Poetry of Spring #3 Spring is colorful!

(Title)

chūn rì

春 日

(Author) zhū xī

          ----朱 熹

shèng rì xún fāng sì shuǐ bīn，wú biān guāng jǐng yī shí xīn。
胜日寻芳泗水滨，无边光景一时新。

děng xián shí dé dōng fēng miàn，wàn zǐ qiān hóng zǒng shì chūn。
等闲识得东风面，万紫千红总是春。

(Translation)

春日: spring time

胜日: sunny days

寻芳: go onto a field trip, it's common for ancient Chinese poets to go out and enjoy the spring in the wild

泗水: Si River, a river in Shandong Province

滨: edge of the river

无边: meaning that the field was so big that you cannot see the limit/edge

光景: scenery

一时新: take on a completely new look

等闲: easy

识得: can recognize

东风: wind blowing from the east, referring to the wind of spring

面: appearance

万/千: meaning a lot

紫/红: purple/red, referring to colorful flowers

总是: always

(Appreciation)

On a sunny day in spring, I went out onto a field trip next to the Si River. The field was so big that I could not see the edge of it. Since spring time, the scenery had completely changed and now it looked so refreshing! It's easy to recognize the change that the spring wind had brought to this field. So many colorful flowers were blooming, suggesting that spring was here!

Poetry of relationship #2 When would I get a letter from you?

(Title)
yī jiǎn méi
一 剪 梅

           (Author) lǐ qīng zhào
                    ----李 清 照

hóng ǒu xiāng cán yù diàn qiū， qīng jiě luó cháng， dú shàng lán zhōu。
红 藕 香 残 玉 簟 秋，轻 解 罗 裳，独 上 兰 舟。

yún zhōng shuí jì jǐn shū laí，yàn zì huí shí，yuè mǎn xī lóu。
云 中 谁 寄 锦 书 来？雁 字 回 时，月 满 西 楼。

huā zì piāo líng shuǐ zì liú， yī zhǒng xiāng sī， liǎng chù xián chóu。
花 自 飘 零 水 自 流，一 种 相 思，两 处 闲 愁。

cǐ qíng wú jì kě xiāo chú， cái xià méi tóu， qùe shàng xīn tóu。
此 情 无 计 可 消 除，才 下 眉 头，却 上 心 头。

(Translation)

Please feel free to let me know in the comments if there's any other words you don't understand!

红藕: red lotus

香残: wither

玉簟秋: beautiful bamboo mat is cold, meaning autumn is coming

罗裳: clothes

兰舟: boats made of a special kind of wood

云: clouds

锦书: letters

雁: wild goose

回: heading back

月: the moon

飘零: fading and falling

水: stream

相思: missing someone

无计: have no method

消除: eliminate

眉头: brows

心头: heart 

(Appreciation)

The red locus was withering away. The cold bamboo mat reminded me that autumn was coming. I took off my clothes and boarded the boat by myself. I looked at the clouds in the sky and was wondering who would send me a letter. It's the season that wild goose would travel back to the south. The moonlight was so bright and was shining onto the buildings.

Flowers were fading and falling. I was missing my husband a lot! I cannot stop missing him! Even if I managed to forgot about it for a little bit, the feeling would come back to me immediately.

Poetry of life #6 Homesickness during the war!

(Title)
chūn wànɡ
春 望

          (Author) dù fǔ
                   ----杜 甫

ɡuó pò shān hé zài，chénɡ chūn cǎo mù shēn。
国 破 山 河 在， 城 春 草 木 深。

ɡǎn shí huā jiàn lèi，hèn bié niǎo jīnɡ xīn。
感 时 花 溅 泪， 恨 别 鸟 惊 心。

fēnɡ huǒ lián sān yuè，jiā shū dǐ wàn jīn。
烽 火 连 三 月， 家 书 抵 万 金。

bái tóu sāo ɡènɡ duǎn，hún yù bù shènɡ zān。
白 头 搔 更 短， 浑 欲 不 胜 簪。

(Translation)

国/城: capital of Tang Dynasty, XiAn                          
破: get invaded

山河: mountains and rivers                                        
在: still exist

草木深: grass and trees are everywhere, meaning the citied is abandoned

感时: being sad about the situation                           
花: flowers

溅泪: crying                                                                
恨别: have to leave

鸟: birds                                                                     
烽火: fire indicating the war

三月: three months, January, February, March          
家书: letters for home

万金: a lot of gold                                                       
白头: white hair

短: short                                                                     
不胜: cannot handle it

簪: hairpin

(Appreciation)

The capital got invaded by the enemies. The country did not exist anymore even though the mountains and rivers were still there! As I was walking in the capital, all I could see were grass and trees. I was so sad about the situation that even the flowers next to me were crying. Even the birds could feel that I didn't want to leave the country. The war had been going on for three months since January. I wanted to send a letter home, but it's so expensive! I scratched my head too hard that I started to loose my white hair. The hair got too short for me to use the hairpin.

Poetry of life #5 Miss you, take care!

(Title)
wú tí
无 题

    (Author) lǐ shāng yǐn

             ----李 商 隐

xiāng jiàn shí nán bié yì nán，dōng fēng wú lì bǎi huā cán。
相 见 时 难 别 亦 难， 东 风 无 力百 花 残。

chūn cán dào sǐ sī fāng jìn，là jù chéng huī lèi shǐ gān。
春 蚕 到 死 丝 方 尽，蜡炬 成 灰 泪 始 干。


xiǎo jìng dàn chóu yún bìn gǎi，yè yín yīng jué yuè guāng hán。
晓 镜 但 愁 云 鬓 改，夜 吟 应 觉 月 光 寒。

péng shān cǐ qù wú duō lù，qīng niǎo yīn qín wèi tàn kàn
蓬 山 此 去 无 多 路， 青 鸟 殷 勤 为 探 看。

(Translation)

无题: no specific title                                                  
相见: meet up

难: hard                                                                      
别: leave

东风: wind blown from the east, also wind in the spring

残: wither                                                                    
春蚕: spring silkworms

死: die                                                                         
丝: silk

尽: use up                                                                   
蜡炬: candles

灰: ash                                                                        
泪: tears of the candles

干: dry up                                                                    
晓: morning

镜: mirrors                                                                   
愁: worry about

云鬓: woman's hair                                                     
改: change

夜吟: read poems at night                                          
月光: moonlight

寒: cold                                                                         

蓬山: mysterious mountain on the sea, referring to author's lover's house here

路: road                                                                      

青鸟: legendary birds who pass messages between two lovers

殷勤: strong relationship                                            
探看: visit

(Appreciation)

Line by line because the first two lines of this poem have special meanings!!!!

It's hard to find you, but it's even harder to leave you! The spring wind which brought the warmth to the land was not very strong this year, so the flowers started to wither away! (## Special meaning! The author used wind to compare to himself, meaning that the author had no choice but to leave, so his lover was very sad! ##)

Spring silkworms would not stop making silk until they died! The tears of the candles would not dry up until the candles burned up! (##Special meaning! The author actually used silkworms and candles to compare to himself, meaning that his love for his lover would not end until he died ##)

I could image you looking into the mirror and worry about getting old. I could also imagine myself reading poem on cold nights under the moonlight!

From now on, it will be impossible for me to come visit you! Hope the legendary birds could visit you from time to time and deliver my love for you!

Poetry of life #2 Time passes quickly!

(Title)
tí dū chéng nán zhuāng
题 都 城 南 庄

                         (Author) cuī hù
                                   ----崔 护

qù nián jīn rì cǐ mén zhōng，rén miàn táo huā xiāng yìng hóng。
去 年 今 日此 门 中， 人 面 桃 花 相 映 红。

rén miàn bù zhī hé chù qù，táo huā yī jiù xiào chūn fēng。
人 面 不 知 何 处 去， 桃 花 依 旧 笑 春 风。

(Translation)

题: write on                                                         
都城南庄: the village south of the capital

去年: last year                                                    
今日: today

此门: this door                                                    
人面: refers to a girl

桃花: peach flowers                                            
何处: where

依旧: still                                                             
春风: wind in the spring

(Appreciation)

The author walked by a door to the village last year. He saw a beautiful girl surrounded by red peach flowers. This year on the same date, the author walked passed the same door again. The peach flowers were still blooming, but he could not find the girl anymore!

Poetry of plum blossom #1 Red!

(Title)
hóng méi
红 梅

          (Author) wáng shí péng
                     ---- 王 十 朋

táo lǐ mò xiāng dù，yāo zī yuán bù tóng。
桃 李 莫 相 妒， 夭 姿 元 不 同。

yóu yú xuě shuāng tài ，wèi kěn shí fēn hóng。
犹 余 雪 霜 态， 未 肯 十 分 红。

(Translation)

红梅: red plum blossom                                                   

桃李: peach and plum

莫: do not                                                                          

相妒: be jealous

妖姿: beautiful shape                                                        

不同: different

犹余: still have something left                                          

雪霜: snow and frost

未肯: doesn't want to                                                         

十分: 100%

(Appreciation)

Different kinds of flowers should look different. Therefore, peach flowers and plum flowers should not be jealous of the red plum blossom. The red plum blossom just survived the snow and frost. That's why they don't look 100% red.

Ancient Chinese poets really like plum blossom. There are a lot of poems describing the beauty and courage of plum blossom because they bloom during the early spring when it's still very cold outside. The most common ones are actually black (like the ancient ink) or white (like snow).

It's still cold outside. But hopefully the spring is already on the way!