Year
Translation
Li Bai (701-762) | 李白 |
Midnight Song of the Four Seasons: Winter | 子夜四時歌冬歌 |
Tomorrow morning the courier goes out | 明朝 驛使發 |
And there’s one night left to make your cotton battle robe | 一夜 絮征袍 |
My white hand draws out the cold and lonely needle | 素手 抽鍼冷 |
But how can I endure to hold these scissors? | 那堪 把剪刀 |
Trimming, cutting, sending on a far-off road | 裁縫 寄遠道 |
How many days will it take to reach Lintao? | 幾日 到臨洮 |
Note:
This is a poem with waves of ups and downs in the plot. Knowing the courier is going to head out tomorrow, the wife was sewing all night in the cold to make a winter gown for the husband, who was gone on frontier. When she’s almost done, she couldn’t help worrying that Lintao was so far away, so how many days would it take before the husband receives his winter gown. What if the winter arrives, but the husband still has no warm clothes ?
Original Chinese
Traditional | Simplified | Pronunciation |
李白 | 李白 | Li Bái |
子夜四時歌冬歌 | 子夜四时歌冬歌 | Zǐ yè sì shí gē dōng gē |
明朝驛使發， | 明朝驿使发， | Míng cháo yì shǐ fā, |
一夜絮征袍。 | 一夜絮征袍。 | Yī yè xù zhēng páo. |
素手抽鍼冷， | 素手抽针冷， | Sù shǒu chōu zhēn lěng, |
那堪把剪刀。 | 那堪把剪刀。 | Nǎ kān bǎ jiǎn dāo. |
裁縫寄遠道， | 裁缝寄远道， | Cái féng jì yuǎn dào, |
幾日到臨洮。 | 几日到临洮。 | Jǐ rì dào lín táo. |
Literal Translation
李白 | Plum White=Li Bai (701-762) |
子夜四時歌冬歌 | Midnight night four season song, winter song [Midnight night = midnight] |
明朝驛使發， | Tomorrow morning post-horse messenger send/headout |
一夜絮征袍。 | One night cotton-padded battle robe |
素手抽鍼冷， | Plain/white hand draw-out needle cold/lonely |
那堪把剪刀。 | How/that able/endure hold/grasp cut knife [cut knife= scissors] |
裁縫寄遠道， | Trim/cut sew send faraway road [trim/cut sew = tailor] |
幾日到臨洮。 | How-many?/several day reach close cleanse [Several day = how long ] |
[close cleanse = Lintao, a place name, it’s in Gansu Province, near the source of Yellow River.] |
The notes, character table, and literal translation were prepared with the assistance of Liane Rui of Shanghai, China.
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