"Spring Thoughts Sent to Zhou Qiong, Whom I Miss"
吳琪 Wu Qi (mid-17th century)
In the last days of spring, the scenery has become more forlorn.
The whole mountain is newly green and falling flowers are light.
The river wind naturally bends to the sound of Huan Yi's flute.
The moon above the peaks lends an ear to Wang Qiao's pipe.
Dreams of home are not cut off by the visit of traveling geese.
Travelers' longings inevitably merge with the clouds of evening.
Losing weight year after year, I have become cold in the prime of youth.
Your travel to the ends of the earth with book and sword brings me constant pain of separation.
[trans. Ellen Widmer]
She was born of a famous Suzhou family, and "showed her literary talent at a young age" (indeed, there is a delightful poem about her & her sisters writing - "Holding our books as we sleep, we can't wait for morning to come" (373)); her parents hired a tutor for her. Also talented in painting (I've yet to come across a biography in this book that says "And while her poetry was highly sought after, her calligraphy and painting left something to be desired" - I wonder how these women managed it. Was it training from childhood? Genetics?).
She had an apparently happy marriage to one Guan Xun, who introduced her to Zou Siyi, who published " a number of her poems in his Shiyuan bamingjia xuan (Collected poems of eight famous women) and who asked her to write the preface to his Hongjiao ji (Red plantain collection)" (372). Her husband, of course, died, leaving her to support herself & a young daughter with some difficulty. She did form fast friendships with other women & enjoyed their companionship while painting and writing. She also travelled with her best friend, Zhou Qiong. Eventually, she withdrew to a Buddhist nunnery & took a Buddhist name.
Well, it being spring (though not the end - yet) & the weather being a little crazy, as well as the time period coinciding with the commencement of friendships that mean a lot to me, with people I miss, I guess I could sympathize with Wu Qi's feelings here. I wouldn't say I feel the "constant pain of separation," nor would I say that I'm wasting the prime of my youth - I'm rather looking forward to the future, in fact. However, one thing I most look forward to is sharing that future with other much-loved people. I'm just glad we don't have to wait for geese & brocaded letters to make their way to friends and loved ones these days. Thank god for email - though I suppose some of the great parting/longing poetry never would've been written had communication not been so 麻煩!
[372-5]
In the last days of spring, the scenery has become more forlorn.
The whole mountain is newly green and falling flowers are light.
The river wind naturally bends to the sound of Huan Yi's flute.
The moon above the peaks lends an ear to Wang Qiao's pipe.
Dreams of home are not cut off by the visit of traveling geese.
Travelers' longings inevitably merge with the clouds of evening.
Losing weight year after year, I have become cold in the prime of youth.
Your travel to the ends of the earth with book and sword brings me constant pain of separation.
[trans. Ellen Widmer]
She was born of a famous Suzhou family, and "showed her literary talent at a young age" (indeed, there is a delightful poem about her & her sisters writing - "Holding our books as we sleep, we can't wait for morning to come" (373)); her parents hired a tutor for her. Also talented in painting (I've yet to come across a biography in this book that says "And while her poetry was highly sought after, her calligraphy and painting left something to be desired" - I wonder how these women managed it. Was it training from childhood? Genetics?).
She had an apparently happy marriage to one Guan Xun, who introduced her to Zou Siyi, who published " a number of her poems in his Shiyuan bamingjia xuan (Collected poems of eight famous women) and who asked her to write the preface to his Hongjiao ji (Red plantain collection)" (372). Her husband, of course, died, leaving her to support herself & a young daughter with some difficulty. She did form fast friendships with other women & enjoyed their companionship while painting and writing. She also travelled with her best friend, Zhou Qiong. Eventually, she withdrew to a Buddhist nunnery & took a Buddhist name.
Well, it being spring (though not the end - yet) & the weather being a little crazy, as well as the time period coinciding with the commencement of friendships that mean a lot to me, with people I miss, I guess I could sympathize with Wu Qi's feelings here. I wouldn't say I feel the "constant pain of separation," nor would I say that I'm wasting the prime of my youth - I'm rather looking forward to the future, in fact. However, one thing I most look forward to is sharing that future with other much-loved people. I'm just glad we don't have to wait for geese & brocaded letters to make their way to friends and loved ones these days. Thank god for email - though I suppose some of the great parting/longing poetry never would've been written had communication not been so 麻煩!
[372-5]