Mr. Yuk Wor Lee, San Francisco, California, USA, Fellow of The American Biographical Institute (FABI). As a poet and photographer, it is my challenge to compose poems to couple with photographic images together, especially with those of my own, as correlated artistry presentation.
As a naturalist, I have a passion in traveling to remote places, taking photographs and writing articles on topics of special interest, noticeably, such as: The safari in east Africa not only on wild lives but also for the quest of the evolution of our human ancestors originated from this heart land in the Great Rift Valley.
Seychelles–The Garden of Eden, in the Indian Ocean, the unique un-oceanic island rose from the ancient submerged continent, where one can find the world’s largest tortoise and the virgin forests with the tallest palm trees on earth at the age when the dinosaurs once roamed. Iceland–The Land of Ice and Fire to see the min-night sun and for the study of the creation of our planet earth for the crust of Iceland is the thinnest as well as the youngest on earth and the land is still in its making. Film produced: an 8 mm documentary film on the flora of Hong Kong entitled “Hong Kong in Blossom” (running time 1 hour). Wile serving as the former secretary of The Hong Kong Natural History Society and, now, as members of various institutions and organizations such as the San Francisco Botanical Garden, Nature Conservatory, etc. in support of the conservation of our natural environment in the States. Translations: a selection of Chinese classic poems into English. Some of the above mentioned works were presented in talks and lectures published in various newsletters, magazines and anthologies and some exhibited at www.poetry.com and www.picture.com (search for yukwor lee). http://www. poetry.com/ poets/Yukwor Lee.html
清明 ( 節) qīngmíng ( jié – Festival ) by 杜牧 dù mù ( 803 – 852 )
In English with thoughts on the translation
清 qīng – clean , clean up or cleanse — 明 míng – clear and bright
時 節 shí jié means seasonal festival in this case in spring
兩 紛 紛 liɑ̌ng fēn fēn – translated as
Raining and drizzling ( in repetition ) unceasingly ( in succession )
throughout ( with persistence ) As to amplify the gloomy and miserable weather condition
路上 lù shɑ̀ng means on the road
行人 xíng rén means – travelers – or those who travel
欲 yù – want , desire 斷 魂 duɑ̀n hún means – so horrified and mentally devastating as to break off one’s soul out of the body – lost one’s soul
清明時節 雨紛紛 qīng míng shí jié yǔ fēn fēn
路上行人 欲 斷 魂 lù shɑ̀ngxíng rén yù duɑ̀n hún
Thus the above is translated as :
It’s raining and drizzling unceasingly throughout qīngmíng festival
Travelers on the roads are in awe as to have lost their souls
Or Raining and drizzling unceasingly throughout qīngmíng festival in spring
Is an awe for travelers as though they have lost their soul
( for amplification as a link to the deceased )
借問 jiè wèn means may I ask 酒家 jiǔ jiɑ̄ means tavern
何處 有 hé chǔ yǒu means – where could there be
translated as : “ Where could I find a tavern may I ask”
牧 童 mù tóng means shepherd lad 遙指 yɑ́o zhǐ i means pointing to the distance
杏花村 xìng huɑ̄ cūn
杏 花 xìng huɑ̄ means The Almond Blossom ( Flower ) & 村 cūn means Village
Directly translated as
The shepherd lad pointing to the distance at 杏花村 xìng huɑ̄ cūn
Specifically in poetic and dialogue style translated as
“ The Almond Blossom Village – yond “
The shepherd lad pointing to the distance
English Translation ( opted )
Raining and drizzling throughout
qīngmíng Festival in Spring
Is an awe for travelers on the road
as though they have lost their souls
“ Where could I find a tavern ” may I ask
“The Almond Blossom Village – yond ”
The shepherd lad pointing to the distance
Notes :
清明節 qīngmíngjié – also known as The Tomb Sweeping Festival
The festival falls on 4th to the 5th in April the raining season in spring in China when the weather, especially south of the Yangtze , is humid ,misty and raining but mostly in drizzles all the times , causing one feels gloomy, miserable and even mad , especially or those who travel on the roads.
It’s a tradition for the Chinese to visit the burial places of their ancestors and kin with offerings
Quingming Festival happens to fall on the 5th of April 2014
Translated by Yukwor Lee
THE ENCHANTMENT OF THE FULL BRIGHT MOON
“The Melody of the Flow of Water”
A lyric of the Sung Dynasty (960-1279)
By Su-shi (So Tung Po)
Translated by Yuk Wor Lee
When would the moon be full and bright
I ask thee–the divine in the blue sky
Toasting with a cup of wine
What would it be the year and date tonight
at the heavenly courts high above
How I wish to drift home with the breeze fearing only
the palaces of carvings and jades there
are too cold and high for me
Dancing fantastically with my own shadow
I find myself in the heavenly world
Searching round the mansion red and high
crouching through the window
with carvings and blinds
she glares at the restless guy
why should thee–full moon–tend to appear
at this time when the loved ones are far apart
though they bear no grudge in their hearts
There are times of joy when they are together
and times of sorrow when they are separated apart
as the moon is sometimes dim and sometimes bright
as well as wax and wane since the very beginning
To expect this turn out to be heartily perfect
is but hard and in vane
Long shall we live
Long shall we share the enchantment of the moon
full and bright
even through we’re thousands of miles apart
Su Shui wrote this poem on the eve of the Mid-Autumn Festival in 1076 while he got drunk holding tight a cup of wine in his hand thinking of this brother, Zi-you, throughout the night
Translated by Yuk Wor Lee
