2018 學語集 36 - 40

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Original Script

::: 學語集 :::

36. 杏花

三月江南處處花發水村山郭風掣酒旗遊人行客多尋杏花村
  • NN reduplication

37. 梅花

臘雪初消寒葩始綻閒庭黃昏暗香浮動

38. 柳

渭城朝雨章臺春風枝枝垂絲葉葉嫩金征婦結恨遊者蕩情
  • Metaphors

39. 蘭草

生於幽谷淸香遠播君子愛之故曰人之同心其臭如蘭如入芝蘭之室
  • Allusions

40. 四季花

凡百卉之發一歲不再發惟此花獨春之季月夏之季月秋之季月冬之季月每發故謂之四季花
  • 每 V: V every time        cf) 每 N: every N


Translation

Sentence 36 : (Althea Volpe)


During the third month [of the year], in the south of the river, flowers blossom everywhere; in the villages [near] the water and the outer parts of the cities [near] the mountains the wind makes the flags flutter. Many visitors and travelers look for the village where the apricot flower blooms.

  • Discussion Questions:

+ For what concerns the word 江南 I prefered not to use the form Jiangnan nor Gangnam in order to have a more general translation. (Kyrie) I don't see the word 酒 reflected in the translation. During class Professor Oh mentioned that the 酒 refers to an inn or tavern, so perhaps we could translate it as "the wind makes the tavern's / inn's flags flutter."

Sentence 37 : (Althea Volpe)


During the last month of the year the first snow starts to melt and the flower in coldness starts to bloom. At dusk in the peaceful courtyard the dark fragrance floats around.

  • Discussion Questions:

Sentence 38 : Julian Butterfield


Morning rain in Weicheng, spring wind in Zhangtai,[1] Many branches of hanging thread, many leaves of tender gold. Soldiers' wives tense with resentment, and drifters sway their passions.

  • Discussion Questions:
  1. I find the tone of this poem really interesting, and tried my best to maintain a degree of ambivalence in the translation (especially in the final two clauses). That said, I'm really curious to know how others interpret tone, both here and elsewhere in our materials. Any comments??

(Kyrie) I think the phrase "sway their passions" is a good representation of the symbolism of the willow. I would suggest removing the "and" before "drifters" in order to create parallelism with the previous sentence.

Sentence 39 : Julian Butterfield


Born in deep valleys, their fragrance is cast far. Men of virtue love them. For this reason it is said, people of like mind smell [to one another] like orchids—like entering a room of irises and orchids.[2]

  • Discussion Questions:
  1. Is it that people of like mind smell to each other like orchids, or have I misconstrued this?

Sentence 40 : Julian Butterfield


In general, the blooming of flowers is once a year and not more. Just this flower alone, with the ends of spring, summer, fall, and winter, blooms each time. For this reason, it is called the four-season flower.[3]

  • Discussion Questions:
  1. I dropped the second 發 here in my translation for the sake of elegance. Have I missed anything/corrupted the text at all by doing so?

(Kyrie) I find the sentence "Just this flower alone, with the ends of spring, summer, fall, and winter, blooms each time" a little difficult to understand. I would suggest translating it as "in the last months of spring, summer etc," although as small a change as "at the ends of spring etc" would help to clarify the meaning for me.

References


  1. The poem by Han Hong 韓翃 reads: 章臺柳!章臺柳!顏色青青今在否?縱使長條似舊垂,也應攀折他人手. Liu Zhangtai 柳章臺 and her relationship with Han Hong are the inspiration for many works, including poems, longer narratives, and dramas. See Lily Xiao Hong Lee & Sue Willes, eds., Biographical Dictionary of Chinese Women: Tang Through Ming, 618-1644, (Armonk, NY: M.E. Sharpe, 2014), 262-3.
  2. The reference is from 孔子家語 book 6, part 15.
  3. As discussed, this name probably refers to the Hibiscus rosa-sinensis.