由 一语湖边_lakeshore
于 2008-07-04 23:25:56
Dear Lake-shore,
Thank you for your long and touching letter. I’m delighted to know that the poems were recited by you. It’s very funny that I feel you’re quite young from your appearance shown by your pictures posted in your blog but from your voice, I suddenly found that you’re a little bit too old.From what you have been doing recently I’ve realized that you’re filled with enthusiasm and romance. And as far as I can see, only this kind of people can do something about poems, both writing and reciting.
I’m glad that we two have something quite common which we can share each other, because I also love poems and have written two or three hundred poems ever since my childhood up to now. And several decades of poems were published in America. But it is a pity that I only love and know something about Chinese classic poems but not contemporary poems. And worse of all, I nearly know nothing about foreign poems. Only after coming to America, did I touched something about western poems, namely I once translated for a trial nearly two hundred poems written by the American poetess Emily Dickinson. But I don’t think I’ve done a good job, so even up to now I haven’t had the gut to put my translation into
the open.
You said that you have a plan to try a bit more of it (poem recital?) in the next couple of weeks, as to taste the diversities of the poems in English language. That’s a good idea. But I think this will cost you much more time. So time is extremely precious to you. I’d like to say that you should concentrate your time and energy to do what you like.
As for my translation of 《The Analects of Confucius》, you just forget it. It may be too long and too boring for you to read it. It’s not worth spending your precious time to read. We’d better spend our time to do something which can satisfy our common tastes. You know what I mean. I certainly mean something about poems.
Last but not least, I’d like to express my sorrow for the missing of the lovely bird-couple who have already been scared away from your balcony.
Best regards.
Cordially Song
Thank you for your long and touching letter. I’m delighted to know that the poems were recited by you. It’s very funny that I feel you’re quite young from your appearance shown by your pictures posted in your blog but from your voice, I suddenly found that you’re a little bit too old.From what you have been doing recently I’ve realized that you’re filled with enthusiasm and romance. And as far as I can see, only this kind of people can do something about poems, both writing and reciting.
I’m glad that we two have something quite common which we can share each other, because I also love poems and have written two or three hundred poems ever since my childhood up to now. And several decades of poems were published in America. But it is a pity that I only love and know something about Chinese classic poems but not contemporary poems. And worse of all, I nearly know nothing about foreign poems. Only after coming to America, did I touched something about western poems, namely I once translated for a trial nearly two hundred poems written by the American poetess Emily Dickinson. But I don’t think I’ve done a good job, so even up to now I haven’t had the gut to put my translation into
the open.
You said that you have a plan to try a bit more of it (poem recital?) in the next couple of weeks, as to taste the diversities of the poems in English language. That’s a good idea. But I think this will cost you much more time. So time is extremely precious to you. I’d like to say that you should concentrate your time and energy to do what you like.
As for my translation of 《The Analects of Confucius》, you just forget it. It may be too long and too boring for you to read it. It’s not worth spending your precious time to read. We’d better spend our time to do something which can satisfy our common tastes. You know what I mean. I certainly mean something about poems.
Last but not least, I’d like to express my sorrow for the missing of the lovely bird-couple who have already been scared away from your balcony.
Best regards.
Cordially Song
————————————————————————————
Dear Song,
I feel I have to tell you tonight that to my great surprise, they came back, yet the balcony is no longer the way it looks. I was wakened by the familiar sounds they made in the morning, brightened by the summer sun, and sun-rays shines on them, three of them, they looked at me, as if to check whether I am still the person that used to be around.
Your words about my voice really makes me smile happily within, when others used to say just the opposite. But a interesting thing observed is that people are still behaving with the convention of the real life,not to open enough to tell the names and ages, etc. Open, and fast, as Internet is natured, however, people still fall in a wild guessing,willingly. The curiosity arises and thus it remains.
I really enjoy this way of communicating, and I am happy that you are still willing to discuss the topics mentioned. but from my side,surprises are that i did not touch anything of literature before i moved to Canada, but recent online experiences had created or evoked strong interests in me.
Poetry happens to be one of the topics on the writing courses recently I involved with. Poem recitation, as argued in the mainland China, has been no longer as popular as it is in this website, of which a interesting thing itself. Charles, a name I remembered now was a specialist on our program, who was so proud of the 'flow', music,rhymes, and his sharing his studying with us, all from South East Asia,the beauty of English language that lovers of this language admit.
Another thing, as mentioned in your letter, a couple of hundred of poems since Childhood definitely weighs a lot, not mentioning in the style and skill other than the talent. Like you said, I once shew publicly my admiration to one of the poet who lectures and chairs the university in shanghai, but she said it requires at least great amount of time self-edification and training to do that.
So, for me it could be interesting to see how the recital helps in understanding better the poems being recited, and get ones closer to the emotion, on which the contents are developed, and artistically built. Another surprise is it's possible online.
One of the invaluable I got from a thrifty store at random, here in my town was a small poem book edited after a name of Pauline Johnson,a native woman who wrote her feelings towards her land that she close to. They are old, but close to the nature, might be easy to read out.To be honest I was fascinated by the flow of the lines when the pages were turned. Although, some people think her poems are out of fashion.
My ambition is narrowed at beginning as to only Canadians', and it is to do a recital at a time in audio format, like the one I did this Saturday, and a translation if possible; Surely we can try Emily Dickinson's too; then it becomes to [Northern America], however, I even listed few from John Donne same thing can be done to the Chinese ones. if goes well, a multi-media poem section of the multicultural blog can be expected
from. This is only, in a French-English word, an amateur's. It is really expandable!
Oh, Poem and Poems; Maybe we 're too old, to loom?
Glad that the family "pets' came back tonight, and the lake is getting dark now.
Best
Truly, Lake-shore.
