Wednesday, March 23, 2005

春思 (Thoughts of Spring ) - East Meets West

Edvard Grieg composed two elegiac melodies which, in my opinion, go hand-and-glove with a classic melancholic Chinese "Spring" poem.

The Grieg composition is the "Two Elegiac Melodies, Op. 34: The Wounded Heart, and Last Spring."

My crude translation of the Tang Dynasty poet, Li Bai's (李白) 春思. is as follows:

Thoughts of Spring (Li Bai)

(Where you are) in the northern plains, the lush verdant grass flourishes.
The mulberry boughs are laden with the fruit (at home).
My beloved husband, when the homeward thought beckons you,
It is also time for this languished heart to die
Oh, gentle spring breeze, you and I are strangers.
What cause have you to intrude through these gossamer curtains (while I am in repose)?

Original text:

春思(李白)

燕草如碧絲
秦桑低綠枝
當君懷歸日
是妾斷腸時
春風不相識
何事入羅幃

1 comments:

史路比 said...

cool~ seems that you have a good understanding of the poet... so, you can read and write Chinese, rite?

nice to meet you, brother-in-Christ! ^^