Hao Wang


夜·月·梦——李白诗演
Night, Moon and Dream: A Collage of Poems by Li Bai
and Other Ancient Chinese Poets

床前明月光，

疑是地上霜。

床前/chuáng qián  明月/míng yuè  光/guāng

疑/yí  是/shì  地上/dì shang  霜/shuāng

The moon shines on my bed brightly,

So that I mistook it for frost on the ground.

弹琴复长啸，

明月来相照。

弹琴/tán qín  复/fù  长啸/cháng xiào

明月/míng yuè  来/lái  相/xiāng  照/zhào

(Alone I sit in dark bamboo), strumming the lute, whistling away

(deep woods that no one knows), where a bright moon comes to shine on me

我歌月徘徊，

我舞影零乱。

我/wǒ  歌/gē  月/yuè  徘徊/pái huái

我/wǒ  舞/wǔ  影/yǐng  零乱/líng luàn

I sing; the moon wanders.

I dance; the shadow scatters.

醒时相交欢，

醉后各分散。

醒/xǐng  时/shí 相/xiāng  交欢/jiāo huān

醉/zuì  后/hòu  各/gè  分散/fēn sàn

Awake, together we have fun.

Drunk, separately we're gone.

我欲因之梦吴越，

一夜飞度镜湖月。

我/wǒ  欲/yù  因之/yīn zhī  梦/mèng  吴越/wú yuè

一夜飞度镜湖/yī yè fēi dù jìng hú  月/yuè

My heart and my dreams are in Wu and Yueh

And they cross Mirror Lake all night in the moon.

湖月照我影，

送我至剡溪。

湖/hú  月/yuè  照/zhào  我/wǒ  影/yǐng

送/sòng  我/wǒ  至/zhì  剡溪/yǎn xī

And the moon lights my shadow
And me to Yan River 

脚著谢公屐，

身登青云梯。

脚/jiǎo  著/zhuó  谢公/xiè gōng  屐/jī

身/shēn  登/dēng  青云/qīng yún 梯/ tī

Donning the shoes of Xie,

I climbed the dark ladder of clouds.

云青青兮欲雨，

水澹澹兮生烟。

云/yún  青青/qīng qīng  兮/xī  欲/yù  雨/yù

水/shuǐ  澹澹/dàn dàn  兮/xī  生/shēng  烟/yān

Clouds darken with darkness of rain,
Streams pale with pallor of mist.

霓为衣兮风为马，

云之君兮纷纷而来下。

霓/ní  为/wèi  衣/yī  兮/xī  风/fēng  为/wei  马/ma

云/yún  之/zhī  君/jūn  兮/xī  纷纷/fēn fēn  而/ér  来/lái  下/xià

And, clad in rainbow garments, riding on the wind,
Come the queens of all the clouds, descending one by one,

魂悸，魄动，

惊起，长嗟。

魂/hún  悸/jì  ，魄/pò  动/dòng

惊起/jīng qǐ  ，长/cháng  嗟/jiē

I move, my soul goes flying,
I wake with a long sigh,

惟觉时之枕席，

失向来之烟霞。

惟/wéi  觉/jué  时/shí  之/zhī  枕席/zhěn xí

失/shī  向来/xiàng lái  之/zhī  烟霞/yān xiá

My pillow and my matting
Are the lost clouds I was in.

弃我去者，

昨日之日不可留，

乱我心者，今日之日多烦忧。

弃/qì  我/wǒ  去者/qùzhě

昨日/zuó rì  之/zhī  日/rì  不可/bù kě  留/liú

乱/luàn  我/wǒ  心/xīn  者/zhě

今日/jīn rì  之/zhī  日/rì  多/duō  烦忧/fán yōu

Gone away from me
Is the day of yesterday that cannot be held on to;
What disturbs me
Is the day today happens to be that is full of worries and gloom.

抽刀断水水更流，

抽/chōu  刀/dāo  断水/duàn shuǐ  水/shuǐ  更/gèng  流/liú

I could brandish my sword at the water but that won't interrupt its flow,

人比黄花瘦，

人/rén  比/bǐ  黄花/huáng huā  瘦/shòu

As compared with chrysanthemums, I look slimmer e'en at my best.

举杯消愁愁更愁。

举杯/jǔ bēi  消愁/xiāo chóu  愁/chóu  更/gèng  愁/chóu

I could chalice after chalice drink up to quell the melancholy only to sink further below.

月如钩，无言独上西楼。

月/yuè  如/rú  钩/gōu  无言/wú yán  独上/dú shàng  西楼/xī lóu

Silent, solitary, I step up the western tower. The moon appears like a hook.

人生在世不称意，

明朝散发弄扁舟。

人生/rén shēng  在世/zài shì  不/bù  称意/chèn yì

明朝/míng cháo  散发/sàn fā  弄/nòng  扁舟/piān zhōu

Such is life that hardly expectations satisfy,

Why not let the hair down tomorrow morn and set sail on a little boat.

弄扁舟，扁舟已过万重山。

弄/nòng  扁舟/piān zhōu

扁舟/piān zhōu  已/yǐ  过/guò  万/wàn  重山/zhòng shān

When my skiff had left behind it

Ten thousand ranges of hills.

扪参历井仰胁息，

以手抚膺坐长叹。

扪/mén  参/shēn  历/lì  井/jǐng  仰/yǎng  胁/xié  息/xī

以/yǐ  手/shǒu  抚/fǔ  膺/yīng  坐/zuò  长叹/cháng tàn

Breathless, nearly touching stars, Shen and Jing, in the sky,

I now sit down, hands on my chest, heaving a long, long sigh.

飞流直下三千尺，

疑是银河落九天。

飞/fēi  流/liú  直下/zhíxià  三千/sān qiān  尺/chǐ

疑/yí  是/shì  银河/yínhé  落/luò  九天/jiǔ tiān

Flying waters descending straight three thousand feet,

Till I think the Milky Way has tumbled from the ninth height of Heaven.

君不见，君不见

君不见黄河之水天上来，

奔流到海不复回。

君不见高堂明镜悲白发，

朝如青丝暮成雪。

君/jūn  不/bù  见/jiàn  ，君/jūn  不/bù  见/jiàn

君/jūn  不/bù  见/jiàn  黄河/huáng hé  之/zhī  水/shuǐ  天上/tiān shang  来/lái

奔流/bēn liú  到/dào  海/hǎi  不复/bù fù  回/huí

君/jūn  不/bù  见/jiàn  高堂/gāo táng  明镜/míng jìng  悲/bēi  白发/bái fà

朝/zhāo  如/rú  青丝/qīng sī  暮成雪/mù chéng xuě

Do you not see the Yellow River come from the sky,

Rushing into the sea and never come back?

Do you not see the mirrors bright in chambers high

Grieve over your snow-white hair though once it was silk-black?

暮成雪，

千山鸟飞绝。

暮成雪/mù chéng xuě

千山/qiān shān  鸟/niǎo  飞/fēi  绝/jué

Snow-white,

Mountains by the thousand but the last bird flown,

相看两不厌。

独坐敬亭山。

相看/xiāng kàn  两/liǎng  不厌/bù yàn

独坐/dú zuò  敬亭山/jìng tíng shān

Never tired of looking at each other

(Only the Jingting Mountain and me)

Sitting Alone in Jingting Mountain

Inspired by poems from the Chinese poet Li Bai of Tang dynasty and other ancient Chinese poets, the author has retrieved out three main elements: the night, the moon and the dream as the narrating images, presenting the life story of Li.
Other poets: Wang Wei, Li Qingzhao and Li Yu.
English translation: multi-source from the internet.



Hao Wang is a 25 year old postgraduate (comparative) literature student at Hangzhou Normal University who has recently been exploring composing concrete poems with Chinese characters. He is also a mobile phone photographer, holding a personal exhibition every year. He spent a year studying and traveling in Europe.
 
 
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