“So that they go home with a joyful heart.”Ton Koopman Since I attended his masterclass. “A joyful heart” as souvenir to the audience has become what I aim for every time I play organ. Joy is not something shallow like simply saying “don’t worry, be happy”, nor the optimism build on the air. Joy is …
Last night the wind blew hardand rain was fine.Sound sleep did not dispel the aftertaste of wine.I ask the maid rolling up the screen.‘The same crab-apple tree’she says, ‘was seen.’“But don’t you knowO don’t you knowThe red should languish” 如梦令/ Like a dream/ Wie im Traum词: 李清照 译: 许渊冲Lyric: Li QingZhao Translator: Xu Yuanchong 海棠依旧?The …
“Slow, Slow Song” by Li Qing Zhao is one of my all-time favourite “Song Lyrics”. The “Song” that I mentioned in “Song Lyrics” is not the “Song” to sing, but the “Song” Dynasty (960 -1279) in China. And “lyrics” is a special kind of poetry composition that set words to available tune, not the other …
“The days and months hurried on, never delaying;Springs and Autumns sped by in endless alternation:And I thought how the trees and flowers were fading and falling.And feared that my fairest beauty would fade too.” Excerpt from “Li Sao” by Qu Yuan. This afternoon I’m reading a poem written by Qu Yuan (b.c. 335? – 296?). …
In this essay “Shuo Mu Ye” , 林庚 Lin Geng（1910 – 2006）examines the names of the leaf in Chinese classical poetry. “Mu” 木 and “Ye”叶 both mean leaf, but in the poetic realm, the subtle differences between the two are individually and exclusively termed. The earliest works for which the distinction between the two can …
“Must the love that comes in dream necessarily be unreal?” Tang Xianzu (1550 – 1616) asked. He written an opera “Peony Pavilion” to answer this question. The storyline of this opera reminds me of Mozart’s opera “The Magic Flute”. Fell in love with each other before they really meet. A lover occur in a dream …
The 1st day of my self-employed, jobless, idleness, whatever, time will tell. A friend suggests that I should talk more about Chinese Classical Literature. But my books about Chinese Classical Literature is in my home in Malaysia, not here. I would like to have my books with me, I only can think about this once …