Three Chinese Poets: Translations of poems by Wang Wei, Li Bai, and Du Fu

71 Pages·1992·2.473 MB·English

by  Vikram Seth

T H R E E
C H I N E S E P O E T S
V
k r a m
S e t h
ThrCehei Pnoeestes
by the same author
POETRY
Mappi(1n98g0)s
TheH umbAldem inistGraartd(1oe98rn5)' s
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NOVELS
ThGeo ldGeant( Ae N ovel in Verse) (1986)
A SuitBaob(yl19 e93 )
NONFICTION
FromH eavLeank Traev:e lThsr ough
SinkiaanTindb ge (1t98 3)
VIKRAM
SETH
Three
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Translations of poems by
Wang Wei, Li Bai, and Du Fu
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ToY iCnh uang
Professor Chuang, whose stern pen drew
Red rings around my puerile scrawling,
I hope this book appears to you,
Infot appealing, not appalling.
Enthusiastic and sardonic,
Exacting, warm, and too soon past,
Your classes, once my daily tonic,
Have borne eccentric fruit at last.
Contents
Acknowledgiex ments,
Not0e1 1P ronuncixai tion,
Introduxcitiioin ,
WANGW EI (701-762)
Deer Park, 3
Birdsong Brook, 4
Lady Xi, 5
Grieving for Meng Haoran, 6
Remembering my Brothers in Shandong on the Double-
Ninth Festival, 7
The Pleasures of the Country, 8
Autumn Nightfall at my Place in the Hills, 9
Zhongnan Retreat, 10
In Answer to Vice-Magistrate Zhang, 11
Living in the Hills: Impromptu Verses, 12
Lament for Yin Yao, I 3
Ballad of the Peach Tree Spring, 14
LIB AI(7 01-761)
In the Quiet Night, 19
A Song of Qiu-pu, 20
The Waterfall at Lu Shan, 21
Question and Answer in the Mountains, 22
Seeing Meng Haoran off to Yangzhou, 23
Parting at a Wineshop in Nanjing, 24
Listening to a Monk from Shu Playing the Lute, 25
The Mighty Eunuchs' Carriages, 26
Drinking Alone with the Moon, 27
Bring in the Wine, 28
The Road to Shu is Hard, 30
vii]
CONTENTS
DU FU( 712-770)
Thoughts while Travelling at Night, 3 5
Spring Scene in Time of War, 36
Moonlit Night, 3 7
The Visitor, 38
Thoughts on an Ancient Site: The Temple of
Zhu-ge Liang, 39
The Chancellor of Shu, 40
An Autumn Meditation, 41
Dreaming of Li Bai, 42
To Wei Ba, who has Lived Away from the Court, 43
The Old Cypress Tree at the Temple of Zhu-ge Liang, 44
A Fine Lady, 45
Grieving for the Young Prince, 46
Ballad of the Army Carts, 48
NotteoPs o em5s ,
1
viii l
Acknowledgements
Ih avceo nsulat neudm beorfb ookfso erx planaatnido ns
origitneaxIlta .m p articiunldaerblttyoAe Ld itPtrlieemr o f
Du Fu byD aviHda wke(sO xfoUrndi verPsrietsyTs h)e;
PoetorfWy a nWge biy P aulYiun( eI ndiUanniav erPsrietsys );
andL iT aBia Qiu aJni ( CollePcoteemodsf L iB ai2,v ols;
XianggGaunagn gSzhhuij iu.,Ke w.o nCgh iB ooCko mpany,
HongK ong).
Iw oulldi kteot ahnkm yf rieAnndd reAwn dreawsheon ,
lookoevde trh ester anslaatnidmo andsem anyv aluable
suggestainodDn asv;iH da wkewsh,oh elpmee dg reawtiltyh
twoo fW angW eip'ose ms'-AutuNming htaftma ylP ll aicne
thHei lalnsd'' Balolfta hdPe e acThr eSep ring'.
v.s.
ix]
Note on Pronunciation
I have used Pinyin, the standard transliteration of Mandarin
Chinese used in mainland China, throughout this book except
for well-known names like the Yangtze. In certain older
transliterations Li Bai and Du Fu are written as Li Po and Tu
Fu.
Most Pinyin consonants sound roughly the same in Chinese
as in English. The notable exceptions are: cp ronounced as 'ts';
qa s 'chh'; xa s 'sh'; za s 'dz'; zhas 'j'.
Most Pinyin vowels sound roughly the same in Chinese as in
English, except for i in the following syllables: chprion ounced
as 'chhrr'; ci as 'tss'; rais ' rr'; shasi 'sh rr'; sais ' ss'; zhasi 'jr r';
zais 'dzz'.
xi J