Tow Song Ci lyrics Appreciation

Tow Song Ci lyrics Appreciation

Su Shi was a writer, artist, calligrapher, pharmacologist, and statesman of the Song Dynasty, and one of the major poets of the era. His courtesy name was Zizhan and his pseudonym was Dongpo Jushi (東坡居士 “Resident of Dongpo”), and he is often referred to as Su Dong Po (蘇東坡). When we appreciate Chinese literature, Su Shi is widely regarded as one of the most accomplished figures, having produced some of the most well-known poems, lyrics, prose, and essays. His poetry has a long history of popularity and influence in China, Japan, and other areas in the near vicinity and is well known in the English-speaking parts of the world through the translations. Su Shi was the greatest writer of Song ci lyrics, often celebrating the joys of relaxed and transitory pleasures. This “To the Tone of Nian Nu Jiao Memories of the Past at Red Cliff” is one the most popular poems.

Nian Nu Jiao

Memories of the Past at Red Cliff

Su Shi

East flows the mighty river,

Sweeping away the heroes of times past;

This ancient rampart on its western shore

Is Zhou Yu’s Red Cliff of Three Kingdoms’s fame;

Here jagged boulders pound the clouds,

Huge waves tear banks apart,

And foam piles up a thousand drifts of snow;

A scene fair as a painting,

Countless the brave men here in time gone by!

I dream of Marshal Zhou Yu in his day

With his new bride, the Lord Qiao’s younger daughter,

Dashing and debonair,

Silk-capped, with feather fan,

He laughed and jested

While the dread enemy fleet was burned to ashes!

In fancy through those scenes of old I range,

My heart overflowing, surely a figure of fun.

A man grey before his time.

Ah, this life is a dream,

Let me drink to the moon on the river!

This poem was a tribute to the famous battle at Red Cliff, which took place on the Yangtze river in Sichuan at year 208 CE.  Through the description of the magnificent scenery on the Moonlit Night River, he expressed the remembrance of the famous and heroic characters of that era. The lyrics are vigorous and create a majestic atmosphere. It is a powerful poem, and has been ranked as a masterpiece throughout the ages.

I heard a song recently, that touched me so deeply, I could not help but cry. The song uses the lyrics of a poem written by H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III, with the same Song ci style as “To the Tune of Nian-Nu-Jiao”. The bold and unconstrained poem entitled “To the Tune of Nian-Nu-Jiao: Abruptly Entering the Universe” has a powerful spirit that moved me deeply. Here is the English translation.

To the Tune of Nian-Nu-Jiao : Abruptly Entering the Universe

Abruptly entering the universe,
The universe of a billion worlds,
Stand firmly against all hardships and obstacles.
Seeing through glory and riches, I simply smile.
The rooster crows announcing the dawn,
The morning bell hurries the moon,
The whole Soha world is revealed.
Everybody bustles about to survive,
Life, like smoke and snow, gone!

Recalling when I was young,
I mastered the pen and the sword but liked Buddhism best.
The lion’s roar of the Buddha shook the universe!
Countless suffering patients visited me,
Day and night I pondered their cures.
Millions of strands of thoughts
Slowly turn toward prajna wisdom,
Swaying the three worlds.
I wish that my remaining life
Be devoted to the benefit of all sentient beings.

The mood of this poem is broad and vast, and filled with emotion. The poem manages to capture the massiveness of the universe and centuries of human affairs. It begins with aspiration soaring to the sky, and ends with a very down to the earth message: serving and helping all living beings with all that he has.

Comparing the two poems, it is evident that the work of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III not only provides a much broader view of the world and human existence, but also uplifts the reader to a much higher spiritual level. H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III truly is an outstanding and timeless master of letters and also has boundless compassion and mercy to all living beings.

I also found an astonishing fact, based upon his extraordinary accomplishments in the areas of Buddhism, the humanities, painting, calligraphy and ethics, the World Poets and Culture Congress, which is composed of 5,612 experts and scholars from 48 different countries and regions, selected Master Wan Ko Yee (H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III ) as the world’s only “Distinguished International Master.” The resolution conferring upon him this title was mailed to the People’s Republic of China and was made public in Hungary on September 15, 1994. The “Distinguished International Master” certificate was signed by the then President of the international Olympic Committee, Juan Antonio Samaranch.

Tow Song Ci lyrics Appreciation

Link：https://peacelilysite.com/2022/10/11/tow-song-ci-lyrics-appreciation/

#MasterWanKoYee #DorjeChangBuddhaIII #HHDorjeChangBuddhaIII#DorjeChangBuddha#SongCi#SuShi#Memories of the Past at Red Cliff#DistinguishedInternationalMaster

Source： https://www.sohu.com/a/129380761_256852诗苑｜苏轼《念奴娇·赤壁怀古》