Huang Jing Ren: Impromptu on the Eve of 1773

Huang Jing Ren: Impromptu on the Eve of 1773

　　癸巳除夕偶成（二）
　　　　　　　黄景仁 1749-1783
年年此夕费吟呻，儿女灯前窃笑频。
汝辈何知吾自悔，枉抛心力作诗人。

其二 No. II
年year　年year　此this　夕even　费waste/cost　吟compose　呻murmur
儿son　女daughter　灯lamp　前before　窃privately　笑laugh　频frequent汝you　辈generation　何how　知know　吾I　自self　悔regret
枉vainly　抛throw　心heart　力strength　作become　诗poetry　人man

　　　Impromptu on the Eve of 1773
　　　　　　　　　Huang Jingren (1749-1783 Qing Dynasty)
Every year on this eve I try hard to compose poems,
Children in the lamplight can barely hide their laughs.
How can your generation know the regret I harbor
For the heart-effort I have wasted on becoming a poet?

Version II 另一译本
　　　Poem on the Eve
It’s the last eve of the year. Again.
No need to save for another say the meagre verve left.
I may use more than that for just another poem,
And my children think otherwise, in the festive light
Their laughing faces colorful and bright.
How can they know the regret I’ve nurtured
For more years than their age
That becoming a poet is to discharge heart-blood into a river of time?

Back-translation 回译

　　　除夕之诗
一年的最后一夜。又一年了。
已无必要将残留的一点生气省给明天。
我可以用更多精力再写一首诗，
可孩子们不这么想，节庆的彩灯下
他们的笑脸如此亮丽。
这么多年的后悔，超过了他们的年纪，
他们又怎么能懂？写诗，
不过就是将心血释放进时间之河。

Huang Jing Ren: Written on a New Year Eve

Huang Jing Ren (1749-1783): Written on a New Year Eve

　　癸巳除夕偶成
　　　　　　　黄景仁 1749-1783
　　　　其一
千家笑语漏迟迟，忧患潜从物外知。
悄立市桥人不识，一星如月看多时。

Word-by-word exegesis 逐字注释

　癸巳the Year of 1773除夕New Year’s Eve偶occasional成product
　　　　其一 No. I
千thousand　家home　笑laugh　语word　漏waterclock　迟late/stagnant迟
忧worry　患suffer　潜steak　从into　物material/matter　外external　知know
悄quietly　立stand　市market　桥bridge　人person　不no　识recognize
一one　星star　如like　月moon　看watch　多much　时time

One version译稿一

　　　Impromptu on the Eve of 1773
　　　　　　　　　Huang Jingren (1749-1783)

A thousand houses are full of laughter while waterclock is stilled;
Apprehensions sneak in from the external matters and make themselves felt.
He stands mute on a marketplace bridge, where no one knows his face;
A lone star high there like the moon, at which he has gazed for hours.

Back-Translation into Contemporary Chinese 现代汉语回译:
　　　一千户人家都充满了笑声，而水漏凝滞；
　　　忧惧从外物之下溜出来，令人感到其存在。
　　　他沉默地站在市集中心的桥上，无人认识他；
　　　一颗孤星高挂着，如月亮，他凝视了几个小时。


Another Version 译稿二

　　Written on a New Year’s Eve
　　　　　　　　　　　Huang Jingren (Qing Dynasty)
Night is so late that waterclock is stagnant
Amid the laughter in every house.
Worldly comforts know not what from them has seeped
As apprehensions in my mind.
I stand mute on a marketplace bridge, over which
Not a single passing soul knows me.
A lone star hangs there, and I gaze long at it,
As if it were the moon.

Back-Translation into Contemporary Chinese 现代汉语回译

　　除夕偶成
夜这么迟了，在千家万户的欢笑中
水漏凝滞了。
物质的安乐不会知道有什么从它们之下
渗出，转化为我的忧惧。
我沉默地站在市集的桥上，来往的人
没一个知道我。
一颗孤星挂在那儿，我久久地盯着，
似乎它是月亮。

Notes and comments附注与解评
　　The last two lines of the Chinese original have been highly appreciated, and they are actually a creative rewriting from a Tang poet. Yuan Zhen (779-831) had two quatrains for a Buddhist master Zhi Du, one of which reads:
　　　Three times fallen, you thought way out;
　　　Armors cast off, you take on a monk’s robe.
　　　Even by Heavenly Ferry Bridge no one knows you,
　　　And you lean against the balustrade, free to gaze into the afterglow.
本诗最后两行为人称道欣赏，而这两行却是唐代诗人元稹的一首诗化过来的。元稹诗【智度师二首】其二：
　　　　　　三陷思明三突围，铁衣抛尽衲禅衣。
　　　　　　天津桥下无人识，闲凭栏杆望落晖。
　　The two quatrains were later cobbled into one quatrain, and attributed to a rebel Huang Chao (?-884), whose uprising was one of the biggest in Tang Dynasty. It was rumored that Huang failed and entered into monkhood. He wrote a quatrain as a self-portraiture, the first line of which was taken from Yuan Zhen’s first quatrain for Master Zhidu. Yuan’s line reads “forty years ago you fly on a horse,” which was changed into “Remember I once flew over grasses in my days.” The changed line is charged with an obvious rebellious voice of an outlaw.
元稹这两首诗还被后人拼凑为一首诗，托为黄巢事败之后当和尚时写的【自题像】
　　　记得当年草上飞，铁衣著尽著僧衣。
　　　天津桥上无人识，独倚栏干看落晖。
而第一句原是元稹的前一首的第一句“四十年前马上飞”。诚如南怀瑾所言，“马上飞”是一种豪气，而一旦变成了“草上飞”立即令人感到一股匪气。
　By the way, Huang Chao did write a poem “Ode to Chrysanthemums,” which was composed in his heydays when his army was besieging the capital city Chang’an of Tang (the present day Xi’an). The poem reads:
　　　Wait till autumn comes, wait for the eighth of the ninth month;
　　　My flower will bloom, and every flower of the hundred perishes.
　　　The array of fragrance will fill every corner of Chang’an,
　　　And everyone in the whole city will wear armors of gold.
The last line of Huang’s original Chinese was taken by film director Zhang Yimou for his visual spectacle Curse of the Golden Flower (starring Chow Yun-fat and Gong Li). The film appears to be set in that time too.
　　顺便指出，黄巢确实写过诗，最著名的一首是《咏菊》：
　　　　　待到秋来九月八，我花开后百花杀。
　　　　　冲天香阵透长安，满城尽带黄金甲。
这最后一行被电影导演张艺谋用来作为他的电影名字，而那部电影的时间背景也设在那个时代。

Huang Jingren: Song of a Youth

　　　Song of a Youth
(One of the earliest poems by Huang Jingren)

Original Poem (Quatrain in seven characters) 七言绝句

　　少年行
　　　　黄景仁
男儿作健向沙场，
自爱登台不望乡。
太白高高天尺五，
宝刀明月共辉光。

注释：
乾隆三十一年（1766年）冬，十八岁的诗人离家，到扬州游学。这是诗人旅途所作。
作健：用典自古乐府《企喻歌》：男儿欲作健，结伴不须多。
台：指单于台，在今内蒙古呼和浩特市西。在此用典《资治通鉴·汉纪》，汉武帝元封元年（前110年）“出长城，北登单于台”。登台指古代征人久戍不归，登高怀念家乡。
太白，是秦岭主峰，山顶终年积雪不化。

Word-by-word Exegesis:

　　少Young　年Year/Age 行Song
男儿man　作to be/act　健valorous　向toward　沙sand　场field
自by self　爱love　登climb　台terrace/tower　不not　望look at　乡hometown
太白Taibai (Mount)　高high　高high　天sky　尺a foot　五five
宝precious　刀sword　明bright　月moon　共together　辉radiance　光light

My Rendition 我的翻译

　　Song of a Youth
　　　　　　　　HUANG Jingren (1749-1783 Qing Dynasty)
A man should be valorous and gallant,
Always ready for the battlefield;
His passion for climbing is never
To be squandered on the ache for hearth.
Five feet more, the Ethereal Blanc Mount
Will touch the sky, and he, atop there,
Alone, marvels at his precious sword
That shines cold under the moonlight.

This is a poem written when the poet was 18 years old in 1766. He was to Yangzhou, at a study journey. One dusk, he climbed a hill, looking around, and found nothing inspiring.

Back-Translation 回译：

　　青年的歌

男人，该勇武、豪侠，
随时准备上战场。
他热衷于登高，这激情
绝不浪费于家居生活。
太白山再高五尺
就会碰到天空，而他
独立其上，把玩宝剑，
欣赏它在月下闪着寒光。

Huang Jingren: At Year-End, Missing Friends 12

　　At Year-End, Missing Friends
　　　　　　　　　　　Huang Jingren (1749-1783 Qing Dynasty)

　　In the 44th year of Qianlong Reign (1779), when Huang Jingren had been in Beijing as a low-rank official for a few years, he wrote a group of twenty poems. The first one should be read as an opening piece, which was not addressed to any particular one, while each of the rest was written for a specific friend or teacher.

　　　No. 12 (of 20)
I miss most the moonlight creeping in to your thatched house;
By the lake, there are shadows of sails moving
On the bamboo curtains.
I learn you have been living in Hangzhou for five years,
Therefore, every time I dream, I dream of the West Lake,
And that is how I see you.

Chinese Original 汉语原诗

　　岁暮怀人（二十之十二）
　　　　　　　　　　　黄景仁
绝忆君家草堂月，往来帆影动帘纹。
知君五载杭州住，一梦西湖一见君。

　　岁year　暮dusk　怀miss　人man
绝absolute　忆miss　君you　家home　草thatch　堂hall　月moon(light)
往come　来go　帆sail　影shadow　动move　帘curtain　纹pattern
知know　君you　五five　载year　杭州Hangzhou　住live
一one　梦dream　西湖West Lake　一one　见see　君you

　I like the juxtaposition of the sail shadows and the curtain patterns. Obviously, we can assume that the patterns on the curtains are not a landscape into which the sails can be well integrated. Therefore, the different times and spaces create apparent confliction in the visual effect, but it is this superimposition that represents quite stunningly the dream-effect. In order to highlight this contrast, I translate the curtain into bamboo curtain, which was very probable.
　我最喜欢这首诗中的第二句。我们显然可以假定帘子上的图案不可能刚好就是山水风景，而船帆的影子刚好能够有机地融进去，因此这就产生了一种看似矛盾的视觉图像。船帆在不该出现的空间出现了。 因此我将帘子翻译成了竹帘，是为了突出这种矛盾并置。这种视觉的矛盾恰恰能够最大程度地表现出一种梦幻感，而这正是整首诗的旨趣所在。

Back-translation into Contemporary Chinese 现代汉语回译：

　　年末，怀念友人（十二）
我最怀念那月光，蔓延进入你的草屋，
湖边，有船帆的影子移动
在你家的竹帘上。
我得知你已经在杭州住了五年了，
所以我每次做梦，我都梦见西湖，
我就是这样才见到你。

Huang Jingren: At the Year-End, Missing Friends 1

　　At the Year-End, Missing Friends
　　　　　　　　　　　Huang Jingren (1749-1783 Qing Dynasty)

　　In the 44th year of Qianlong Reign (1779), when Huang Jingren had been in Beijing as a low-rank official for a few years, he wrote a group of twenty poems. The first one should be read as an opening piece, which was not addressed to any particular one, while each of the rest was written for a specific friend or teacher.

　　No 1 (of 20)
Icy rain flogs the window, and wind snakes in,
Scissoring the flame heart of the lamp into unstable forks.
I try a deep voice on a new poem in the flickering fire from the earthen pan,
To see whether I myself can be moved.
At this hour, to what can I compare my loved friends?
Scattered stars in the morning, wild geese fading at dusk.

Note:
The allusion of 拥鼻吟 pinching the nostrils to recite a poem refers to a story in Jin Chronicles. There was a poet called Xie An谢安, whose recitation of poems was very touching. It turned out that he had an ailment of nose, and his voice was quite nasal. Therefore, many people tried to pinch their noses to imitate him. And Ouyang Xiu欧阳修 once wrote a line “one guest pinches his nose to recite the bitter coldness of the poem.” Therefore, the allusion used here is to suggest the emotional power of the poem.
拥鼻吟，说的是《晋书·列传第四十九·谢安》所记故事。谢安吟诵诗文效果非常好，因为他的鼻子有病，所以声音浑厚低沉。时人为了模仿他，故意捏着鼻子。欧阳修曾有诗句：有客拥鼻吟苦寒。因此，拥鼻吟只要意指诗歌的情感浓度。

Chinese Original 汉语原诗

　　岁暮怀人（二十之一）
　　　　　　　　　　　黄景仁
打窗冻雨剪灯风，拥鼻吟残地火红。
寥落故人谁得似，晓天星影暮天鸿。

　　岁year　暮dusk　怀miss　人man
　　　　　　　　　　　黄景仁
打beat　窗window　冻frozen　雨rain　剪scissor　灯lamp　风wind
拥hold　鼻nose　吟recite　残broken　地earth　火fire　红red
寥few　落fall　故acquainted　人man　谁who　得can　似similar
晓morning　天sky　星star　影shadow　暮dusk　天sky　鸿swan goose

Back-translation into Contemporary Chinese 现代汉语回译：

　　　年末，怀念友人

冰冷的雨抽打窗子，
风潜入屋里，油灯的火心被剪裂了，摇曳不定。
地炉的火苗或高或低，我试着用低沉的嗓音吟诵一首新诗，
看看我自己是否能被打动。
在这样的时辰，我能将我的好友们比作什么？
清晨寥落的星星，在黄昏暗淡的雁影。

Huang Jingren: Autumn Night

　　Autumn Night
　　　　　Huang Jingren (1749-1783 Qing Dynasty)
Empty, empty is the cassia hall,
where the water clock becomes stagnant,
and we, separated, know
the same autumn heart and bosom.
Oh, how happy you are, heavenly lovers,
Able to meet once a year, but for whom
do I stand alone, deep into the dewy night?

My heart is a lotus seed,
growing a bitter core,
my sorrow, a spring silkworm
wrapped in unbreakable threads.
The secluded orchid flowers have withered
before I could give up, and in this life
no way have we to ease the ache for love.

　　秋夕
　　　[清] 黄景仁
桂堂寂寂漏声迟，
一种秋怀两地知。
羡儿女牛逢隔岁，
为谁风露立多时？
心如莲子常含苦，
愁似春蚕未断丝。
判逐幽兰共颓化，
此生无分了相思。

Pronunciation:
　　秋qiu1夕xi1
　　　[清] 黄景仁
桂gui4　堂tang2　寂ji4　寂ji4　漏lou4　声sheng1　迟chi2
一yi1　种zhong3　秋qiu1　怀huai2　两liang3　地di4　知zhi1
羡xian4　儿er3　女nv3　牛niu2　逢feng2　隔ge2　岁sui4
为wei4　谁shei2　风feng1　露lu4　立li4　多duo1　时shi2
心xin1　如ru2　莲lian2　子zi3　常chang2　含han2　苦ku3
愁chou2　似si4　春chun1　蚕can2　未wei4　断duan4　丝si1
判pin1　逐zhu2　幽you1　兰lan2　共gong1　颓tui2　化hua4
此ci3　生sheng1　无wu2　分fen4　了liao3　相xiang1　思si1

Word-by-word exegesis
　　秋autumn夕night
　　　　　　　[清] 黄Huang景仁Jingren
桂cassia堂hall寂寂empty, silent漏water clock声sound迟stagnant, slow
一one种kind秋autumn怀bosom, heart两two地place知know
羡admire儿you女maiden, Vega牛cowherd, Altair逢meet隔separate岁year
为for谁whom风wind露dew立stand多how时long？
心heart如alike莲lotus子seed常often含contain苦bitter
愁sorrow似comparable春spring蚕silkworm未not断break丝thread
判give up逐pursue幽secluded兰orchid共together 颓wither化dissolve
此this生life无no分share, part了satisfy相思lovesickness, mutual thoughts

Allusions:
　　The allusion of “cassia hall” is from one of Li Shangyin’s untitled poem, which reads “Last night’s star, last night’s wind, west of the painted pavilion, east of the cassia hall.”
　　The allusion of “spring silkworm” is from another of Li Shangyin’s untitled poem, which reads “The spring silkworm’s thread will only end when death comes; the candle will dry its tears until it turns to ashes.”
　　The word “lotus seed” is pronounced the same as “dote on you,” which becomes popular since the Music Bureau. And the lotus seed is then a metaphor for the bitterness in a heart.
桂堂：用典自李商隐《无题》：“昨夜星辰昨夜风，花楼西畔桂堂东”。
春蚕：用典自李商隐《无题》：“春蚕到死丝方尽，蜡炬成灰泪始干”。
莲子：自南朝乐府开始便常谐音“怜子”，以莲心喻人心之苦。
判：同“拼”，指舍弃、不顾惜。

About the author:
　　Huang Jingren (1749-1783), with a style name of Zhongze, was a resident of Wujin, Jiangsu. Huang Jingren said that his family were descendants from the great poet calligrapher Huang Tingjian (1045-1105) in Song Dynasty. He was orphaned at 4, and had reportedly written a couplet “one night rain in the river, fifth watch coldness on the pavilion” at nine. He took the lowest imperial examination at 16 and was the first among 3000 examinee. At 19 he married a girl from Zhao family, and from then he travelled to various parts of China to seek offices in order to support his family. At 28, in the 41st year of Qianlong Reign (1776), he was judged as the second for the nationwide competition, and then he was granted a low rank office in the capital in Beijing. However, when the family joined him, he found the salary was too meager. Four years later, he had to send his family back to the hometown. In 1783, he tried to join Shannxi Provincial governor in Xi’an, but fell ill in Yuncheng Shanxi. He died a premature death at 35.
　　黄景仁（1749-1783），字仲则，江苏常州武进人，自称是黄庭坚后人，祖籍江西，南渡后安家武进。四岁丧父，九岁写出“江头一夜雨，楼上五更寒”的佳句。十六岁童子试，三千人中名列第一。十九岁娶赵氏。其后为了养家，坎坷颠沛一生。二十三岁本可随安徽学政朱筠去京，但因母老未能同行；二十八岁，乾隆四十一年（1776），遂各省士子去天津献诗，考取二等，获授小官，随接家眷到北京。无奈俸禄太低，无法养家，三十二岁将家眷送回南方。三十五岁，想投靠陕西巡抚，体弱多病的他却在运城病故，随身衣物典当一尽，只有零篇断章狼藉几案。

Back-translation into Contemporary Chinese回译成现代汉语：

　　秋夜
空寂，空寂的桂堂中，
水漏变得迟滞，
相隔两地，我们体会的是
同一种秋怀秋心。
啊，你们多么幸福啊，天上的情侣，
一年还能得以一见，但是又是为谁
我独自伫立，在含露的深夜？

我的心是一粒莲子，
长了一颗苦心，
我的悲愁是春蚕一只，
裹缠着难以割断的丝线。
那幽隐的兰花已经凋谢
在我放弃之前，可这一生
我们有何能耐抚慰爱情之痛。