ABC of Sound Meters in Chinese Poetry 声(shēng)律(lǜ)启(qǐ)蒙(mēng) Section VII of Part I
烟轻笼岸柳，风急撼庭梧。 Yān qīng lóng àn liǔ ，fēng jí hàn tíng wú 。 (Literal translation of the line: Light fog covers up willows by the riverside; strong wind shakes the Chinese parasol in the courtyard.) The last character pronounces as “wú”. In the line, light fog vs. strong wind; covering vs. shaking; riverside vs. courtyard; willow vs. parasol tree.
Light fog covers up willows by the riverside;
鸜眼一方端石砚，龙涎三炷博山炉。 Qū yǎn yī fāng duān shí yàn ，lóng xián sān zhù bó shān lú 。 (Literal translation of the line: A piece of ink-stone produced at Duānxī has a mark in the shape of a parrot’s eye; a Bóshān incense burner is burning three pieces of famous Lóngxián incense.) The last character pronounces as “lú”. There are such pairs in the lines: a parrot’s eye vs. the saliva of dragon; one piece vs. three pieces; Duānxī vs. Bóshān; ink-stone vs. incense burner.
曲沼鱼多，可使渔人结网； 平田兔少，漫劳耕者守株。 Qǔ zhǎo yú duō ，kě shǐ yú rén jié wǎng ； Píng tián tù shǎo ，màn láo gēng zhě shǒu zhū 。 (Literal translation of the line: There are much fish in the mash, fisherman can cast his net; there aren’t many rabbits in the flat fields, it is no use for the farmer to wait for the rabbits by the side of a tree stump.) The last character pronounces as “zhū”. There are such pairs: Mash in a crooked shape vs. flat fields; fish vs. rabbit; much vs. few; may enable vs. not to labor; fisherman vs. farmer; to cast net vs. to wait by the side of a tree stump.
There are much fish in the mash, fisherman can cast his net;
秦对赵，越对吴，钓客对耕夫。 Qín duì zhào ，yuè duì wú 1，diào kè duì gēng fū 。 (Literal translation of the line: Qín vs. Zhào; Yuè vs. Wú; fisherman vs. farmer.) The sixth character pronounces as “wú” and the last character pronounces as “fū”. There are such pairs in the line: Qín vs. Zhào; Yuè vs. Wú; fishing vs. ploughing; guest vs. man.
箕裘对杖履，杞梓对桑榆。 Jī qiú duì zhàng lǚ ，qǐ zǐ duì sāng yú 。 (Literal translation of the line: Inheriting skills of the last generation vs. old man with a crane and a pair of shoes; Chinese wolfberry and catalpa vs. mulberry and elm tree.) The fifth character pronounces as “lǚ” and the last character pronounces as “yú”. There are such pairs in the line: a dustpan vs. a crane stick; a fur coat vs. shoes; Chinese wolfberry vs. mulberry; catalpa vs. elm tree. A long long time ago, a bow maker had to know how to make a dustpan. A smith had to put on a fur coat to protect his chest from sparks of fire. A dust pan and a fur coat together mean younger ones trying to learn skills. A crane stick and shoes together give the image of an old man.
An old man with a crane and a pair of shoes;
天欲晓，日将晡，狡兔对妖狐。 Tiān yù xiǎo ，rì jiāng bū ，jiǎo tù duì yāo hú 。 (Literal translation of the line: The day will break and the sun will set; a sly hare vs. a coquettish fox.) The sixth character pronounces as “bū”, which is the name of the hours between 3-5 pm; and the last character pronounces as “hú”. These are such pairs in the line: the day vs. sun; to break vs. to set; sly vs. coquettish; hare vs. fox.
读书甘刺股，煮粥惜焚须。 Dú shū gān cì gǔ ，zhǔ zhōu xī fén xū 。 (Literal translation of the line: Sū Qín punched willingly a stabber into his thighs to keep himself awake when reading at night; Lǐ Jì pitifully burnt some of his beard while cooking porridge for his sister.) The last character pronounces as “xū”. Sū Qín (苏秦) was Prime Minister of six states in the Warring States period; Lǐ Jì (549-669, 李勣) was an important official in the Táng Dynasty. There are such pairs in the line: reading vs. cooking porridge; willingly vs. pitifully; punch vs. burnt; thigh vs. beard.
Sū Qín punched willingly a stabber into his thighs to keep himself awake when reading at night;
韩信武能平四海，左思文足赋三都。 Hán xìn wǔ néng píng sì hǎi ，zuǒ sī wén zú fù sān dōu 。 (Literal translation of the line: The military commanding skills of Hán Xìn was so high that he was able to conquer the four seas; the writing proficiency of Zuǒ Sī was so high that he was able to compose the poetic prose pieces about the three capitals.) The last character pronounces as “dū”. There are such pairs in the line: Hán Xìn vs. Zuǒ Sī; military capability vs. literary proficiency; to conquer vs. to compose; four vs. three; seas vs. capitals. Hán Xìn (231-196 B.C.) was the major commander in Liú Bāng’s troops; Zuǒ Sī (250-305) was a famous writer of the Jìn. After he had written the prose about the three capitals, the price of paper in the capital became high, because so many people wanted to print and keep a copy of the articles.
the writing proficiency of Zuǒ Sī was so high that he was able to compose the poetic prose pieces about the three capitals.
嘉遯幽人，适志竹篱茅舍； 胜游公子，玩情柳陌花衢。 Jiā dùn yōu rén ，shì zhì zhú lí máo shě ； Shèng yóu gōng zǐ ，wán qíng liǔ mò huā qú 。 (Literal translation of the line: The one who resorted to opportune seclusion felt satisfied living with bamboo fences and thatched cottage; in their delightful tours, the sons of rich families are indulged in prostitutes among willow trees and flowers.) The last character pronounces as “qú”. There are such pairs in the lines: opportune seclusion vs. delightful tour; hermit vs. sons of rich families; to feel satisfied vs. to be indulged; bamboo fence and thatched cottage vs. lanes and streets enclosed by willow trees and flowers.
