silver lining

every cloud has a silver lining.

Thursday, February 09, 2006

Asian old poems in English

Here's a sequel to the article yesterday...
In the original video, there are different lines for a prince and a princess. He tries to check her education recitating a Japanese old poem and a Chinese old poem. And now I found those poems translated in English! Wow!

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One is Ooe no Chisato's poem in Hyakunin Isshu, a traditional anthology of Japanese waka poetry.

23. 月見れば千千に物こそ悲しけれ わが身一つの秋にはあらねど 大江千里

Here's from University of Virginia Library Japanese Text Initiative.

As I view the moon,
Many things come into my mind,
And my thoughts are sad;
Yet it's not for me alone,
That the autumn time has come.

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The other is one of Bai Juyi 's poem in The Song of Long Sorrow.

在天願作比翼鳥 (zai tian yuan zuo bi yi niao)
在地願為連理枝 (zai di yuan wei lian li zhi)

天にありては願わくは比翼の鳥となり
地にありては願わくは連理の枝たらん

白居易「長恨歌」

Here's from Wikiquote.

We wished that we would be the birds which share a pair of wings to fly
and wished that we would be the tree two branches of one tree.

This Chinese poem seems to be often quoted when Chinese people celebrate the marriage.

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