"Sorrowful Rain and Saddening Clouds"
by Wang Yucheng 王禹偁 (954-1001)
by Wang Yucheng 王禹偁 (954-1001)
A Ts’u (Ci) Poem to the Tune of "Adorning the Red Lips"
In the sorrowful rain and saddening clouds,
The land south to the River is still a beauty as ever.
From the waterside village and the fishing market,
A lone tress of smoke snakes upward.
A file of expeditionary geese stitched together
Worms along the edge of sky.
All the events will be uneventful when a life
Is transfixed at this moment, while no one
Would understand another leaning over a balustrade.
Original Text
In the sorrowful rain and saddening clouds,
The land south to the River is still a beauty as ever.
From the waterside village and the fishing market,
A lone tress of smoke snakes upward.
A file of expeditionary geese stitched together
Worms along the edge of sky.
All the events will be uneventful when a life
Is transfixed at this moment, while no one
Would understand another leaning over a balustrade.
Original Text
王禹偁 《点绛唇·雨恨云愁》
雨恨云愁，江南依旧称佳丽。水村渔市，一缕孤烟细。
天际征鸿，遥认行如缀。平生事，此时凝睇，谁会凭栏意！
Pronunciation of Pinyin and tone note
天际征鸿，遥认行如缀。平生事，此时凝睇，谁会凭栏意！
Pronunciation of Pinyin and tone note
点dian3绛jiang4唇chun2
雨yu3恨hen4云yun2愁chou2
江jiang1南nan2依yi1旧jiu4称cheng1佳jia1丽li4
水shui3村cun1渔yu2市shi4
一yi1缕lv3孤gu1烟yan1细xi1
天tian1际ji1征zheng1鸿hong2
遥yao2认ren4行hang2如ru2缀zhui4
平ping2生sheng1事shi4
此ci3时shi2凝ning2睇di4
谁shui2会hui4凭ping2栏lan2意yi4?
Original Text with word-to-word translation
雨yu3恨hen4云yun2愁chou2
江jiang1南nan2依yi1旧jiu4称cheng1佳jia1丽li4
水shui3村cun1渔yu2市shi4
一yi1缕lv3孤gu1烟yan1细xi1
天tian1际ji1征zheng1鸿hong2
遥yao2认ren4行hang2如ru2缀zhui4
平ping2生sheng1事shi4
此ci3时shi2凝ning2睇di4
谁shui2会hui4凭ping2栏lan2意yi4?
Original Text with word-to-word translation
点put a dot on (adorn) 绛scarlet, deep red唇lips
雨rain恨sorrow, hate 云cloud愁sad
江the River南south依旧as before称matchable, be called佳good丽beautiful
水water(side)村village渔fishing市market
一one缕thread, a lock (tress) of 孤lone烟smoke细thin
天sky际edge征expeditionary, conquering鸿swan goose
遥distant认recognize行file, row如like, as if缀connected, stitched
平uneventful生life事events
此here时time凝fixed睇watch
谁who会understand凭lean栏banister, railing意meaning?
This Ci-poem (lyrics) is perhaps the very first among this genre of poetry in Northern Song Dynasty of China, as this genre of ci-poem is the representative form of poetry in China (as comparable with regulated poems in Tang Dynasty). This is also the most representative of this poet’s oeuvre, although he had only this one recorded in Complete Ci-Poems in Song Dynasty which collected over 20 thousand pieces. Whenever there is 凭栏(pinglan) (lean on the balustrade) in Chinese poems, the image should be read as one standing before a balustrade of a pavilion on a terrace or a mountain top (sometimes before a cliff facing a gorge or valley). This is a traditional image of one who holds a very high aspiration but at present finding no ways to realize.
雨rain恨sorrow, hate 云cloud愁sad
江the River南south依旧as before称matchable, be called佳good丽beautiful
水water(side)村village渔fishing市market
一one缕thread, a lock (tress) of 孤lone烟smoke细thin
天sky际edge征expeditionary, conquering鸿swan goose
遥distant认recognize行file, row如like, as if缀connected, stitched
平uneventful生life事events
此here时time凝fixed睇watch
谁who会understand凭lean栏banister, railing意meaning?
This Ci-poem (lyrics) is perhaps the very first among this genre of poetry in Northern Song Dynasty of China, as this genre of ci-poem is the representative form of poetry in China (as comparable with regulated poems in Tang Dynasty). This is also the most representative of this poet’s oeuvre, although he had only this one recorded in Complete Ci-Poems in Song Dynasty which collected over 20 thousand pieces. Whenever there is 凭栏(pinglan) (lean on the balustrade) in Chinese poems, the image should be read as one standing before a balustrade of a pavilion on a terrace or a mountain top (sometimes before a cliff facing a gorge or valley). This is a traditional image of one who holds a very high aspiration but at present finding no ways to realize.
Selected Works of Wang Yucheng
About the Author:
王禹偁 Wang Yucheng (954-1001), a poet, prose writer of Song Dynasty in ancient China, with a style name of Yuanzhi, was born into a very poor family in the present Shandong Province. He was very diligent and hardworking, and upon passing the highest imperial examination, he was appointed to a county official in 983 AD. The next year, he was promoted to the county magistrate of the present Suzhou, which belongs to the central part of the traditional Land South to the River (江南 River South). He suffered several ups and downs in his short career, due to literary inquisition. His poems and prose advocated a style of plainness and easiness.
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