Thursday, April 3, 2008

Forlorn

So dim, so dark,
So dense, so dull,
So damp, so dank,
So dead!
The weather, now warm, now cold,
Makes it harder
Than ever to forget!
How can a few cups of thin wine
Bring warmth against
The chilly winds of sunset?
I recognize the geese flying overhead:
My old friends,
Bring not the old memories back!
Let fallen flowers lie where they fall.
To what purpose
And for whom should I decorate?
By the window shut,
Guarding it alone,
To see the sky has turned so black!
And the drizzle on the kola nut
Keeps on droning:
Pit – a –pat, pit – a – pat!
Is this the kind of mood and moment
To be expressed
By one word “sad”?
 
 
by Li Qingzhao (1084-c. 1151)
Translate by Lin Yutang (10, 1895- 3, 1976)
 
"Li Qingzhao was a Chinese writer and poet of the Song Dynasty, regarded by many as the premier women poet in the Chinese language."
 

声声慢 (李清照)

寻寻觅觅  
冷冷清清
凄凄惨惨戚戚
乍暖还寒时候
最难将息
三杯两盏淡酒  
怎敌他晚来风急
雁过也  
正伤心  
却是旧时相识

满地黄花堆积  
憔悴损  
而今有谁堪摘
守着窗儿  
独自怎生得黑
梧桐更兼细雨  
到黄昏点点滴滴  
这次第  
怎一个愁字了得