Nothing to do

What a record! No CDE for 13 days!

Since we are supposed to be learning about Chinese and American cultures, I will now type 3 Chinese poems from memory. Believe me when I say I memorised them if you want.

赠花卿
杜甫〈唐〉

锦城丝管日纷纷
半入江风半入云
此曲只应天上有
人间能得几回闻

For the benefit of English readers, this poem is a satire hidden beneath a façade of praise at the beauty of some music. 花卿 refers to a certain official Hua (花), from whose house beautiful music "fit only for the heavens" emanates. It would be no more than a poem praising the music's beauty if not for the last sentence, which reads "how often can the commoners hear such music?" I think of the biblical quote "For a good work we stone thee not, but for blasphemy, and because thou, being a man, makest thyself God" when I read this, partially because of the presence of "heaven" in the Chinese text, and partially for no good reason at all.

春题湖上
白居易〈唐〉

湖上春来入画图
乱峰围绕水平铺
松排山面千重翠
月点波心一颗珠

碧毯线头抽早稻
青罗裙带展新蒲
未能抛得杭州去
一半勾留是此湖

(I didn't memorise the 6th line...
But the version I have been memorising differs from online versions...
青罗裙带展新蒲 is 青图裙带展新蒲 on my folding fan. Hmm.)

This is a poem praising the breathtaking beauty of Xihu (West Lake, 西湖) in Hangzhou. I received a folding fan from my friend who travelled there, and on that fan was this poem, thus I took to memorising it. Will I ever go there someday?

水调歌头
苏轼〈宋〉

丙辰中秋，欢饮达旦，大醉，作此篇，兼怀子由。

明月几时有？
把酒问青天
不知天上宫阙
今夕是何年？

我欲乘风归去
又恐琼楼玉宇
高处不胜寒
起舞弄清影
何似在人间？

转朱阁，低绮户，照无眠
不应有恨，何事长向别时圆？
人有悲欢离合
月有阴晴圆缺
此事古难全

但愿人长久
千里共婵娟

(Again, I couldn't remember some of the words. I almost know the song version by heart, but when it comes to writing it, ehh.)

I simply love this poem because I learnt it when I was very young. It has stuck with me ever since then, and as my Chinese slowly improved, I came to know more of the meaning, and enjoyed it even more. The last lines especially: "May it be that we can enjoy the same full moon (on the Mid-Autumn Festival), even if we are a thousand li apart." To my cousins in America, when will I see you again?

I wonder if knowledge of long, ancient poetry is helpful in impressing persons of the opposite gend--ah, let's not worry about such things now. I have CDE work to do.

Thank you for reading!

Im tésavbia fléidunol,
Blade Chong