SIX TANG POEMS for SAB and piano (2015)
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Classical poetry from the Tang Dynasty (618-690, 705-907) has been a remarkable heritage of Chinese culture. This song cycle is based on a selection of six famous Tang poems written by different poets during the Tang Dynasty. These poems all share a common theme of nostalgia: from night to dawn, from spring flowers to rain, from the illusive peach blossom to the magnificent sunset, from dawn to dusk . . . all happened in a distant past and faraway homeland, but are still remembered in our soul.
This song cycle is trilingual: Cantonese, Mandarin and English, to reflect the cross-cultural background of Voices of the Valley. Numerous English translations have made the Tang poems available to international readers. The English translation by C. K. Ho is chosen for this work because the rhyme of the translation is able to match the rhyme scheme of the original poems and to preserve the meaning at the same time.
NIGHT THOUGHTS
Li Bai (701-762)
The bright moon shines before my bed:
I wonder if it’s frost on the ground spread.
At the bright moon I look up,
And yearn for my old home as I lower my head.
DAWN IN SPRING
Meng Haoran (689-740)
Dawn was missed in a good sleep in spring,
Everywhere I hear the birds sing.
Overnight, the wind and rain clamoured
How many flowers down did they bring?
NOT FLOWERS NOR MIST
Bai Juyi (772-846)
Like flowers but they aren’t, like mist but they aren’t.
Come in the night, gone at break of dawn.
Like spring dreams they come, but never stay long.
Like morning clouds they go, can’t be found once gone.
QING MING FESTIVAL
Du Mu (803-852)
It rained at Qing Ming Festival all day,
Wayfarers were filled with dismay.
Asked where a wine bar was,
A shepherd boy pointed to the Apricot Village faraway.
PEACH BLOSSOM CREEK
Zhang Xu (year of birth and death unknown)
Vaguely behind the mist in the wild, the flying bridges sit;
By the west of the landing rock, guidance from a fishing boat I seek.
“ Peach blossom float along the water throughout the day,
But where is the cave by the side of the creek?”
ASCENDING THE LEYOU PLATEAU
Li Shangyin (813-858)
Feeling restless towards the evening,
Up to the ancient plateau a carriage I steer.
The sunset is magnificent –
But dusk is near.