17Jan/20

Chinese poem illustration/元日述怀/卢照邻 Tang flower dances

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Chinese poem illustration: 元日述怀/ Review and Wish in New Year’s Day by Lu Zhaolin

元日述怀

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Lu is one of the Four Maestro of Early Tang. Though this Expressing Feeling Poetry(抒怀诗), we can feel the very typical spirits of early Tang period.

No further bureaucratic positions in his middle age, decided to be a hermit. In any sense in that time, the outlook, his future is doomed. While in the whole poem, it shows extremely positive and optimsm: he flower of Great Tang dances in the spring(花舞大唐春), we drink and sing for the new year. That is the spirit of Tang I guess, that is kind of spirit never seen after Tang dynasty.

I wish you all a happy pig year, embracing the spirit of Tang people, have a bright and prosperous new year!

元日述怀
卢照邻

筮仕无中秩，归耕有外臣。
人歌小岁酒，花舞大唐春。

草色迷三径，风光动四邻。
愿得长如此，年年物候新。

16Jan/20

Chinese poem illustration/凉州词二首 其一/王之涣 Fortress of Jade Gateway

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Chinese poem illustration: 凉州词二首 其一/ Song of Liangzhou City, the First by Wang Zhihuan

黄河远上白云间

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One of the top Frontier and Fortress Poetry with the signature of the most prosperous Tang period. The complicated mixed feeling of homesick, courage and optimism were reflected, that is the feeling only belongs who has real experience in this region, in that great time.

An interesting story (旗亭画壁) about Wang Zhihuan and this poem is illustrated as well.

凉州词二首·其一
王之涣

黄河远上白云间，
一片孤城万仞山。
羌笛何须怨杨柳，
春风不度玉门关。

13Jan/20

Chinese poem illustration/春晓/孟浩然/ Spring fever

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Chinese poem illustration: 春晓/The Dawn of Spring by Meng Haoran

春晓

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The most familiar Tang poem for Chinese, very likely hard remembered at the age of 4 or 5.

The simple wording, the positive and prosperous scene is by the first glance, yet it is pure blind perception: starting from spring fever, lazy on bed, the waking sound of birds bring the sense of positive and growth, then the reminder of the night rain turns the ending a little bit sadness, wondering how many flowers were blew away.

By the kind of day dream in the spring morning, the life and death were beautiful implied, thus extended to sigh of swift flying the years. This poem could be the best among Spring Sorrow Poetry(伤春).

春晓
孟浩然

春眠不觉晓，
处处闻啼鸟。
夜来风雨声，
花落知多少。

12Jan/20

Chinese poem illustration/李延年歌or佳人曲/李延年/ Can a glance crush a country?

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Chinese poem illustration: 李延年歌 or 佳人曲/ Li Yannian’s Song or Song of Beauty by Li Yannian

李延年歌

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Li Yannian was a royal musician for the renowned Emperor Wu of Han(汉武帝). He introduced his sister to the emperor by this song. The fact how the emperor adored his sister can still be proved by their afterlife arrangment: the tomb of Lady Li(李夫人), his sister was the closest to the mausoleum of Wu of Han, the second closest is the famous general Huo Qubing(霍去病), the three pyramid shaped tomb are still stand there 20km northeast of Xian city, the former Han capital Chang’an city.

Like other songs/poem in the same period, the writing is still in its primitive and simple stage, but they laid the foundation of Chinese literature mainly in two ways: the vocabulary, the literate image and allusion: a glance by the beauty can crush a town, a country, how wild it is!

李延年歌/佳人曲
李延年

北方有佳人，绝世而独立。
一顾倾人城，再顾倾人国。
宁不知倾城与倾国？佳人难再得。