On my recent trip to The Great Wall of China, I was very moved by the scenery, the history, and the ambiance of the place. A friend challenged me to write a poem about it in Chinese – it has been an on-going joke that my goal in studying Mandarin these three months is to become a famous Chinese poet before I leave. But I took on the challenge, and wrote my first poem in Chinese. I had some help from another friend and my teacher to suggest a few words or word changes. So here it is, for your pleasure.
爬长城，懂老华北。
闻和风，认云雾脸。
视翠峰，明美土地。
寻平静，知生命诗。
And for a translation…
Climb the Great Wall, truly know Old China.
Listen for the wind, recognize the face of clouds.
See the emerald peaks, know the beauty of earth.
Look for inner-calm, realize the poetry of life.
Oh, I found this poet just now.
ReplyDeleteI like there are some rhyme as well. Great!
This is awesome! Glad to know that you've explored the Great Wall, which I love very much! The poem is very beautiful. Can you think in Chinese (construct verses in Chinese directly rather than in English) when you write? That will greatly enhance the sense of poetics of your Chinese poems :) Look forward to seeing more!
ReplyDeleteSadly, I cannot think poetically in Chinese. It took me three weeks to write this one poem, agonizing over each word. Plus I had significant help from native speaking friends.
ReplyDelete