於潜女 The Yuqian Women

於潜女

原作: 苏轼（字子瞻, 号东坡居士; 11世纪北宋）

新版英译及赏析: 闵晓红(2023)

旧版英译:戈登.奥赛茵, 闵晓红, 黄海鹏(1990)

青裙缟袂於潜女，两足如霜不穿屦。

觰沙鬓发丝穿柠，蓬沓障前走风雨。

老濞宫妆传父祖，至今遗民悲故主。

苕溪杨柳初飞絮，照溪画眉渡溪去。

逢郎樵归相媚妩，不信姬姜有齐鲁。

The Yuqian Women

composed by Su Shi (11th Century, social name 'Dongpo')

new En. trans.+ annot. by Julia Min ( Feb. 2023)

old En. trans. by G. Osing, J. Min & H. Huang (1990)

Snow blouse, blue skirt, the Yuqian women wear.

Their feet are pale as frost, for they are often bare.

Just a silver comb, in two loops they dress the hair;

Wind or rain, their silver headbands stay, I swear.

The palace style descended from Wu-Yue period

To honour their King Qian, their legendary figure.

Willows start shedding their catkins on Yun River.

In fresh make-up, they get in a boat to cross over.

Their brushed eyebrow wings delight to where

Their dear woodmen lovers wait in eager desire.

The day’s work in the woods has its best reward.

No Yuqian man trades his girl for a posh lady fair.

Notes:

1. ‘Yuqian’: a county about 200 km from Hangzhou.

2. ‘Wu-Yue’ and ‘King Qian’: King Qian (Qian, Miao钱镠), the founder of the Wu-Yue State during the Ten States period between the Tang and the Song. Hangzhou was the capital. To save his people from the catastrophe of a war with the Song’s Zhao army, he gave up his crown for peace and the united Song Dynasty. Many famous men have come from the Qian family, even in modern China.

3. ‘Yun River’: another name for River Tiao; ‘Yun’ is chosen for the assonance in the line.

Appreciation:

In 1093, Su Shi inspected the Yuqian area, where the Wu-Yue culture had flourished since the early Han Dynasty. The traditional dress, silver head coverings, and the charming openness of Yuqian women took his fancy. In contrast, there are the courtesans, the mythical ladies, and the various ideal women in folklore. Again, catkins are associated with softness and the feminine in culture, with true love and spiritual nourishment.

If you step back to take a panoramic view of the artistic world in China and Europe, you’ll see similarities in the main features of the Renaissance: the general trends in aesthetic tastes evolved from luxurious palace art to the simple style of common subjects and everyday life in the countryside. Bright colours gradually gave way to simple, plain colours such as light blue, light green, black, and white. This occurred across the board, not only in poetry but also in painting, sculpture, music, and design. I sincerely hope this new perspective inspires more studies of the rhymes and vibes of Song Dynasty art.

Reference:

1. Blooming Alone in Winter by Gordon Osing, Julia Min and Huang Haipeng，published by the People's Publication House Henan Province in 1990 (《寒心未肯随春态》戈登.奥赛茵，闵晓红，黄海鹏) (“ Yuqian Wome: Black skirts, snow blouses, the Yuqian women wear. / Their feet are pale as frost because they’re bare. / They whirl and dance, in two loops pin their hair; / In storms their silver headbands stay, I swear, / Descended straight from the palace and their / Precious ancestors to themselves, who take great care /To honor the old ruler. By Tiao stream catkins fill the air, / An eyebrow of a woodthrush wings down to where / One of these waits her woodman-lover hurrying there; / No Yuqian husband trades his lady for some mythical lady fair.”)

2. pictures from