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24 4 / 2013

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Shui tiao ko tou

The moon — how old is it?
I hold the cup and ask the clear blue sky
But I don’t know, in palaces up there
When is tonight?
If only I could ride the wind and see —
But no, jade towers
So high up, might be too cold
For dancing with my shadow —
How could there, be like here?

Turning in the red chamber
Beneath the carved window
The brightness baffles sleep
But why complain?
The moon is always full at parting
A man knows grief and joy, separation and reunion
The moon, clouds and fair skies, waxing and waning —
And old story, this struggle for perfection!
Here’s to long life
This loveliness we share even a thousand miles apart!

~Su Tung-Po

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From wiki: “Su Shi (traditional Chinese: 蘇軾; simplified Chinese: 苏轼; pinyin: Sū Shì), also known as Dong Po (January 8, 1037 – August 24, 1101) was an amazingly talented individual who lived in China, during the Song Dynasty (960 – 1279). He was an esteemed writer, revered poet, innovative painter, and a respected calligrapher, as well as being a pharmacologist, gastronome, and statesman of the Song Dynasty: he was a major personality of the Song era. Su Shi was an important figure in Song Dynasty politics, aligning himself with Sima Guang and others, against the New Policy party lead by Wang Anshi. Su Shi was famed as an essayist, and his prose writings lucidly contribute to the the understanding of topics such as 11th century Chinese travel literature or detailed information on the contemporary Chinese iron industry. His poetry has a long history of popularity and influence in China, Japan, and other areas in the near vicinity; and, his poetry is well known in the English speaking parts of the world through the translations by Arthur Waley, among others. In terms of the arts, Su Shi has some claim to being “the pre-eminent personality of the eleventh century.” image: Lang Ching-shan