東破 Dongpo's camera hand was a bit shaky....

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Full Moon! How long have you hung there?

*****Su Shi To the meter of 'Water Melody': "On the Mid Autumn Moon Festival of Bingchen*, 1076, I drank until dawn. Dead drunk I wrote this piece sending my love to Ziyou (My brother)" Full Moon! How long have you hung there? Hoisting my mug I ask the bright heaven, Tonight in Heaven's Imperial Palace, I wonder what year it is. I crave to mount the wind and soar there, But fear those jade halls So lofty, bitter cold and lonely. I get up to dance, romp with my bright shadow, Heavenly ecstacy, not of this world! We circle crimson tower, Duck under brocade curtain. Too bright to sleep, Impossible to mind. But why is it always full when we're parted? Man has his ups and downs, The moon also waxes and wanes. This has always been so. I only wish us long lives, Across a thousands miles sharing the same moon.

Míngyuè Jǐshí Yǒu

Shuǐ Diào Ge Tí Bǐngchén zhōngqiū huān yǐn dádàn dàzuì zuò cǐ jiān huái Zǐyóu Míng yuè jǐshí yǒu? Bǎ jiǔ wèn qīngtiān Bùzhī tiān shàng gōng guān Jīnxī shì hé nián? Wǒ yù chéng fēng guīqù Wéi kǒng qióng lóu yù zì Gāo chù bù shèng hán Qǐ wǔ nòng qīng yǐng hé cǐ zài rén jiān? Zhuǎn zhū gé dī qǐ hù zhào wú mián bù yīng yǒu hèn Hé shì cháng xiàng bié shí yuán? Rén yǒu bēihuānlíhé Yuè yǒu yīn qíng yuán quē Cǐ shì gǔ nán quán dànyuàn rén cháng jiǔ qiān lǐ gòng chán juān

Translator:

Dongbo 東波

Notes: *53rd year of the Sixty year cycle (Sexagenary Cycle) This lyric was written in 1075 while Su Shi was magistrate of Mizhou. Ziyou is Su's younger brother. (Take a look at Li Bo's poem 月下獨酌, Solitary Moonlight Drunk) The pop version of Dongpo's famous poem is sung by Faye Wong (王菲) a pop star originally from Beijing. I'm not sure Dongpo would like this rendition of his lyric, but at least it shows how his verse lives on in today's China! On the other hand, Su does talk about his poems being suitable for singing. In Stuart Sargents's MWSS he writes; We assume that poems (shi) by the 11th century were 'chanted' rather than 'sung', but we begin to waver in this belief when we read:........ 'My poem can be sung, let it accompany the notes of your Oar Song.' So perhaps Su would just smile happily and enjoy the culture shock.

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