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Archive for the 'Holiday Poems' Category

Contents

A Memorial Day Poem

Qingming Poem by Du Mu with an MP3 Recording

The Conquerors – A French Poem about Columbus’ Voyage

Columbus Day Poem – IN 1492, Columbus Sailed The Ocean Blue

Posts

A Memorial Day Poem

Friday, May 22nd, 2009

MEMORIAL FLOWERS.
By M. M.

Blue violets open their saintly eyes,
Red columbines bend and sway,
White star-flowers twinkle in beds of moss,
And, blooming, they seem to say,
“We bring you the red and the white and the blue
To welcome Memorial-day.”

So gather them, children, at earliest dawn,
While yet they are fresh with dew,
And we’ll scatter them over the sacred mounds
Where slumber our soldiers true;
For we’ll give them only the colors they loved-
The red and the white and the blue.

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Posted in Countries & Cultures, English, Holiday Poems, Holidays Around the World, Languages, Mama Lisa, Memorial Day, Memorial Day Poems, Poems, Poetry, USA | 1 Comment »

Qingming Poem by Du Mu with an MP3 Recording

Friday, April 3rd, 2009

Yesterday, I posted the poem Qingming by the poet Du Mu (803 – 852) that mentions the Qingming Festival (also called Ching Ming). I asked my friend Ray Lee about it. He grew up in Hong Kong and I wanted to hear his impression about the poem and also my translation of it (below). Here’s what Ray wrote:

This is indeed a very well known poem. We were taught this poem when we were in school. I don’t know if they still teach this in school. Even if they don’t, the school kids are bound to hear it from their parents or on TV or read about it somewhere.

The translation you have is pretty good. I am not sure about the second line though. I have always thought it said, “pedestrians on the road are like ghosts,” because of the rain.

Below you can find the Chinese text, the Pinyin and an English translation I had done of the poem Qingming plus an mp3 of Qingming being recited…

Ching Ming

It’s raining hard at the time of the Ching Ming Festival,
The mourner’s heart is overwhelmed on the road upland.
May I ask where there’s a tavern to drown my sorrows?
The shepherd boy points to Xinghua Village in the distance.

清  明

清    明     时 节   雨   纷 纷，

路    上     行  人    欲    断  魂。

借  问    酒 家  何 处  有，

牧  童    遥    指  杏   花  村。

qīng míng shí jié yǔ fēn fēn
lù shàng xíng rén yù duàn hún
jiè wèn jiǔ jiā hé chù yǒu
mù tóng yáo zhǐ xìng huā cūn

MP3 of the Qingming Poem

Ray later wrote to me about the second line:

There is another translation on the Internet that is somewhere between my translation and yours. This one says something like travelers all look gloomy and miserable.

Thanks, Ray, for letting us know more about this poem!

The poem was read by Jia Zhou for Librevox.

If anyone would like to comment about the translation, please feel free to let us know what you think in the comments below or to email me at lisa@mamalisa.com .

Below you can read posts about the Chingming Festival…

•Qingming Poem by Du Mu with an MP3 Recording

•Qingming Festival in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan

•Qingming - Festival of Pure Brightness - 清明節

•Hina Matsuri 雛祭り - The Doll Festival in Japan - Has its Roots in an Old Chinese Purification Ceremony

-Mama Lisa

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Posted in Cantonese, China, Chinese, Ching Ming, Ching Ming Festival, Countries & Cultures, Du Mu, Holiday Poems, Holidays Around the World, Hong Kong, Languages, Mama Lisa, Mandarin, Poems about Spring, Poetry, Poetry about the Seasons, Poets, Qingming, Taiwan | 1 Comment »

The Conquerors – A French Poem about Columbus’ Voyage

Tuesday, October 7th, 2008

In my last blog post, I mentioned how Columbus’ voyage is not always seen in a positive light. Earlier in the week, I had posted two poems that were positive towards Columbus (one called In 1492, Columbus Sailed the Ocean Blue and the other, a Spanish poem called To Christopher Columbus). Here’s one that is not so favourable. It was written by a Cuban-born French poet named José-Maria de Heredia (1842-1905).

Monique Palomares of Mama Lisa’s World en français sent this poem to me. She learnt it in France in the 8th grade. Below you’ll find it in the original French, followed by an English translation done by Monique Palomares, Lisa Yannucci (yours truly) and Jason Pomerantz. Yes, this was a tough poem to translate! It took the three of us to finally come up with a version that was understandable, yet true to the original meaning. Hope you enjoy reading it (whatever your stand on Columbus is)…

Les conquérants
(French)

Comme un vol de gerfauts hors du charnier natal,
Fatigués de porter leurs misères hautaines,
De Palos de Moguer, routiers et capitaines
Partaient, ivres d’un rêve héroïque et brutal.

Ils allaient conquérir le fabuleux métal
Que Cipango* mûrit dans ses mines lointaines,
Et les vents alizés inclinaient leurs antennes
Aux bords mystérieux du monde Occidental.

Chaque soir, espérant des lendemains épiques,
L’azur phosphorescent de la mer des Tropiques
Enchantait leur sommeil d’un mirage doré ;

Ou penchés à l’avant des blanches caravelles,
Ils regardaient monter en un ciel ignoré
Du fond de l’Océan des étoiles nouvelles.

The Conquerors
(English Translation)

Like a flight of gyrfalcons*, from the charnel house of their native land,
Tired of bearing their haughty miseries,
From Palos to Moguer**, captains and mercenaries
Embarked, wild with a heroic and brutal dream.

They voyaged to conquer the famous metal***,
Produced by Japan**** in its distant mines,
As trade winds stretched their tentacles
Over the mysterious rim of the Western world.

Every night, as they hoped for epic tomorrows,
The phosphorescent blue sky of the Tropical sea
Enchanted their sleep with a golden mirage;

Leaning on the bows of the white caravels,
They gazed on new stars rising in an unknown sky,
From the far end of the Ocean.

*A “gyrfalcon” is the largest breed of falcons. They’re from the Artic region. This word (gerfauts) is used in French for poetic reasons (it sounds exotic). The average French person doesn’t know about gyrfalcons unless s/he’s an ornithologist or learned this poem at school.
**Palos is the port that Christopher Columbus departed from.
Moguer is a Spanish town that helped prepare for Columbus’ trip.
In the middle of the 16th century, some chroniclers who’d never been there thought Moguer and Palos were one only town while they’re actually two towns distant by 10km (about 6 miles). Other people didn’t check and used the name “Palos de Moguer” to mean the port Columbus departed from. This poem is an example of this confusion.
***Meaning ‘Gold’.
****In French it says “Cipango” (meaning the country of gold). It’s the first name Europeans gave to Japan. Japan was believed to have large amounts of gold.

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Posted in Columbus Day, Columbus Day Poems, Countries & Cultures, English, France, French, French Poems, Holiday Poems, Holidays Around the World, Languages, Poetry, USA | No Comments »

Columbus Day Poem – IN 1492, Columbus Sailed The Ocean Blue

Friday, October 3rd, 2008

Columbus Day is coming up in the United States on October 13th. It celebrates when Christopher Columbus arrived in the Americas on October 12th, 1492.

Here is the most popular Columbus Day poem in the US. It’s used to help teach the history of Columbus.

IN 1492

In fourteen hundred ninety-two
Columbus sailed the ocean blue.

He had three ships and left from Spain;
He sailed through sunshine, wind and rain.

He sailed by night; he sailed by day;
He used the stars to find his way.

A compass also helped him know
How to find the way to go.

Ninety sailors were on board;
Some men worked while others snored.

Then the workers went to sleep;
And others watched the ocean deep.

Day after day they looked for land;
They dreamed of trees and rocks and sand.

October 12 their dream came true,
You never saw a happier crew!

“Indians! Indians!” Columbus cried;
His heart was filled with joyful pride.

But “India” the land was not;
It was the Bahamas, and it was hot.

The Arakawa natives were very nice;
They gave the sailors food and spice.

Columbus sailed on to find some gold
To bring back home, as he’d been told.

He made the trip again and again,
Trading gold to bring to Spain.

The first American? No, not quite.
But Columbus was brave, and he was bright.

If you would like to share any Columbus Day songs or poems, please feel free to post them in the comments below!

Many thanks to Monique at Mama Lisa’s World en français for sending me this poem.

-Mama Lisa

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Posted in Children's Songs, Columbus Day, Countries & Cultures, English, Holiday Poems, Holidays Around the World, Languages, Poetry, USA | 15 Comments »

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