Saturday, May 23, 2020

司空圖二十四詩品《纖穠》 / Sikong Tu's Twenty-Four Classes of Poetry, 3 - "Slender and Sturdy"


Poem #3 of 24, like many of its companions, has a somewhat cryptic title. Most classical Chinese poems have simple titles denoting the subject matter, or the circumstances under which they were written, but Sikong Tu's titles point to loftier concepts, discussed (with varying levels of obliqueness) in the poem's contents. I'm unsure as to exactly what the poet's getting at with this particular title, but maybe I'll understand it better after some more reflection and research.

Enjoy.

微臣
史大衛

-----

纖穠
司空圖

采采流水
蓬蓬遠春
窈窕深谷
時見美人
碧桃滿樹
風日水濱
柳陰路曲
流鶯比鄰
乘之愈往
識之愈真
如將不盡
與古為新

-----

"Slender and Sturdy"
Sikong Tu

Shimmer of flowing water
distant spring carried on the wind
secluded in a deep valley
when I see a beautiful woman

Peach trees bursting with green
a breeze along the riverbanks
willows shade the winding path
graceful orioles gather nearby

Pushing further, ever onward
ever closer to the real
that which is endless
renders the old new

No comments: