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To “To Song for the River Tune” by Su Shi《水调歌头》，苏轼su Shi

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To “To Song for the River Tune” by Su Shi《水调歌头》，苏轼su Shi To “to Song for the River Tune” by Su Shi《水调歌头》， 苏轼 Su Shi (1037 – 1101) is an important figure in China’s literary history, especially for Ci (词) poetry, which was at its peak during the Song Dynasty (960 -1279). Born in the Northern Song Dynasty (960 – 1126), Su Shi didn’t witness the fall of the empire in 1126, when the militarily and politically weak empire had to give up its northern territory to the Mongols. However, during his time, political reforms were called for to address the fiscal problem of the empire and improve the morale of the populace. Being politically conservative, Su Shi was against the reform, consequently pushed aside and removed from the capital, expelled to various regions in the country. His political career never really had a comeback. However, this didn’t prevent him from, or perhaps even contributed to his accomplishments as a poet and artist. Despite its weakness in military and political power, cities of the Song Empire truly developed a sense of thriving urban cultures. Markets, entertainment districts, artisan quarters, booksellers, parks, vendors, shops, theatres… everything we enjoy in today’s city life can be found in cities during the Song Dynasty. “Along the River during the Qingming Festivals” (《清明上河图》), a painting by Zhang Zeduan (张择端, 1085–1145), a contemporary artist of Su Shi, provides an opportunity to peek into the prosperity of the capital city in Northern Song. The poem “to Song for the River Tune”, now we call “Ci”, as lyrics, is indeed lyrics written according to fixed tunes, which define the length of the lines in the poem, how to rhyme, etc. “水 调歌头 is in fact the name of the tune, not the title of the poem. Thus, it is translated as “To Song for the River Tune”, as “the following is the lyrics according to “水调歌头” tune. There are numerous Chinese classical poems about the moon, the most common cultural symbol in Chinese tradition. The last line in this poem, “但愿人长久，千里共婵娟” (So I wish that we continue long，to share across a thousand miles its lovely graces.) is perhaps one of the most famous about the moon in Chinese poems. 婵娟, in the last sentence, according to stories and legends, is the name of a female attendant to Qu Yuan (340 – 278 BC), the first known poet in China’s literary history. For hundreds of years, her name represents beautiful, elegant women, as well as the moon, which of course, is a feminine symbol. In addition to read aloud the poem, this session talks about a fun fact that Su Shi, in addition to being a great poet, calligrapher, brush painting artist, and a failed (more or less) politician, is also known today as a foodie. This session’s guest speaker, Mr. Zhao Yong, a graduate of Peking University and Yale University, and the founder of Junzi Kitchen in New York and New Jersey, gave an insightful presentation about the most influential literati foodies in Chinese history. For more of the language, culture and history of the poem, please visit the complete Read-Aloud session on China Institute’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVhLXp-Xf6U&list=PLz- 17ZzYlEqluTIGsHsfD_5fiSpMAJfBS&index=1 shuǐ diào gē tóu 水 调 歌 头 “to Song for the River Tune” 作者：苏轼( sū shì )/Author: Su shi (1037－1101） 翻译/Translation by: Stephen Owen bǐng chén zhōng qiū huān yǐn dá dàn dà zuì zuò cǐ piān jiān huái zǐ yóu 丙 辰 中 秋， 欢 饮 达 旦， 大 醉， 作 此 篇， 兼 怀 子 由。 1076, mid-autumn, drinking till dawn I wrote this. Also thinking of my brother Su Che. míng yuè jǐ shí yǒu 明 月 几 时 有？ How long has the moon been up there? Bǎ jiǔ wèn qīng tiān 把 酒 问 青 天。 I ask blue Haven, wine in hand. bù zhī tiān shàng gōng què 不 知 天 上 宫 阙， And I wonder in those palaces of sky， jīn xī shì hé nián 今 夕 是 何 年。 what year this evening is? wǒ yù chéng fēng guī qù 我 欲 乘 风 归 去 ， I would ride the wind up there, yòu kǒng qióng lóu yù yǔ but fear those marble domes and onyx galleries， 又 恐 琼 楼 玉 宇 gāo chù bú shèng hán， 高 处 不 胜 寒。 are up so high I couldn’t bear the cold. qǐ wǔ nòng qīng yǐng I rise and dance, clear shadow capering， 起 舞 弄 清 影， hé sì zài rén jiān 何 似 在 人 间。 what can compare to this world of mortal men! zhuǎn zhū gé Curving past crimson towers, 转 朱 阁， dī qǐ hù 低 绮 户， then lower past grillwork doors, zhào wú mián 照 无 眠。 it shines upon the sleepless. Bù yīng yǒu hèn 不 应 有 恨， It should not trouble me, hé shì cháng xiàng bié shí yuán 何 事 长 向 别 时 圆？ but why, when people part, is it always full and whole? rén yǒu bēi huān lí hé 人 有 悲 欢 离 合， For mortals there is grief and joy, coming together and going apart， yuè yǒu yīn qíng yuán quē 月 有 阴 晴 圆 缺， the moon has bright and shadowed phases, wholeness and then something gone, cǐ shì gǔ nán quán 此 事 古 难 全。 things never stay at perfection. dàn yuàn rén cháng jiǔ 但 愿 人 长 久, So I wish that we continue long， qiān lǐ gòng chán juān 千 里 共 婵 娟。 to share across a thousand miles its lovely graces. .
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