2 of 3 Loop Poems:蘇小妹 採蓮人在綠楊津 Lotus-root Picker of mine, by the green willows river!

                 玉    採
          漱              蓮
        聲                   人
      歌                      在
        新                   綠
           闋             楊
               一     津          
   

宋 • 苏小妹 《採蓮人》连环诗: 七言回文絕句
   
       采莲人在绿杨津，  在绿杨津一阕新。 
      一阕 新歌声漱玉，  歌声漱玉采莲人。    


宋 • 蘇小妹 《採蓮人》连环诗: 七言回文絕句

      採蓮人在綠楊津，在綠楊津一闋新。
　　
      一闋新歌聲嗽玉，歌聲嗽玉採蓮人。


In her reply, Xiaoxiao 苏小妹 of course v skilfully complimented her industrious husband Qin Shaoyou 秦少游 on employing such a new format of loop poem (cf. "Is heard such a new song fine" in her response below) and encouraged him to carry on working ("Lotus-root Picker of mine, by the green willows river!") despite delays in his planned return date. 

Translated into English verse, the second Loop Poem (in this series) sounds something like:



A 7-Character Jueju (4-lined verse) Loop Poem :
"LOTUS-ROOT PICKER OF MINE, BY THE GREEN WILLOWS RIVER!”
-- by SU XIAOMEI (Song Dynasty)
-- Translated by Frank C Yue

Lotus-root Picker of mine, by the green willows river!
By the green willows river, is heard such a new song fine.
Is heard such a new song fine, with a voice like bells silver;
With a voice like bells silver – Lotus-root Picker of mine!

1 of 3 Loop Poems: 秦觀 靜思伊久阻歸期 Quietly I think of my Lady fine – My return date's been delayed for so long;

                  轉     靜 
          漏                 思
        聞                     伊
      時                         久
        離                     阻
          別                 歸
                憶      期          


from the net ：

<连环诗，是中国诗中一种特殊的作品形式。多是指组成诗句的文字互相嵌套，如同环环相扣，所以叫连环诗。

连环诗 的形式通常排列成圆圈形，字数不限，读的方法很多，一般从圆圈最上边的当中一字起头，然后按顺时针或逆时针方向，每五字或七字一断，即可读成若干首五言诗或七言诗。也有的 连环诗 作品可以从任意一个字开始，按照规律可以读出许多首诗（多为每句字数相同的古体诗）。>

<... 回文诗 有很多种形式如 ”通体回文”、”就句回文”、”双句回文”、”本篇回文”、”环复回文”等．

通体回文  是指一首诗从末尾一字读至开头一字另成一首新诗．

就句回文  是指一句内完成回复的过程，每句的前半句与后半句互为回文．

双句回文  是指下一句为上一句的回读．

本篇回文  是指一首诗词本身完成一个回复，即后半篇是前半篇的回复．

环复回文  是指先连续至尾，再从尾连续至开头。>

THE LOOP POEMS
This is an interesting presentation of the first of three little Loop Poems -- the "Seven-Character Jueju" 七言回文絕句 (7-word x 4 lines = 28 words in AAXA rhyme) -- now rendered into 4 lined English verse (in AABB rhyme) below. 

The story goes something like this. Qin Shaoyou 秦少游, a renowned young scholar and the husband of Su Xiaomei 蘇小妹, was away at a far-off place on business. Su Shi 蘇軾 and Xiaomei, who were brother and sister, were happily touring the countryside together, admiring the flowers and fine scenery in a famous garden where lotus-root pickers were working in the vicinity when they received the above odd never-ending poem shown in red, with only 14 words written in a circle, from Qin by special courier... (the Chinese UPS perhaps: 'Universal Poetic Service'). (and some scholars believe that Su Xiaomei 蘇小妹 is merely a fictional figure...)

The talented Su brother and sister quickly deciphered it and each promptly wrote an impromptu piece and sent them (see 2 and 3 of the Loop Poems to follow) back by the same courier.


宋 • 秦观(少游)《相思》连环诗: 
七言回文絕句


   静思伊久阻归期，久阻归期忆别离。

   忆别离时闻漏转，时闻漏转静思伊。



宋 • 秦觀(少游)《相思》叠字連環詩: 
七言回文絕句

         靜思伊久阻歸期，久阻歸期憶別離。

　　憶別離時聞漏轉，時聞漏轉靜思伊。


A 7-Character JUEJU (4-Lined Verse) Loop Poem:
"QUIETLY, I THINK OF MY LADY FINE -- MY RETURN DATE'S BEEN DELAYED FOR SO LONG"
-- by QIN SHAOYOU (Song Dynasty) 
-- Translated by Frank C Yue

Quietly I think of my Lady fine –
My return date's been delayed for so long;
My return date's been delayed for so long,                    
Sadly then our parting comes to mind.

Sadly then our parting comes to mind,
When the water-clock's heard loud and strong.
When the water-clock's heard loud and strong,
Quietly I think of my Lady fine.


from the net:

< 秦观，字少游、太虚，号淮海居士，高邮（属江苏）人。宋神宗元丰八年（1085）进士。文才为 苏轼 赏识，是 “苏门四学士” 之一。在新旧党争中屡遭贬谪，死于放还途中藤州。他的词风格接近 李煜 和 柳永，在婉约词中成就最高。他善于以长调抒写柔情，语言淡雅，委婉含蓄，留有余韵。多是男女离愁别恨及身世伤感之作。词集有《淮海词》。>

陈子升：烟锁池塘柳，灯垂锦槛波。'Round the pond, rising Mist locks up the Willow in his sway

   明 • 陈子升  五行偏旁聯


     烟锁池塘柳，  灯垂锦槛波。




         明 • 陳子升  五行偏旁聯


       煙鎖池塘柳，  燈垂錦檻波。 



A UNIQUE "FIVE-ELEMENT" COUPLET
-- by CHEN ZHIXIN (1614-1692) 
-- Translated by Frank C Yue

'Round the pond, rising Mist locks up                              the Willows in his sway;
Lanterns shed faint light on painted                       railings and rippling waves.



這對 對聯 之形式是 '五行偏旁聯'：
即 '木、火、土、金、水' 各行嵌入以上 '五言' 每字之偏旁。


This is a v special type of Chinese couplet in which the "five elements" (of wood, fire, earth, metal and water) are contained in each of the characters in both the first and second halves of the couplet. Though the order of the 5 elements as shown in the second-half couplet does not match that in the first, the two related phrases together make poetic sense and paint a beautiful picture! Quite an achievement!  


from the net:

< 陈子升（1614至1692年，广东南海人）是明末著名忠臣陈子壮（其传记见《明史·二七八》）之弟，字乔生，在明代官礼科给事中，入清不仕。我最近在友人处得见此一诗集，始知这一所谓 “绝对”，流传最少已达300多年了。300年来，不知曾有多少人为了想 “对得通” 它而苦思下联，却不知他的出处，亦奇事也。

《中洲草堂遗集》卷十六有《柳波曲》并序云:

“客有以烟锁池塘柳五字具五行以属余为对句，因成柳波曲二首，与好事者正之。”

其一云：
烟锁池塘柳，灯垂锦槛波。
回波初试舞，折柳即闻歌。

其二云：
灯垂锦槛波，烟锁池塘柳。
妄梦五湖湄，郎家大堤口。

“灯垂锦槛波” 句下附注云 “垂” 一作 “填”。想是作者因难以决定这两字孰优孰劣，故并列。

陈于升 以 “灯垂锦槛汾(波)" 对 “烟锁池塘柳”；甚具诗意，“灯垂” 是 “写实”；若易为“灯填”则是 “虚写”。“灯” 指灯光，灯光铺盖波光，用 “填” 字益见其 “重”；这是类似现代文学所谓的象征手法。不过，若依 “正路”，则仍以 “垂” 字为佳。

这一对句——灯垂锦槛波——虽然亦具“五行”，不过， 陈子升仍未满意，因为“灯”对“烟”，两个字都是从“火”，他觉得欠工。这是古人要求自己的严格处。于是又有《续作锁柳销鸿之曲》云：

烟锁池塘柳，烽销极塞鸿。
东枝罢春水，南翼怨秋风。 

用 “烽销极塞鸿” 来对 “烟锁池塘柳”，意境甚高，不过 因陈子升自我要求太严，“烽” “烟”也还都是“火”字旁，他不能满意，又作《烟锁沉灯引》云：

烟锁池塘柳，钟沉台榭灯。
心心红缕密，柳眼绿泼澄。

“钟沉台榭灯” 与 “烟锁池塘柳”，两边的 “五行” 无一相 重，可谓挖空心思。但论诗意则有点勉强，似不及 “灯垂”、“烽销” 二联之自然。 >

王勃： 關山難越，誰悲失路之人？ Border mountains are difficult to cross --

巧聯 唐 • 王勃
(節錄自【籐王閣序】)

關山難越，  誰悲失路之人？
萍水相逢，  盡是他鄉之客。


A WITTY COUPLET 
-- by WANG BO (650-676)
(Excerpted from his famous 'Preface to TENG WANG GE' :"KING OF TENG'S GRAND PAVILION")
-- Translated by Frank C Yue

Border mountains are difficult to cross --
Who'll e'er feel sorry for those who were lost?

Like the floating plants, by chance, they all meet:
They're travellers from far-off places, indeed!



<王勃，世稱短命詩人，而且死得很慘，被水淹死，但是，他撰了一篇【籐王閣序】，流傳千古，這聯是在該序節錄出來。>

An attempted rendition of Wang Bo's poem below is posted on my blog dd. 2013.03.18. where you'll find the full text of his famous Preface.

【籐王閣】     唐 • 王勃

滕王高閣臨江渚，
佩玉鳴鸞罷歌舞。
畫棟朝飛南浦雲，
珠簾暮卷西山雨。
 
閒雲潭影日悠悠，
物換星移幾度秋。
閣中帝子今何在？
檻外長江空自流。

 
TENG WANG GE ("King of Teng's Grand Pavilion")
-- by WANG BO (650-676)
-- Translated by Frank C Yue

By the bank of River Gan, King Teng's Grand Pavilion is found,
But gone were the songs, dances, swinging pendants', horse-bells' sounds.
Dawn clouds, from this south parting-place, fly o'er the painted beams;
At Dusk, outside rolled-up pearly curtains, west-hill rains are seen. 

Cast shadows on the gorge in the sun, leisure clouds on high;
Stars and things, move and change: How many Autumns have gone by?
In the Pavilion, now, where is the King?
Off the railings, the lone river flows in vain! 

史致儼 閒看門中月，思耕心上田。Leisurely I gaze at the centre-of-the-door the Moon

清 • 史致儼  拆字巧聯

        閒看門中月，
        思耕心上田。


"Exploded Character" Couplet
-- by SHI ZHIYAN (Qing Dynasty) at age 9.
-- Translated by Frank C Yue

LEISURELY, I GAZE at the CENTRE-OF-            THE-DOOR the MOON,
MUSING, I would CULTIVATE the    
     FIELD ABOVE my HEART soon.


The "word explosions" are frozen frame-by-frame below for the benefit of the
e-reader whose mother tongue is not Chinese:

LEISURELY,           閒
I GAZE at                 看
the CENTRE-OF-    中
THE-DOOR             門
the MOON,              月

門 + 月 = 閒
(repeat the process for '思' on the second line.)

                                  

from the net:

<“閒看門中月” 與 “思耕心上田”

清朝有個小學童叫 史致儼［yǎn］ ，他九歲那年去縣裏參加考試考官， 叫他試試對對子，出的上聯是：

 　　　閒看門中月；

“閒”，是 “閑” 的繁體字。是說，坐在院裏，悠閑地從院門裏看著那 亮晶晶的月亮。這還是個拆字聯，“閒”字可以拆成“門”［門］和“月”， “月”正好在“門”裏。上聯從意思到文字技巧，都挺不錯。
　　　

史致儼 稍微一琢磨，馬上對了一句：

 　　 思耕心上田。

這也是拆字聯，把 “思” 字拆成了 “田” 和 “心”，“田”正好在 “心”上頭。
下聯的意思也挺不錯。 後來，史致儼當了道光皇帝的刑部尚書，活了八十多歲。
　　　

據清·梁章鉅《浪跡叢談》卷七《巧對補錄》。>

食包包食飽， 衣壯壯衣裝。 Have bun after bun, they're yummy

折字聯  佚名

食包包食飽，
衣壯壯衣裝。


"Reverse Exploded Character" Chinese Couplet 
-- by Anon
-- Translated by Frank C Yue

Have bun after bun, they're yummy;
Surely you will have a full tummy.

Have robe after robe, they're in vogue,
And you will have a full ward-robe.

此木為柴山山出，因火成烟夕夕多。This kind of wood is fire-wood

折字聯  佚名


此木為柴山山出，

因火成烟夕夕多。


 "Exploded Character" Chinese Couplet 
-- by Anon
-- Translated by Frank C Yue


(Version 'A')
This kind of wood is fire-wood;
They are produced in many a mountain.

Where there is smoke there is fire;
The ev'ning chimneys become smoke 
        fountains.


(Version 'B')

此 木 為 柴 山 山 出
'THIS WOOD' makes very good 'FIRE-WOOD';            
It's produced on 'HILL-UPON-HILL'.            

因 火 成 烟 夕 夕 多 
'SMOKES, FROM FIRES' on chimney-tops stood';       
'EV'NING-UPON-EV'NING' there are 'MORE' still.    

Trans-literal translation: 
此   木    為   柴        山          山         出，
This  wood  is      firewood  mountain    mountain  produce,

因        火    成      烟      夕       夕       多。
Because  fire    makes   smoke   evening   evening  more.


The radical/character 此 + 木 = 柴 (meaning 'firewood')。
('此' means 'this' and '木'  means 'wood'。)

The radical/character 山 + 山 = 出 (meaning 'produce')。
('山' means 'hill, mountain'。)