Contributors to the Poetry Pavilion and I chose seven poems to recite as part of an inaugural Poetry Slam event at the Chine New Year Party, 2022. The poem below is by Meng Haoran (689-740) who was a close contemporary and friend of Li Bo and Wang Wei. He lived the life of a recluse and was famed for the images of nature in his poems. This poem, in five-character regulated verse, is one of his best- known works.
春曉 孟浩然 | Chūn xiāo Mèng Hàorán | Spring Dawn by Meng Haoran |
春眠不覺曉， | Chūn mián bù jué xiāo | Asleep in spring, unaware of the dawn, |
處處聞啼鳥 | chǔ chǔ wén tí niǎo. | Everywhere we heard birdsong. |
夜來風雨聲 | Yè lái fēng yǔ sheng. | In the night came the sound of wind and rain. |
花落知多少？ | huā luò zhī duōshǎo? | Do you know how many flowers fell? |
“Peach Blossom and Sparrows” (Detail) from 緙絲(Kesi) Tapestry Album of Birds and Flowers, Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) Palace Museum, Beijing, China