User Comments - anneolga
anneolga
Posted on: The Brocade Zither -- 锦瑟
May 12, 2009 at 8:15 PMSo not only fans of chinese poetry but aficionados of the Hitchhiker's guide! I also, a life time ago, used to listen to the series on Radio Four...."Time is an illusion, lunchtime doubly so." Isn't it great? Perhaps non-sense, surrealism and poetry ultimately meet....
So long, and thanks for all the fish!
by the way, Pete, great lesson...and yes!!!! poetry is the number one motivation to study a language!
Xiaoan
Posted on: Watching the Sun Go Down -- 登乐游原
April 23, 2009 at 4:39 PMHi bodawei!
I've heard that Cheng's work was, well....抄袭 more or less integrally in chinese (the offending book used to be in our library at the uni, but was removed when one of the classical chinese professor started to read it!) I can if you wish try to get the reference (but it involves reading in chinese...). So 学术抄袭 does really happen
Xiaoan
Posted on: Watching the Sun Go Down -- 登乐游原
April 22, 2009 at 8:51 PMHi Bodawei,
if you really are interested in chinese poetry and can read french, check the works of François Cheng, especially "l'écriture poétique chinoise". He is a an incredible man, a poet and writer in his own right (in Chinese and French), translator "nullus inter pares" of chinese poetry. He arrived in France as an adult and is now a member of Académie Française...so an immortal too, in his own right!
Here is his translation of the Li Shangyin poem
"Vers le soir, quand vient la mélancolie,
En carosse sur l'antique plateau,
Rayons du couchant infiniment beaux
Trop brefs héals, si proches de la nuit."
Enjoy chinese poetry, perhaps the best pleasure of life!
Xiaoan
Posted on: Watching the Sun Go Down -- 登乐游原
April 21, 2009 at 9:01 PMAny plans to introduce us to Du Fu and Han Yu? and the Song poets, including the Master amongst masters, Su Shi?
Anyway thanks....beautiful lessons
Xiaoan
Posted on: Saying Good-bye at a Tavern in Nanjing -- 金陵酒肆留别
July 5, 2009 at 10:36 AMHey Pete!
Due to unforseen circs, I could not keep up with chinese pod these last weeks....so it was a shock to learn that this series ended! That is without any doubt the WORST decision ever made by chinesepod! Please, reconsider....
請君試問東流水，別意與之誰短長？
Anyway, here is my favourite poem about parting and loss:
李商隱
無題之三
相見時難別亦難， 東風無力百花殘。
春蠶到死絲方盡， 蠟炬成灰淚始乾。
曉鏡但愁雲鬢改， 夜吟應覺月光寒。
蓬萊此去無多路， 青鳥殷勤為探看。
Xiaoan