行香子. 丹阳寄述古 Special Memories
- juliamin4
- Apr 24
- 2 min read
Special Memories
(A letter to Shugu from Danyang)
-to the tune of Xingxiangzi
written by Su Shi (11th AC, social name 'Dongpo')
En. trans. by Julia Min (Apr.2025)
We have an outing to the river village at Jingkou.
Plum petals adorn the sway of dress-hems in snow.
Not the same company tho’ the same music notes.
Old memories sing to me of places special --
Lake Tower, Goldrush Gate, and Solo Temple.
Some places saw hundreds of poems we composed.
When dusted by the silk sleeve, they’d be revealed.
I wonder if anyone missed me since I left Hangzhou.
Special friends, poetry buddies, and maybe more --
The peak clouds, the lake moon and the river willows.
For Appreciation:
This is a nostalgic poem about the special memory of friendship triggered by an early spring excursion and similar scenery. No vocabulary like ‘friendship’ or ‘bond’ is mentioned, but the message is subtly hinted at in every line, making it more evocative and sophisticated. The silk sleeve here refers to the traditional dress robe of dancing and singing girls, made of silk with intricate embroidery. It was customary in the Song Dynasty to include them in the excursion team for entertainment purposes.
According to Fu Zao's "Dongpo’s Chronicles", Su Shi composed this poem in his letter to Shugu on his return journey from Jingkou to Danyang in February 1074. Shugu (official name Chen Xiang), the governor of Hangzhou and Su Shi's superior and poetry buddy, was also marginalised from the Court for opposing Wang Anshi's new law. In November 1073, Su Shi was on an official trip with his son-in-law, Liu Jin, to Changzhou and Runzhou, where he carried out a Disaster Relief order. The following year, he passed Danyang and visited Jingkou to bid farewell to Liu Jin. According to Fu Zao's "Dongpo Chronicles", Su Shi composed this poem in his letter to Shugu on his return journey from Jingkou to Danyang in February 1074.
行香子. 丹阳寄述古
原作: 苏轼（字子瞻, 号东坡居士; 11世纪北宋）
英译及赏析: 闵晓红(2025)
携手江村，梅雪飘裙。
情何限、处处消魂。
故人不见，旧曲重闻。
向望湖楼，孤山寺，涌金门。
寻常行处，题诗千首。
绣罗衫、与拂红尘。
别来相忆，知是何人。
有湖中月，江边柳，陇头云。
Reference:
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