by
Wen Tianxiang (1236 - 1283)
乾坤能大，/ 算蛟龙
Language: Chinese (中文)
乾坤能大，
算蛟龙,
元不是池中物。
风雨牢愁无著处，
那更寒蛩四壁。
横槊题诗，
登楼作赋，
万事空中雪。
江流如此，
方来还有英杰。
堪笑一叶漂零，
重来淮水，
正凉风新发。
镜里朱颜都变尽，
只有丹心难灭。
去去龙沙，
江山回首，
一线青如发。
故人应念，
杜鹃枝上残月。
About the headline (FAQ)
Tune: 酹江月
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) , "Toasting to the Moon over River", 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: 20
Word count: 20
Toasting to the Moon over River
Language: English after the Chinese (中文)
How vast is this land,
Could dragons be confined in pools so small?
Could heroes be imprisoned in sorrow and pain,
With wind and rain,
And in this chirping of coldness crickets echoing no end?
Where is the hero, composing his poem, with spear in hand?
Where is the hero, chanting his verse, ascending on height?
All of the past, has vanished like snowflakes.
Seeing the river
Running forever,
We need not fear
No hero would appear.
Alas! Like a falling leaf flowing in rain,
I arrive back to River Huai,
When the chilly winds begin to blow in vain.
In the mirror my hair has turned grey,
Leaving a loyal heart flaming red.
Now being exiled to the remote northern land,
I look back to my homeland,
A stretch of green is drifting far away.
Oh, my old friend, if you should still miss me,
Listen to the cuckoo lamenting on the moonlit tree!
Notes provided by Shun Yan:
Title: "Toasting to the Moon over River": 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 Toasting to the Moon over River. " The underlying songs are generally lost or uncertain.
Author: Wen Tianxiang (1236-1283), was a Chinese poet and Grand Chancellor in the last years of the Southern Song dynasty. For his resistance to Kublai Khan's invasion of the Southern Song dynasty, and for his refusal to yield to the Yuan dynasty despite being captured and tortured, he is a popular symbol of patriotism, righteousness, and resistance against tyranny in China. This cí was written after him being captured by the Mongol.
Stanza 2, line 2: Huai River, is a major river in China, located about midway between the Yellow River and Yangtze. The river passes Nanjing City, where Wen Tianxiang wrote this cí when he was escorted from the south to Beijing, the capital city of Yuan Dynasty.
Stanza 2, line 10: Cuckoo: In Chinese literature, the cuckoo (杜鹃 dùjuān) is nearly always used as a symbol for sorrow. Here it is a symbol of the poet’s spirit coming back to the south land.
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.
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Based on:
- a text in Chinese (中文) by Wen Tianxiang (1236 - 1283), "酹江月·和友驿中言别"
This text was added to the website: 2023-02-13
Line count: 22
Word count: 155