Two poems by Wang Wei

[EdgarDive]

Wang Wei (701 - 761) was a Tang Dynasty Chinese poet, musician, painter and statesman.

Here're my translations of 2 of his quatrains:

Lodge in a Bamboo Wood

I sit alone by the serene bamboos,
Strumming my zither and whistling.
No one knows I'm in this dim wood,
Only the moon comes watching.

Seeing Off A Friend

We finally parted in the dale. As I saw
The sun settle down, I closed my wattle door.
The grass greens in spring every year, but alack!
My friend, can I expect to see you back?

[byquist]

Nice renditions!

[brighting star]

wowo thank u good work

[Risley]

Good work.

[EdgarDive]

Thank you for reading.

[pioussoul]

Wang Wei (701 - 761) was a Tang Dynasty Chinese poet, musician, painter and statesman.

Seeing Off A Friend[/B]

We finally parted in the dale. As I saw
The sun settle down, I closed my wattle door.
The grass greens in spring every year, but alack!
My friend, can I expect to see you back?

Hi, Edgar,

I'm also a die-hard fan of Wang Wei; it's really my prilivege and honor to meet one of my kinds. I'm especially appealed to the second quadrain.
Though the scene in this poem is rustic, plain, and serene, yet it does carry a universal truth over into our times. Therefore, imho, it's a timeless eternal flawless poem expressed in a quiet tacit way.
Maybe there are more treasures that I haven't perceived; would you like to share your parse with us?

[EdgarDive]

...
Maybe there are more treasures that I haven't perceived; would you like to share your parse with us?
Well, I'll give it a try.
First, the poem does not describe the parting scene as one might expect from this kind of poem and the title. It just says they parted; yet the adverb finally means a lot. In the 2nd line the poem mentions the poet's closing his door, seemingly implying that the event is over and it's time for his feelings to settle down (my translation gives enough hints, I could have simply used "the sun sets down"). But then there's a turn in the 3rd line, it talks about grass. Why? Well, the poet obviously wants to see his friend again in spring, a nice season (maybe next year, because one version of the poem actually says next year instead of every year). It's also about the predictability of the grass's greening in spring. How about the predictability of his friend's return? That the poet was not sure. It's like Wang Wei was asking, "even the grass can keep its promise (to turn green), how about you, my friend?"

Besides, the term "my friend" in the original language actually can be translated as something like "roaming prince"; it alludes to an ancient Chinese poem which uses similar images and phrases but has a different meaning. Anyway here the term simply refers to the friend the poet was seeing off.

[pioussoul]

Hi, Edgar, thanks for the expressive interpretation.
I began reading this poem when young. It didn't impress me very much except for the rustic, leisure, and serene grace.
Well, I'd like to point out a great truth which this poem tried to get across, that is, life is short and nature is eternal. Spring comes and goes, comes again and goes again, but how many springs can one's life can last?. For us, they're gone forever, but the natural green grasses are still around.
It's really upset, discouraging, and unsatisfying that life is so short. In the last line, his friend, a royal descendent, signifies everyone must die whoever you are. Do we see his friend return now? Absolutely no.
If life is so short, then why squander it in pursuing empty money and high positions which are all like a dream or a whim? When we wake up, what can we really grasp? What can we really take away when we kick the bucket?
What?
My friend, think it over?
What?

[EdgarDive]

...
Well, I'd like to point out a great truth which this poem tried to get across, that is, life is short and nature is eternal...
Great insight.

...
If life is so short, then why squander it in pursuing empty money and high positions which are all like a dream or a whim? When we wake up, what can we really grasp? What can we really take away when we kick the bucket?...
These certainly could have been on Wang Wei's mind. Even if he'd had a successful political career and established a reputation for his artistic achievement, he chose to retreat into nature.

[pioussoul]

Wang Wei (701 - 761) was a Tang Dynasty Chinese poet, musician, painter and statesman.

Lodge in a Bamboo Wood

I sit alone by the serene bamboos,
Strumming my zither and whistling.
No one knows I'm in this dim wood,
Only the moon comes watching.


Hi, Edgar,
I also love this poem; it gives me a feeling of loneliness, serene happiness, high sublime peacefulness, and natural grace. The person in the poem is close to a secluded elegant state of mind. I didn't think about this poem much in the past.

What do you think?
And why did you choose to translate it?