Tag Archives: Chinese Literature

Wen Fu 2: “Introspection” [文賦二] by Lu Ji [陆机] [w/ Audio]

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Close your eyes and listen with care.
 Turn all your attention inside.
 Let your soul ride the Eight Borders
   At a galloping stride.

Inner space brightens, becomes more
 Compact, as one views the expanse.
 Words pour forth to cleanse the soul,
   As the Six Arts lend a fragrance.

Float, swim, and dive in the abyss,
 Heedful for words as it all soaks in...
 Sometimes the right word must be hooked,
  And hauled up where it can be spoken.
 But, other times, words are like birds,
 That fly themselves out of the clouds,
 To be downed by one swift arrow --
  Quite willingly freed of their shrouds.

Mine for lines lost ages ago --
 Rhymes unsung for ten centuries.
 Thank tight buds for the sweet flowers
   That they - soon enough - will be.

See past and present concurrently,
   At once, touch mountain and sea.

The Original in Simplified Chinese:

其始也，皆收视反听，耽思傍讯，精骛八极，心游万仞。

其致也，情曈曨而弥鲜，物昭晣而互进。

倾群言之沥液，漱六艺之芳润。

浮天渊以安流，濯下泉而潜浸。

于是沈辞怫悦，若游鱼衔钩，而出重渊之深；
浮藻联翩，若翰鸟缨缴，而坠曾云之峻。

收百世之阙文，采千载之遗韵。

谢朝华于已披，启夕秀于未振。

观古今于须臾，抚四海于一瞬。

Wen Fu 1: “Poetic Experience” [文賦一] by Lu Ji [陆机] [w/ Audio]

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The poet stands in the Center
   And stares into deep mysteries.
 He's nourished by reading Classics
   And tombs of the men in Histories.
 He sighs as four seasons pass by
   And thinks upon ten-thousand things.
 He's saddened by Autumn's leaf drop
   And gladdened by the tender Spring.
 He feels Winter's frost on his heart,
   Though his mind may be up in a cloud.
 And when he sings of ancestors'
   Heroic deeds, he belts the song aloud.
 He combs through great literature
   Just as he roams the forest wild,
 But in search of a "natural" --
   Shown in elegant phrase and style.
 And it's just such thoughts and feelings
   That set my brush and mind wheeling.

The Original Chinese:

佇中區以玄覽，頤情志於典墳。
遵四時以嘆逝，瞻萬物而思紛。
悲落葉於勁秋，喜柔條於芳春，
心懍懍以懷霜，志眇眇而臨雲。
詠世德之駿烈，誦先人之清芬。
游文章之林府，嘉麗藻之彬彬。
慨投篇而援筆，聊宣之乎斯文。

“Rain on Lotus” by Yang Wanli [w/ Audio]

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Asleep on a leaf beneath lotus blooms,
 Their fragrance floats across the misty lake.
 Sudden rain - taps upon the canopy;
 Its sound snaps me from sleep to wide awake!

The lotus is beaded with rain droplets --
 Like pearls, drops roll together and apart;
 The clear blobs coalesce like mercury,
 Dripping to the river... back to their start.

“Night Mooring” by Zhang Ji [w/ Audio]

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The moon sets; crows caw below frosty skies.
 Boats, moored to maples -- lamps glow like cat eyes.
 Cold Mountain Temple, outside Gusu's bounds:
 The midnight bell cuts off soft water sounds.

“The great road has no gate” by Tiāntóng Rújìng [w/ Audio]

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The great road has no gate.
 It leaps out from the heads of all of you.
 The sky has no road.
 It enters into my nostrils.
 In this way we meet as Gautama's bandits,
   or Linji's troublemakers. Ha!
 Great houses tumble down and spring wind swirls.
 Astonished, apricot blossoms fly and scatter -- red.

Translated by Mel Weitsman and Kazuaki Tanahashi; printed in: Essential Zen. 1994. HarperSanFrancisco, p. 136.

Note: While Rujing was Chinese he was teacher to the prominent Japanese Zen Teacher, Dōgen Zenji, the latter published this and other poems, hence the dual categorization of it as Chinese and Japanese Literature.

“Wine Spring” by Pan Lang [w/ Audio]

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I remember viewing the West Lake
 While leaning on a pagoda rail.
 The boats all clustered in threes or twos.
 The islets under deep Autumn blues.

Flute song arose from among the cattails.
 And a line of white birds - overhead - sailed.
 I planned to fix my old fishing pole,
 but clouds on water had my mind & soul.

“Water Dragon Chant” by Ge Changgeng [w/ Audio]

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A screen of cloud veils the mountain,
 And cold monkeys squawk from green pines.
 Fungi abound, but seeds dormant,
 Searching for sprouts -- alas, in vain.
 Somewhere near there's a fairy cave
 Where flutes and lutes are often played.
 Its Way is overgrown with moss,
 And the old stone gate yields no clue.
 Where have all the fairy folk gone?

Looking back, there's an endless plain
 Where flowers fall like streaming tears.
 It's easy to grow old; Where is
 the messenger to bring some news?
 To tell who the Golden Phoenix charms?
 Waking from a deep, restless dream
 What remains are blooms on the stream.

“Jade Cup” by Zhang Ju [w/ Audio]

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The West winds tumble fallen leaves;
 Autumn 's yellow, though blooms are shy;
 I brush at dust upon my sleeves;
 The horses' hoofprints dot the frost;
 Moonlit cocks crow amid grain sheaves;
 The road to town: no passersby.

Fame 's not gained by effort or skill,
 And would fade away ten years hence.
 Please don't dance, but drink your fill.
 Six Dynasty tales flow away:
 Diluted as waters spread and spill.
 The world feels like dream and pretense.

BOOKS:  木兰辞 [Ballad of Mulan] by Anonymous

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The Ballad of Mulan: 木兰辞 (Simplified Chinese Characters with Pinyin)The Ballad of Mulan: 木兰辞 by Song Nan Zhang
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Available online at YellowBridge

This is a short lyric poem (15-1/2 quatrain, or 62 lines) that tells the story of a young woman who disguises herself as a man and joins the military to fill a slot that would otherwise have required her aged and infirm father to serve. The tiny poem packs in ten-plus years, during which Hua Mulan serves with great distinction and then returns home to take care of her parents. It’s a well-known tale that emphasizes the importance of filial piety and sacrifice. Though outside of China (as well as Taiwan and other Chinese cultural enclaves,) many may know it from the Disney version which has been panned for ditching the Confucian values and replacing them with ones that were thought would resonate better with a Western audience.

The poem is mostly arranged in quatrains of five-character lines with alternate line rhymes.

It’s a quick read and there is no room for the detailed tales of heroism that are depicted in adaptations.

If one is looking for a culturally insightful telling of the story of Hua Mulan, this is the right place to look. I’d highly recommend reading it.

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BOOKS: 三字经 by 王应麟 [“Three Character Classic” by Wang Yinglin]

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三字经三字经 by 章炳麟
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Available online — Project Gutenberg

This is a Confucian primer written in lines of three characters. It’s a children’s book in the sense that it’s aimed at children, but not necessarily with respect to being presented in a manner most conducive to childhood learning. (While it’s concise, the material isn’t presented in an interesting or memorable form. i.e. It’s intended for brute force rote memorization.)

The book consists of five sections, ranging between twenty-four and one hundred and six lines (72 to 318 characters per chapter.) The first introduces Confucian virtues. The second offers a broad overview of classics of Chinese philosophy. The third section lists the dynasties of China. The penultimate section describes ideal behavior from a Confucian perspective. The last, and briefest, section is largely a pep talk on studying hard.

As someone learning Mandarin Chinese, it’s interesting to see how sentences are formed in this sparse format, and this text offers insight into Chinese history and philosophy, in addition to providing a good early reader.

If you are interested in learning elementary Confucianism or you’re learning Chinese and looking for short and simple texts for reading, I’d recommend one look into the Three Character Classic.

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