Friday, February 6, 2009

Just want to post a few poem for comparison, even though the translation totally ruin the point of chinese poem.

This one is Drinking Alone in the Moonlight, by Li Po, first line is the author and title
李白 月下獨酌

花間一壺酒
獨酌無相親
舉杯邀明月
對影成三人
月既不解飲
影徒隨我身
暫伴月將影
行樂須及春
我歌月徘徊
我舞影零亂
醒時同交歡
醉後各分散
永結無情遊
相期邈雲漢

Then here the river-merchant's wife (title don't match at all) and well, he never used any I, you, etc. Ruined by translation again

李白 長干行
妾髮初覆額
折花門前劇
郎騎竹馬來
遶床弄青梅
同居長干里
兩小無嫌猜
十四為君婦
羞顏未嘗開
低頭向暗壁
千喚不一回
十五始展眉
願同塵與灰
常存抱柱信
豈上望夫臺
十六君遠行
瞿塘灩澦堆
五月不可觸
猿鳴天上哀
門前遲行跡
一一生綠苔
苔深不能掃
落葉秋風早
八月蝴蝶來
雙飛西園草
感此傷妾心
坐愁紅顏老
早晚下三巴
預將書報家
相迎不道遠
直至長風沙

1 comment:

  1. Thanks for posting these. They illustrate, again, that when a person doesn't know the meaning of the script, as most of us in the class don't, the script becomes an object...to my eye very beautiful in the instance of these poems. Also I find the subjects poetic in and of themselves. Drinking along at moonlight...and the poem about brothers that you read in class.

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