春花秋月何时了？/ 往事知多少？
Language: Chinese (中文)
春花秋月何时了？
往事知多少？
小楼昨夜又东风。
故国不堪回首明月中。
雕栏玉砌应犹在。
只是朱颜改。
问君能有几多愁。
恰似一江春水向东流。
About the headline (FAQ)
Tune: 虞美人
Text Authorship:
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- ENG English (Shun Yan) , "The Beautiful Lady Yu", copyright © 2023, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this page: Shun Yan
This text was added to the website: 2023-02-13
Line count: 8
Word count: 8
The Beautiful Lady Yu
Language: English after the Chinese (中文)
Spring flowers and autumn moon - when will ye come to an end?
How much has passed and become yet to known!
In my chamber last night, yet another east breeze arrive,
So bright the moon, that I couldn't bear to look back toward my homeland.
The carved railings and jade inlays should still remain,
Only the rosy faces have changed.
Oh, if thou ask, how much sorrow and grievance is in my heart?
The endless spring river flowing eastward.
Notes provided by Shun Yan:
Title: "The Beautiful Lady Yu" is the name of cípái of the Chinese song/poetry format 词. Cí (pronounced [tsʰǐ]; Chinese: 詞) is a type of lyric poetry in the tradition of Classical Chinese poetry that also draws upon folk traditions. The rhythmic and tonal pattern of the cí are based upon certain, definitive musical song tunes (cípái), and in many cases the name of the musical tune is given in the title of a cí piece, in a form such as "after the tune of The Beautiful Lady Yu." The underlying songs are generally lost or uncertain.
The poet: Li Yu (937–978) was the third ruler of the Southern Tang state during imperial China's Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. He reigned from 961 until 976, when he was captured by the invading Song dynasty armies which annexed his kingdom. Legend has it that on the night of his birthday, he sang songs in the tune of "The Beautiful Lady Yu". The Ruler of Song dynasty was so angry that he ordered someone to give him wine and poisoned him to death. Li Yu was an incompetent ruler, but he was a lyric poet during his era, specializing in the cí form.
Stanza 1, line 4 : Hometown, the old kingdom of Southern Tang (937-976), ruled by Li Yu, with capital city in nowadays Nanjing City, China.
Stanza 2, line 1, word 6, ("inlays") : The carved railings and jade inlays implied the magnificent and splendid palaces in the capital city that Li Yu used to stay.
Stanza 2, line 2, word 4 ("faces"): The rosy faces, specifically refer to the pink beauties in the palace of the past, but at the same time it is also a symbol of all the good things in the past.
Text Authorship:
- Translation from Chinese (中文) to English copyright © 2023 by Shun Yan, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., you may ask the copyright-holder(s) directly or ask us; we are authorized to grant permission on their behalf. Please provide the translator's name when contacting us.
Contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net
Based on:
- a text in Chinese (中文) by Li Yu (937 - 978), "虞美人·春花秋月何时了"
This text was added to the website: 2023-02-13
Line count: 8
Word count: 79
