南乡子.宿州上元 My Lantern Festival at Suzhou

西江月·平山堂

原作: 苏轼（字子瞻, 号东坡居士; 11世纪北宋）

英译: 闵晓红(2024.02)

千骑试春游，

小雨如酥落便收。

能使江东归老客，

迟留。

白酒无声滑泻油。

飞火乱星球，

浅黛横波翠欲流。

不似白云乡外冷，

温柔。

此去淮南第一州。

My Lantern Festival at Suzhou

-to the tune of Nanxiangzi

Chinese original: Su Shi (11th AC, social name 'Dongpo')

English version: Julia Min (Feb. 2024)

It’s a new world again, softened by the misty rain.

Horses and carriages stream out, chasing spring.

Why not linger— good wine in the river breeze?

And more—                                                          

This old boy feels at home here in Yangtse’s east.

The sky’s vibrant with fireworks of rising stars,

Over budding green hills, over rippling waters.

Life down here is warmer than above the clouds.

And still more—                                                        

It’s Huainan’s best I’m bound for, Zhenzhou Town.

Notes:

1. Lantern Festival： The Chinese New Year, usually in February, is a traditional festival celebrating the start of spring—hence also called the Spring Festival. The Lantern Festival falls on the 15th and final evening of the celebration, when people gather under the first full moon of the lunar year. It also marks the beginning of spring outings to the countryside. Bustling streets are decorated with colourful lanterns, often with riddles written on them; those who solve a riddle may win the lantern or another gift. The festive atmosphere peaks with lion dances, fireworks, dragon dances, parades, and other local celebrations. Every family eats small glutinous rice balls called yuanxiao. The round shape of the food and the full moon together express people's best wishes for the new year: more family reunions and more fulfilment in life.

2. Yangtze’s east： Sometimes referred to as Jiangnan (literally "south of the river") in present-day Zhejiang Province, East China. Since the Song dynasty, the region east of the Yangtze has been considered the wealthiest area. The term "Jiangnan" became even more prominent after the Southern Song moved its political centre to Lin'an (present-day Hangzhou), which served as the de facto capital, the starting point of the Silk Road, the very centre for the first Renaissance (as recognised by scholars of Asian studies), and one of the most advanced places on Earth at the time.

3. Huainan's best: Referring to the Huainan East Circuit (today's Yangzhou area in eastern China). A "circuit" was an administrative division similar to today's province, with a population of 1.3 million at the time. Huainan East was considered one of the richest and most advanced regions in the Song dynasty, governing ten prefectures, with Yangzhou as the administrative centre and Zhenzhou recognised as the number-one town of Huainan.

Appreciation:

Throughout his life, two regions lingered in Su Shi's mind as ideal places to retire—a wish that never came true, much like Lord Xie's in his poem "Farewell to My Friend Canliao":

"I shall return on the waves of Yangtze River—a deal sealed like Lord Xie's to retire in the east."

Su Shi’s first wish was to return to his native place, Meizhou, at the foot of Mount Min, then considered the source of the Yangtze River in western China. The other wish was also a return, but to his adopted home in the east: the beautiful lower reaches of the Yangtze before it feeds into the East Sea. Since the Song dynasty, this has been the most popular choice among Chinese gentlemen, and it remains one of the most prosperous regions of China today.

This poem was likely improvised around 1085, after his exile in Huangzhou and before his new post in eastern China—perhaps during a Lantern Festival celebration, with a few cups of wine among friends. What a stroke of luck! After years of hardship, this old boy finds himself not in some desolate outpost but in Zhenzhou Town—crowned the finest in Huainan, surrounded by spring's first soft rain, good wine, and the cheerful bustle of lanterns and fireworks. There is a festive lightness in every line, a sense of being exactly where he belongs. Readers can easily feel the free and breezy vibes running through the poem—a lucky old man raising his cup to the full moon, grateful for warmth, friendship, and the simple joy of being alive.

The poem opens with a broad picture of a bustling town in his beloved East of the River, followed by night celebrations with lanterns and fireworks. "Life down here" implies his love for a life among the people, whereas "above the clouds" connotes the Forbidden City in the capital—a world of power, intrigue, and distance from the simple warmth of human community. But tonight, this old boy isn't looking up. He's right where the laughter is.

Reference:

1. baikebaidu.com
   

2. picture from逆水寒开发组 n.163.com