Make yourself a cup of tea, and let us read a poem about Mid-Autumn Moon written by Su Dongpo (1037-1101).
A little cultural background before reading the poem. Mid-Autumn festival is an important festival for Chinese, Japanese, Korean to be with family. Full moon is round, round in Chinese calls “yuan” 圆. When family is gathering together is “tuan yuan” 团圆. So full moon is a symbol of family be together.
On one Autumn night, where the full moon shone brightly, ironically Su Dongpo was tasting his loneliness bitterly. A symbol of family reunion was there, but he was drinking wine alone, dancing with his shadow and wrote this poem. And I love this poem.
English translation:
Bright moon what time to have?
To hold wine to ask blue sky.
Not to know sky above palace, current season to be which year?
I to want to ride wind to return to go, but to fear jade building jade room,
lofty place not to overcome cold.
To rise to dance to play moonlit shadow, how to appear at humans among?
To turn red pavilion, to hang silk window, to illuminate no sleep.
Not should to have to hate, why happening always toward parting moment full?
Humans to have sorrow joy parting reunion, moon to have dim bright full scarce,
this happening ancient difficult to be perfect.
May to bless humans long life, thousand miles to share beautiful moon.
Note:
English translation is taken from this score:
Seui Diu Go Tau (SATB choir and piano)
Composed by Chang Kai-Young. Edited by John Winzenburg.
When I am already mentioning about the score, then I would like to share a memory with you. The Autumn in year 2017, I was conducting my college choir to perform this choir piece. They sang in Cantonese!
As time goes by, the memory is fading away. But it came back as my college friend wrote to me.
“Hey, recently I found the programme of our concert where you asked us to sing in Cantonese!”
“Oh, I guess I lost it as I moved house. Never see it again.”
“No worry, I will take a picture of it and send it to you!”
