This post comes to us from Win Yee Tan in Sydney, Australia. Win Yee was born in Malaysia to Chinese parents, and has lived in Australia for more than half of her life. She is grateful for the opportunity to learn intimately from all the cultures she is a part of, and is always eager to have insight into the many societies around the world.
静夜思 (Ponderings on a quiet night) by 李白 (Li Bai) was the first poem that I learnt off by heart as a young child. It was through Li’s work that I was introduced to the heart-wrenching experiences of nostalgia, of foreign-ness, and of longing for home.
It isn’t surprising then, that Li’s poem floated its way into my consciousness when the realisation that I wasn’t going to be home for Chinese New Year this year started to sink in. As I thought of the bright moon that many others were undoubtedly going to appreciate as they celebrated with their families, I felt a strange sense of uncertainty – will I be able to fly solo for Chinese New Year?
Only time will tell, I suppose!
Meanwhile, here’s a funny little “cross-translation” of Li’s poem 静夜思 (Ponderings on a quiet night). I wanted to personally translate Li’s poem into English. I felt that it would be a nice representation of our shared experience of longing – despite being separated by almost a millennium. Then I thought to do a “continuation” of the poem. My version. Taking up the thread of Li’s and tying on my own musings of the nostalgia his words evoked.
I wrote my piece in English, and then translated it into Chinese, to contrast it with the Chinese-to-English process I took with Li’s. I also kept to Li’s five-character paradigm, which proved to be an interesting challenge in itself!
静夜思*
床前明月光
疑是地上霜
举头望明月
低头思故乡
Ponderings on a quiet night
Moonlight enrobes the bed
As frost shrouds the cold ground
I lift my gaze to behold the moon
And lower it, longing for my hometown
Silent night
Crimson dreams and vibrant pinks
Silent laughter dusting lips
A tale of joyous festive lights
Beyond this torrid summer’s night
深夜
粉红赤梦中
狂笑却无音
溽闷夏夜里
灯笼取不走
© Win Yee Tan, 2017
* Opening 4-line poem by 李白
be:longing 