosopher of ancient China, best known as the author of the Tao Te Ching. This is a body of mystical writings giving an insight into ultimate reality. The Tào Té Chīng forms an important basis of Daoism.

“Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don’t resist them; that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like.”

- Lao Tzu

He attracted many followers, but he refused to set his ideas down in writing. He believed that written words might solidify into formal dogma. He wanted his philosophy to remain a natural way to live life with goodness, serenity, and respect. He believed a person’s conduct should be governed by instinct and conscience.

He believed that human life is constantly influenced by outside forces. He believed ‘simplicity’ to be the key to truth and freedom. He encouraged his followers to observe, and seek to understand the laws of nature; to develop intuition and build up personal power; to use that power to lead life with love, and without force.

“When you are content to be simply yourself and don’t compare or compete, everyone will respect you.”

- Lao Tzu

How do you learn foreign language?

When you move to a different country or region, learning the local language will help you to communicate and integrate with the local community. Also if your partner or friends speak a different language, learning that language will help you to communicate with them. It can also give you a better understanding of their culture and way of thinking.

Nowadays more and more companies need many different kinds of workers who can communicate in different languages and understand other cultures. So it’s necessary to learn a foreign language. That’s why I post the Chinese poetries on my Blogger. It can help foreigners to learn Chinese.

Maybe some foreigners think it’s hard and bored to learn Chinese, because Chinese is so difficult. I agree with that. So maybe to those people who want to learn Chinese, you can learn some Chinese poetries first. Firstly the poetries are shorter than the essays. Most of them are less than 100 words. Secondly you also can learn some Chinese cultural. Can you imagine when you hang out with your friends or your boss, how surprised they are if you can read them some Chinese poetries?

I also did a research on my Facebook page and Twitter about “how do you learn foreign language” and I got some comments. Most people learn the foreign language because they get to a new environment. They are forced to communicate with people who live there and understand their culture. Young people would like to take online class or onsite class. Older people prefer to learn the foreign language by themselves.

Here's the link of my Facebook: www.facebook.com/ilovechinesepoetry

Please join me to discuss how do you learn foreign language and do you have any good idea about it?

Tian Jing Sha * Qiu Si

Tian Jing Sha * Qiu Si

天净沙· 秋思

English version 1:

枯藤老树昏鸦, ku teng lao shu hun ya,

Autumn Crows hovering over rugged trees wreathed with rotten vine― the day is about done.

小桥流水人家，xiao qiao liu shui ren jia,

Yonder is a tiny bridge over a sparkling stream，and on the far bank，a pretty little village.

古道西风瘦马。gu dao xi feng shou ma。

But the traveler has to go on down this ancient road，the west wind moaning，his bony horse groaning，

夕阳西下，xi yang xi xia,

Trudging towards the sinking sun，

断肠人在天涯。duan chang ren zai tian ya.

Farther and farther away from home.”

This version is not like a true poem but story-like.

Version 2:

Tune to Sand and Sky

― Autumn Thoughts

Dry vine,old tree,crows at dusk，

Low bridge,stream running,cottages，

Ancient road,west wind,lean nag，

The sun westering，

And one with breaking heart at the sky’s edge.”

These nine nominal phrases conveys the nine images in the form of nine Chinese nominal phrases which is much alike in form. 

Version 3:

Tune-----Tian Jing Sha

Withered vines hanging on old branches, Returning crows croaking at dusk.

A few houses hidden past a narrow bridge, and below the bridge quiet creek running.

Down a worn path,in the west wind. A lean horse comes plodding.
The sun dips down in the west，

And the lovesick traveler is still at the end of the world.

This version more faithfully and smoothly expresses the original idea.

Chang E -----The Lady In The Moon

Chang E

嫦 娥

云母屏风烛影深,

yun mu ping feng zhu ying shen,

长河渐落晓星沉.

chang he jian luo xiao xing chen.

嫦娥应悔偷灵药,

chang e ying hui tou ling yao

碧海青天夜夜心.

bi hai qing tian yeye xin.

English versions1: 

The lady in the moon

Behind the mica screen, in shadows deep, a candle flickers.

The Milky Way has faded, and the Morning Star decline.

Chang E must regret having stolen the magic elixir—

In that blue Ocean of a sky: endless thoughts, night after night.

Version 2: 

To the Moon Goddess

Upon the marble screen the candle-light is winking,

The Milky Way is slanting and morning stars sinking.

You’d regret to have stolen the miraculous potion,

Night after night you brood o’er the celestial ocean.

In the first line, “影” in original poem is only mentioned in the first version. In fact, “shadow” in the original poem doesn’t truly mean “shadow” in English in that shadow is formed when the light can not pass through the object. In the original poem, no other object is mentioned, so “shadow” is the light of the flicker of the candle.

The second line adds gloom and upset to the desolation. “渐(gradual)” is very important because it implies that the poet is awake all night. The first version uses present perfect which has changed the intent of the poet while the second employs the present progressive that better conveys the underlying meaning.

As for the third line, the poet associates himself with Chang E—the goddess in the moon in that they both pursue noble and unsullied spirit yet exacerbate the loneliness and distress. The second version is stating in the tone as if the poet was communicating with Chang E—“you’d regret to…”, which is more likely to blame rather than compare himself to her.

In the last line, the poet compares the sky to a blue sea (“碧海”) which is very vivid. “碧海”and “青天” are in fact the same image of the vast sky. “Blue ocean”and “sky” in the first version are to display the images in the original poem, understandable and very loyal. “Celestial ocean” used in the second version, meaning “of heaven; divine”, presents the      original images well while leaving readers vast room for imagination.

In this seven-character quatrain (七言绝句), the rhyme is /en/ in pinyin (though the last character is end up with /in/, they are actually the same in ancient times), and is in conformity with the “aaba”, the most popular rhyme scheme. The first version does not apply rhyme since the rhymes of the four lines are all different (/s/, /n/, /ex/and /t/), so it has failed to present the sound beauty of the original poem in this sense. 

Classical Chinese poetry has its distinct beauty of form in that Chinese characters are  all the same in size, making the poem orderly and beautiful, which is impossible to realize in English. As a result, the basic standard of the form beauty is to keep the translated version of a poem conforming to the original poem in terms of the number of lines. The two versions all have all retained the form of four lines, loyal to the original poem.