Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Drink and Talk


Drink with
Good friends,
A thousand cups
Not enough.
Sharing
Different interest,
Half sentence
Is too much.

Monday, October 26, 2009

Song on the Platform of You State

Song on the Platform of You State
By Chang Zi Ang (Tang poet 659-700)
Translated by Laijon Liu

Before me, I cannot see the past heroes
Behind me, I don’t see anyone following
In btwn the far heaven and vast earth
I myself wailing alone

Chamber Sorrow

Chamber Sorrow
By Sheng Ru Jun (Tang Poet)
Translated by Laijon Liu

Oh, I cannot tell the wild goose
To carry a letter to my husband
And sorrow weighing down
Even a dream I cannot make
How I wished every night
To follow the lonesome moon
Travel across the far heaven
And spill out the bright light
Over my love one’s camp

Praise Willow

Praise Willow
He Zhi Zhang (Tang Poet 659-744)
Translated by Laijon Liu

Green dress like a piece of giant jade
Myriad strings hanging down as skirt
Her thin leaves who’s the tailor of it?
Look, the Feb wind has a sharp scissor

Falling Leaves

Falling Leaves
By Kong Zhao An (Tang Poet 577-622)
Translated by Laijon Liu

Early autumn shook the leaves
Falling like the heart of drifter
Fly and fly, they try and strive
Ah, they miss their home tree

I want to make Cumin and Stardreamer proud, so I translated this Tang poet’s poem and share with everyone. I read their poetry everyday, coz I don’t have wife and life:) so from now on, I find some good ones, especially no one ever translated before, I translate it and post here also. About.com better thank me, and raise your banner ads’ price:) ha ha ha

Thursday, October 22, 2009

I Drink and Write

I Drink and Write
By Laijon Liu 20091022

I drink and write
It feels so right
Don’t prep my thought
Just ride with the flow

After some dose
I see all the pictures
That makes me dizzy
Yes, I’m in cloud and touching stars

Poetry is so easy
I meditate it with life
When my heart aches
The rhythm naturally tuned

I can forget the tones
I can erase the image
Just baby talk, random thoughts
Still make you woozy

Like seeing the sun
Rising from west
Like seeing the moon
Smiling in the pond

Yeah, I must drink and write
So my mind speaks truth
Like my absurd verses don’t work
And this world in a bottle of hope

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Beautiful Dream

Beautiful Dream
By Laijon Liu 20091019

Brewing my dream
In the fifty states,
With a thread of grief
I drink and fall asleep.
On the bank of river
I look for my goddess,
Only to roam alone
In cloud and peach bloom.

Heavenly mountains,
Crystal ice, and stars
Shining bright as plates;
Deep blue oceans
With their roaring waves,
Splashing toward high.
Oh, this great bird
Spreads his giant wings
To strike myriad miles
For the limit of sky.

Note:
A translation of my own Chinese poem.

Chinese:
美梦

美梦酝酿五十州, 一丝牵挂醉中眠.
湘水湖畔思神女, 独游云梦卧桃源.
天山冰晶星如斗, 琼海洋溢浪涛天.
此鹏一展鸿飞翅, 挥翼万里志无边.

Thursday, October 15, 2009

The Spring Dream

The Spring Dream
By Laijon Liu 20090604

The spring dream
Twenty years ago
Was blown away
By the east wind
The flowers shed
And petals fallen
But lover abode
Still grieving that
Ah, undying grief
I dare not to tell

Poem Note:
Those young faces in the crowd;
Red petals on a wet black bough.

I edited Pond's poem to explain the meaning of my poem, to record a historical event, to mourn for the fallen flowers, and report to reader for the present state, like so many ancient Chinese poems, that only composed for reader of future, that those past poets did not know, their descendants inherited all their great art and writing the same poem, that their future was not easy, just as their time.

二十年前初春夢﹐
東風吹去落花紅。
多情赤子今猶在﹐
無限愁緒不敢說。

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Bridge

Bridge
By Laijon Liu 20091014

I am the one under your feet
Where history and future meet
I am the one that lies across
In the air and over the sea

I am not like any window
That only allows you to look
But I invite you to walk upon me
And I am never locked or shut

Yes, thru me continents joined
Thru me cultures burn and melt
And thru me lovers hold hands
And experiment their first kiss

Thru me a new journey
And a new world to see
And at the end of every voyage
There's a friend waiting to greet

I swear I’m built for both sides
And I always stand firm in peace
And I let you reach your hope and dream
If you put your faith in me

Friday, October 9, 2009

Ode To A Little Mouse

Ode To A Little Mouse
By Laijon Liu 20091009

'Misery acquaints a man with strange bedfellows.'
- Shakespeare, The Tempest Act 2, scene 2, Line 40

01
In my tiny room, there’s a little mouse
A New Yorker he is, a resident of Queens
He’s lonely like me and nameless he is
He works all the days to see who he really is
Oh, my heart cries for you, my little friend
This world too big and your life too frail
In my roommate rooms they set the clip traps
And in each corner they prepared your last meal
But you still, running wise and boring brave
To be a master of your own fate, not a slave!

02
For that sweet cheese cake! You try to nose
For whole life among the rooms and traps
Oh dream of fulfillment, drives living purpose
That one day you may gain fat like those rats
But no, you are in my room, and I only have books
This is not a restaurant, nor subway tracks
And out there on street, too many wild cats
They are not house pets that live on diet food
So, you must be patient and do with what you have
For you haven’t met any girl mouse yet

03
Oh, love for a little mouse? Too unreal!
How that 2-second intimacy can make you feel?
What’s after, still loneliness, emptiness,
Such state even human wail and gods pale
In this mice and rats crowded capital,
How many couples truly find their nest?
Once you were born into this cold world
Then you must walk and search alone
Btwn the walls, sneak in and out the pipes
And hoping to find your sweet cheese

04
Go! You little mouse! Be smart and brave!
Don’t just hide in my tiny room
Even though you moved in here first
But your life is not staying here and starve
Even though I never wanted to trap you
Nor I’m too wicked to poison you
Still, you must go out and be stuffed
For all those trash are waiting for you
And you might be luckier than me
Soon walk with a mouse next door in flowery forest

05
Yes, you already used to be in this room
And I dare not to claim what I paid it’s mine
So all these years I let you stay in your corner
And marked the spot with a cookie each month
But it does not mean that I’ve accepted you
Or changed my mind to receive you as my pet
Mice and rats are not equal with dogs and cats
Not even people on earth obtain same rights
Maybe only in sleep or heavy drinks
So we can all be a big happy family

06
How many times at night I wake up
Fearing you may sneak into my bed
And how many times I almost hit you
That you broke the law of this room
Even though I’m a guy that fears a mouse
But in madness men can march out for kill
And not to mention if I find girlfriend, God willing
Then I’d be forced to set poison and traps
Haven't you ever heard that in love
A woman is more jealous than death?

07
Oh, you little mouse, sad and alone
All your life you search in hunger and fear
But tonight, you are so lucky
You’ve got a safe corner, no trap or death cookie
A poet observes you with his drink
And writes a few drunken verse in ink
Not for his love, not for any girl
But only for you, my roommate and companion
How are we two miserable creatures
Under same shelter, sharing same roof!

08
Let’s enjoy this moment for a temporal rest
Before sunlight shoots into this tiny room
You little mouse has worked all night
Yet must get up in hurry for a weary road
Man labors from cell to cell
To chase his dream in tunnels of world
Mouse seeks from pipe to pipe
To look for his cheese in the hall of trap
And both come back in dust and dark
Till one day we must part for love or death.

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Girl In Her Greenhouse
Cui Jian
Translated Laijon Liu 20091007

I walked by your side; I couldn’t say a word to you
I dared not to raise my head, to see you, oh your face

You asked me where I go. I pointed to the sea
Your surprise seemed you were admiring me

But you drew me into your greenhouse,
And I couldn’t escape from the fragrance,
I didn’t know why, I forgot my direction

You said I was the toughest in the world
And I said you were most graceful on earth
You didn’t know why, you felt like you were a bloom

You said I was the toughest in the world
And I said you were most graceful on earth
You asked me to abide here, you wanted me to be like them

I looked at you and said, oh, no, I could not
I wanted to go back, I wanted to return

But I knew I couldn’t walk away from you, oh, girl
But I were willing to go back, to return

But I knew I couldn’t walk away from you, oh, girl
But I were willing to go back, to return

But I knew I couldn’t walk away from you, oh, girl
But I were willing to go back, to return


Video Link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubBDKL86rTA&feature=related

I Have Nothing

I Have Nothing
By Cui Jian
Translated by Laijon Liu 20091007
 
I can’t stop asking you
When we’ll get together and go
But you are just jesting 
That I have nothing
I want to give you my pursuit 
And also my freedom
But you are just jesting 
That I have nothing

Oh, when we’ll get together and go
Oh, when we’ll get together and go

The ground under our feet is moving 
The streams by our side are flowing
But you are just jesting 
That I have nothing
Why you can’t stop jesting 
And why I must hold tight my pursuit
Maybe in front of you I will forever
Have nothing

Oh, when we’ll get together and go
Oh, when we’ll get together and go

I tell you I’ve been waiting for so long
And I tell you my last wish
I will grab your two hands  
And drag you along our way 
But now your hands are shaking
And now your tears are streaming
Maybe you are telling me
that you love me because
I have nothing

Oh, when we’ll get together and go
Oh, when we’ll get together and go

Note:
This is Chinese Rock Song Anthem, June 4th students picked this song for their Freedom Anthem. Every Chinese can sing this song. A great example of Chinese poetry uses love content to reflect for political statement for people and state.

Video Links:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hm30a-bk0BM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHwfCf2spTk


一無所有

作詞:崔健 
作曲:崔健

我曾經問個不休 
妳何時跟我走
可妳卻總是笑我 
一無所有
我要給妳我的追求 
還有我的自由
可妳總是笑我 
一無所有

喔 妳何時跟我走 喔 妳何時跟我走

腳下這地在走 身邊那水在流
可妳卻總是笑我 一無所有
為何妳總笑個沒夠 為何我總要追求
難道在妳面前我永遠 是一無所有

喔 妳何時跟我走 喔 妳何時跟我走


(腳下這地在走 身邊那水在流 腳下這地在走 身邊那水在流)

告訴妳我等了很久 告訴妳我最後的要求
我要抓起妳的雙手 妳這就跟我走
這時妳的手在顫抖 這時妳的淚在流
莫非妳是正在告訴我 妳愛我一無所有

喔 妳這就跟我走 喔 妳這就跟我走

(腳下這地在走 身邊那水在流 腳下這地在走 身邊那水在流)

喔 妳這就跟我走 喔 妳這就跟我走
喔 妳這就跟我走 喔 妳這就跟我走
喔 妳這就跟我走 喔 妳這就跟我走

Cui Jian Chinese Rock Song Lyric - Fake Monk

Cui Jian Chinese Rock Song Lyric
Fake Monk
Translated Laijon Liu 20091007

I want to walk from south to north
And I want to walk from light into dark
I want all people to see me
But don’t know who I am
If you see that I’m a little weary
Then please pour me a cup of water
If you have fallen in love for me
Then please kiss my lips
I have this pair hands, I have this pair legs
And I have all these hills and rivers
I want everything and all things
But I don’t want hatred and grief
If you dare to love me, then don’t regret
Coz one day I must leave here to far away
I don’t want to stay at one place
And I don’t want anyone to follow me

I want to walk from south to north
And I want to walk from light to dark
I want all people to see me
But don’t know who I am
I only want to see your fair face
But please don’t tell me you bear too much pain
Coz I only want the water of heaven
but not your sad tears
I don’t want to believe there’s devil
Nor I want to go against anyone
You will never know who I truly am
And never see thru my fake skin

I love this song, one of good Cui Jian songs that I listen every morning. Cui Jian is one of my idols, a great musician and poet, his songs are not only rock in classic group, but very spiritual and poetic that many rock star can’t match.

His Song Video Links:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FHLJf-g0cc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZcEH3geKIYU


Chinese:
假行僧

我要从南走到北
我还要从白走到黑
我要人们都看到我
但不知道我是谁
假如你看我有点累
就请你给我倒碗水
假如你已经爱上我
就请你吻我的嘴
我有这双手我有这双腿
我有这千山和万水
我要这所有的所有
但不要恨和悔
要爱上我你就别怕后悔
总有一天我要远走高飞
我不想留在一个地方
但不愿有人跟随
我要从南走到北
我还要从白走到黑
我要人们都看到我
但不知道我是谁
我只想看到你长得美
但不想知道你在受罪
我想要得到天上的水
但不是你的泪
我不愿相信真的有魔鬼
也不愿与任何人作对
你别想知道我到底是谁
也别想看到我的虚伪

Thursday, October 1, 2009

Tang Poet Wei Zhuang

Huan Xi Sha
Wei Zhuang (Tang)
Translated Laijon Liu 20091001

Night and night, I stay up
Hearing the watchman beats the hour drum
Alone and sad, I stand on the balcony
Staring at the bright moon

I guess my love is thinking about me now
Worrying if I have enough blankets
To keep my bed warm

My small living room, suffocates me with sorrow
And I sink like I am drowning in the sea
Hour by hour I read her letters
Again and again

Oh, I wonder when we can reunite
And hold hands, together to Chang An

To My Bright Star


To My Bright Star
By Laijon Liu 20091001

I watched the bright star last night,
He drifted across the screen of my mind,
Lightened my tiny dark room n time.
How lonely he was, and how shiny
His steadfast fire glared in a poet’s heart.
Like a butterfly he danced in pair,
As a nightingale he sang his sweet tune,
To his love he asked for mending thread,
But still, he was steadfast, and alone
Left home with a lock of her hair.
How blessed he embraced and kissed,
And sank deep together in a warm dream.
Tonight I look up toward sky, for the stars,
To catch their flare n find my crash, till death.

Poem Note:
I watched the movie Bright Star,
To admire Keats’s talents and his love affair.
Not to brag, when he moved into the dark small room, I saw myself.
I pray his true life were the same as this movie portrayed,
And according to his poems I guessed he experienced all such,
That made me happy for him, but sadder for myself.
All great songs touch heart, and the singer must be heartbroken,
So he maybe able to heal others. There is no other way.