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January 2017

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YukWor Lee

Mr. Lee is a naturalist, photographer and poet and loves travelling especially to remote areas like the safari in Africa, Seychelles, the Garden of Eden and Iceland, the Land of Ice and fire to take pictures and for the study of nature.

As an early retiree, due to his first heart attack, he started to write poetry and became Honored Members of The former International Society of Poets and The International Society of Photographers and present members of S. F. Chinatown Society of Photography as well as current member of UPLI.

He had won several Outstanding and Merit Awards awarded by UPLI in ( 2009 ),and by I S Poets with Poems of The Mid-Night Sun ( 1996 ) The Dawn of A New Bright Morn ( 1999) Hong Kong the Pearl of the Orient Forever Prospers ( 1997 )The Golden Bauhinia of Hong Kong ( 1998 ),The Song from the Heart and Harp ( 2002 ), A Lone Egret at Stow Lake( 2004 ) also by I S Photographers with photos of Heading in the Mist and the Fog (200O), Dusk Brinks at the Edge of the Wing ( 2001 ) Stockholm in the Brink of Dusk ( 2002 ) A Lone Egret at Stow Lake ( 2004).All these art work were published in their respective analogs and put on their web-sites. Mr. Lee was also awarded with an http://www.poets.comYukworLee.htlm web-site. All these web-sites are now discontinued.

At present he is devoted his energy on the translation of Chinese classic poems into English and attempting to compose Photographic Poetic and Computer Digitally Enhanced Integrated Artistry Presentation as a challenge to keep his brain working with blurred eyes and trembling fingers.

The reader can best judge and appreciate the worthiness of this attempt.

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The thought on the positive attitude towards life written on the occasion of
Zhong-yang Festival in association with the popular poem

Riding up Leyau-yuan(登(dēng)樂(lè)遊(yóu)原(yuán) ) by Li-Shang – yin ( 813 – 858 )



Zhong -yang Festival 重(zhòng)陽(yáng)節(jiē)
The 9th day of the 9th Lunar Month ( October 22 , 2004 )



This day is the Chinese Festival of Zhong-yang and is traditionally observed by paying homage to our ancestors usually by visiting their burial places and to hike on high ground for pleasure and better luck
Associated with this special occasion is the famous poem “ Riding Up Leyau-yuean ” translated as
“ Riding Up Leyau Memorial Height ” by Li Shing-yin
Leyau –yuean 8 le (2.5ml ) to the south of the old capital of China Cheung-an ( now Xian )
Is on a prestigious high ground commanding the sweeping view of the city
It’s the ancient tomb site of five emperors of the Hang Dynasty ( 206 BC – 220 AD ) and isnowa memorial garden also used as a hiking ground for pleasure and leisure as it’s name in Chinese Leyau-yuean literally means
On this particular occasion I have the pleasure to present you the translated English version of this famous
Tang classic poem with my own philosophical point of view on the traditional concept of the text



登(dēng)樂(lè)遊(yóu)原(yuán)
李(lǐ)商(shāng)隱(yǐn)
向(xiàng)晚(wǎn)意(yì)不(bù)適(shì)驅(qū)車(chē)登(dēng)古(gǔ)原(yuán)

*夕(xī)陽(yáng)無(mó)限(xiàn)好(hǎo)只(zhī)是(shì)近(jìn)黃(huáng)昏(hūn)

Riding UpLeyau Memorial Height
by LI Shang-yin
Dusk’s approaching
I feel sad
I rush my cart up The Ancient Tomb Height
*What a glamorous sight
the setting sun has cast
only to diminish in the brink of dusk
The concluding *verse by the famous poet is very popular among the Chinese
to quote with in adverse situation
It’s a sensational notion glamorous yet gloomy
usually associates with the approaching of age
with gloomy days ahead
Yet this is not true in terms of time and place
as well as much depending
upon one’s attitude toward life whether negative or positive
While dusk is usually regarded as the end of the day when sunshine fades away
sunshine is round the clock in the artic summers night and day
For
As soon as the sun touches the horizon
to conclude the cycle of the day
she rises again to mark the dawn of a new morn
and all lives continue to thrive on
as the cycle rolls on and on
What a glamorous Midnight Sun
We should all therefore pursue with all our might
to a positive life with dignity and pride
to keep our days bright and our hearts light



Yukwor Lee FABI

As inspired by the marvelous natural phenomena in the Land of Mid-night Sun – Iceland
where the incredible arctic terns migrate to and from the top and bottom of the world in pursue of sunshine
round the clock in the arctic summers for their survival as cherished and nourished by Mother Nature

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Riding Up Leyau Memorial Height
( Riding Up The Pleasure Hiking Height )
Thoughts and Ways on Translating the Poem Leyau-yuean( 登(dēng)樂(lè)遊(yóu)原(yuán) )
by Li Shang-yin ( 813 – 858 )

Background
Leyau –yuean 8 le (2.5ml ) to the south of the ancient capital of China – Cheung-an ( now Xian )
is on a prestigious high ground commanding the sweeping view of the city
It’s the site of the tombs of five emperors of the Hang Dynasty ( 206 BC – 220 AD )
and is now a memorial garden
登(dēng)樂(lè)遊(yóu)原(yuán)
李(lǐ)商(shāng)隱(yǐn)



夕(xī)陽(yáng)無(mó)限(xiàn)好(hǎo)只(zhī)是(shì)近(jìn)黃(huáng)昏(hūn)
向(xiàng)晚(wǎn)意(yì)不(bù)適(shì)驅(qū)車(chē)登(dēng)古(gǔ)原(yuán)



Thoughts and Consideration on the Translation of the Poem:



The Title
Riding Up Leyau – yuean登(dēng)樂(lè)遊(yóu)原(yuán)
sounds with the original names in Chinese
Riding up The Pleasure Hiking Height –登(dēng)樂(lè)遊(yóu)( 原(yuán)
as the Chinese name literally means
Riding Up Leyau Memorial Height
Leyau couples with the sound of the name in Chinese樂(lè)遊(yóu)
Memorial indicates its purpose of the site for remembrance
Height-a site to indicate its high altitude and also for rhyming purpose ( with sight etc )
This name – “Riding Up Leyau Memorial Height ” is preferred
because it couples with the original Chinese name and the indication of an ancient tomb site ( height )古 原
which is now a memorial garden
The Poem
Xiang wan -向(xiàng)晚(wǎn)- – towards evening , soon it’ll be nightfall , dusk approaches , dusk’s approaching ,



Yi – 意(yì)- – a sensation – ,bushi – 不(bù)適(shì) – – an uncomfortable feeling – somewhat sad or bad
Yi bushi意(yì)不(bù)適(shì)- – I feel sad or bad , I’m sad , I’m worried , I’m sadden , my heart sinks .
my mood is low , my spirit’s down
Quchedeng – 驅(qū)車(chē)登(dēng)- – I rush my cart up
rush my cart up for emphasis on the running out of time
Quyuan – 古(gǔ)原(yuán)- Ancient ( high ground ) Height
indicates the ancient tomb site on high ground as the back ground is
X i yang – 夕(xī)陽(yáng) – setting sun or departing sun ( for poetic usage purpose )無(mó)限(xiàn)好(hǎo) – extremely glamorous
X i yangwuxianhao夕(xī)陽(yáng)無(mó)限(xiàn)好(hǎo)
What a setting or departing sun or (solar) star so extremely glamorous
could also be alternatively translated as
“ What a glamorous sight the setting or departing sun or star has cast ”
( the direct visual impart of the natural phenomena )
只(zhī)是(shì)近(jìn)黃(huáng)昏(hūn) – It’s only near dusk ( a Pity ! )– near the end of the day
also implicitly means the glamour of the day would vanish soon after dusk
also implies to the glamour and glory the faded or fading mighty ones or heroes
The whole verse could also be alternately translated as :
What a glamorous setting or departing sun
only to last until dusk – direct appropriate expression
or that onlylasts until dusk – with emphasis on the tone
or only to diminish in the brink of dusk – idiomatic expression



The last three lines could each be appropriately applied to
any translated version of the poem as its concluding verse to cope with the poem as a whole

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Astronomy : Altair and Vega

In the constellation of Aquila, the Eagle, Altair is
the 12th brightest star in the sky.
It is eleven times brighter than the sun
with a temperature of 9500 degrees Kelvin
fusing hydrogen into helium in it’s core,
displacing itself as much as a degree in 5000 years.
With a radius 1.7 times that of the sun,
the spinning speed at its equator
is an astonishing 242 kilometers per second
while that of the sun is only 2 kilometers.
So, it takes only 9 hours to rotate once
while the sun takes a month.
It is 16.8 light years from the Earth.
In the constellation of Lyra, the Harp,
Vega is the fifth brightest star in the sky.
It is fifty times brighter than the sun
with a temperature of 9500 degrees Kelvin.
But it is 2.5 times as massive as the sun.
Thus, suing its internal fuel much faster than the sun,
It will soon burn out in less than a billion years.
Vega is one of the closer stars to the Earth
with a distance of only 25 light years.

The position of Altair and Vega in the Sky
Altair Vega

Right Ascension: 19 h 50 m 48 s 18 h 36 m 54 s

Declination: +08 c 52 m +38 c 47 m

Visible Between:
latitudes 85 and -75 degrees latitudes 90 and -40 degrees
Best seen: in September ( at 9 pm) in August ( at 9 pm)

Credit: Astronomer Hing-chai Lui –
The founder of the HongkongPlanetarium

Credits for sky charts : Milky Way and Th_e Summer Triangle searched from the web-sites on line Interstaler Neighborhood – Space news with credit to Andrew Z Colon

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Altair and Vega – the Cow Lad and the Weaver Maid
Myth

As the case is, the inspiration of this mythical story
must have derived from observing the two bright stars,
Altair and Vega in the sky,
both visible with the naked eyes,
especially in the clear autumn nights. (See sky charts)
It is a touching love story about how seven lovely ladies
from the noble families in the Heaven
went down on earth for a rendezvous.
Incidentally the seventh one,
The youngest daughter of the Lord of the Heaven
fell in love with a cow lad called Dong Yong.
Eventually, they got married.
When the Lord of the Heaven heard of this he was stunned.
The seven ladies were, therefore,
summoned back to the Heaven
And the two lovers were to be separated (by the Milky Way).
Upon the plea of the rest of the girls
the lovers were allowed to see each other once a year
on the 7th day of the 7th moon in the Chinese lunar year.
On the eve of their union,
The passionate magpies flew in successive flocks
to form a continuous bridge for them
to cross the Milky Way.
This day is observed by the Chinese as the Valentine Day,
traditionally celebrated by the maids
in the evening with offerings
as a merit for the maids to be chosen as brides to be.
The story itself is touching though sad.
But what the young ladies are earnestly after
is the profound love as revealed in the legend.
The characters and stars in this myth Altair and Vega
are respectively called
the Cow Lad and the Weave Maid in Chinese
as their counterparts in astronomy.


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