Author: CHUNG Yoon-Ngan
Date: 11-21-03 11:07
The Tang poet and statesman - Zhang Jiu Ling (張九齡)
Zhang Jiu Ling was born in 678AD in Qu Jiang county (曲江縣) in present day
Guangdong Province (廣東省), during the Tang Dynasty (唐朝 618AD to 907AD). In 733AD he was appointed the Prime Minister by Emperor Xuan Zong Li Long Ji (玄宗皇帝李隆基 713AD to 755AD), the grandson of Empress Wu or Wu Ze Tian (武則天). Some high-ranking officials wheedled Emperor Xuan Zong into having Zhang Jiu Ling dismissed as Prime Minister in 736AD. Zhang Jiu Ling was banished back to his hometown and died in 740AD.
In the book titled "300 Tang Poems" there are five poems by Zhang Jiu Ling.
This is the first poem in the book by him.
Please use Big5 Traditional to read Chinese words
孤鴻海上來﹐=Gu hong hai shang lai,
池潢不敢顧﹔=Chi huang bu gan gu;
側見雙翠鳥﹐=Ce jian shuang cui niao,
巢在三珠樹。=Chao zai san zhu shu.
矯矯珍木嶺﹐=Jiao jiao zhen mu ling,
得無金丸懼﹖=De wu jin wan ju?
美服患人指﹐=Mei fu huan ren zhi,
高明逼神惡。=Gao ming bi shen e.
今我遊冥冥﹐=Jin wo you ming ming,
弋者何所慕﹖=Yi zhe he suo mu?
A lonely swan goose flies over from the sea,
When it flies over the pond it dares not look down;
It looks askance at a pair of birds with jadeite feathers,
With their nest built on top a tree.
Perching bravery on top of a branch,
Aren't they afraid of being shot at.
People will pick fault and criticize those who wear beautiful clothes,
Mistakes will be like crimes to the wise people.
Now I am alone flying about freely in the sky,
What can the shooter do to me.
(Note: I hope someone, particularly SL Lee, will correct my translation).
In the Ming Dynasty (明朝 1368AD to 1644AD), during the reign of Emperor Wu Zong Zhu Hou Zhao (武宗皇帝朱厚照), the people of Qu Jiang erected a memorial hall called "Qu Jiang Feng Du Lou 曲江風度樓" in honour of Zhang Jiu Ling. The couplet on the front door was written by Hai Ru (海瑞 1514AD to 1587AD), the contemporary statesman and scholar at that time. Here is the couplet:
當今皇室無雙士﹐=Dang jin huang shi wu shuang shi,
自古天南第一人。=Zi gu tian nan di yi ren.
Presently, there is no one who is as good as Zhang Jiu Ling,
From time immemorial Zhang Jiu Ling was the only one in the south.
.
During the government of the People's Republic of China, on 10 November, 1965, an article called "Hai Rui Dismissed From Office 海瑞罷官", published by the People's Daily in Shanghai, criticizing a play written by Wu Han (吳含), the deputy Mayor of Beijing city. Few people took notice about this article. Peng Zhen
(彭真) the Mayor of Beijing was annoyed by this article. Wanting to know the author of this article and who gave the authority to have this article published, Peng Zhen asked members of the Shanghai branch of the People's Daily. Zhang Chun Qiao
(張春橋), the chief of the Shanghai Branch, replied Peng Zhen that the article was written by Chairman Mao (毛主席) who also authorized the article to be published by the People's Daily in Shanghai. That was the first shot and the beginning of the "Red Guard Movement."
The grave of the Tang statesman and poet Zhang Jiu Ling was in Luo Yuan Dong (羅源洞) of Qu Jiang county, in Guangdong province. In early 1960 it was robbed. The government decided to unearth it. Professor Yang Hao (楊豪) of the Guangdong University was in-charged of the excavation. The result of the excavation was reported on 26 April, 1960 by the evening newspaper in Guangzhou city, Yang Chang Wan Bao (羊城晚報) and published by the magazine Wen Wu (文物) on the 6th issue in 1961.
CHUNG Yoon-Ngan (鄭永元)
All rights reseved 21112003
Yoon-Ngan
|
|
The Asiawind forums are provided to you by
InTechTra Inc.