A Letter Between Poets
寫給朋友的一封書信體書信，內容是關於我新出版的中國原創詩書畫集【情暈鏡】的第一首詩。
A letter in the Chinese epistolary style written to a friend about the first poem in Mirror Heart, my newly published collection of original Chinese poetry and calligraphy.
Iroshizuku Fuyu-gaki ink with Waterman fountain pen
原文
吉札
旭答臨安府之無人士君收入
羊城之文軒弟保付
慶進２０華２２３癸卯夏丁巳月丙子
新就
拜啟故人、祗請尊安。
夢所階陽臺、是扶胥浴日。對月臨風中、翹首芝宇。即皇天思華年、尚寸心千古。侯洗去征塵、乃視高耀如光澤。造訪愛我者、深感失悔、久違所致。雖距仁兄千里如此、卻感骨肉關情彌殷。梅月署時、與桂枝上蟭蟟以香棲、兼斜西向芳鄰。對夏令之蒼昊、臨安青愈瞭愈美也。即在嶺南、尚我每立夏中、並匸舍間之婆娑瓊枝也。留都之桑如此、祈把背入林爲禱。現今、等候來翰、俾承示兮。
伏惟仁兄萬福。燕居必滿足、申申如也。世稱神相、起居無恙。雖書不盡言、卻因不審紅豆何如、爰抱慚敢敬候起居。懷舊、在明府念舊情、所見略同。此處、無涯銘勒、而且茲年托庇平安。
久而彌摯、而我愁雲所如。看山河之、愈傷懷愈幽夐。昨季余三寸之管、如暮氣沉沉頓悟。以斯玄青之墨、書寫俾攄已不可言喻。仍然百函並發、一還翰如獲瞻霽月。倘有同感喟、乃敢乞相唱酬。尺素燕石如此、卻微才呈政拙詩：
一首【沖蘭】
速係風塵力望山、
葱蘢切旭想香蘭、
沖沖頂上離離浪、
亮一觀華對曼檀。
浮生無常、競爭如風塵。天道爲觀華、冒亮爲長蔭、林木爲森浪、蘭檀皆飄散。云可惜替此、比永遠之躺屍、速沖之香郁瑤華也。一息之浮雲、何亶娥媓、何不可留哉。請教削余俚句、翹企示覆。
九秋未見、淚下沾襟、芒種征往南頭、路漫漫焉、無宋弘兮。素心人、因我每莫覽勝臨安、爰屋梁落月加余苦衷。雖則如此、侯吟祉康惒。臨池數行俾交神、仁兄棄海涵。
不一、文軒弟。
Both Japanese and Multilingual editions are perfect for a day of shogi and reflection
白話文
致我的老朋友，願您平安。
在我的夢裡，我爬上了陽光普照的平台，那升起的太陽在扶胥的浴日亭之上。 望著月亮在不眠的夜裡想著您，渴望著你的容顏。 縱使蒼穹照逝去的青春，我對您的情誼永存。 願您洗去遠行的塵埃，好把尊嚴看得如鏡花水月。 我非常遺憾不能去拜訪您，我親愛的朋友。 縱然相隔一千里，您仍視我如親骨肉，我感激不盡。 在這梅月的酷暑裡，蟬因香氣撲鼻而棲息在桂花的枝葉上，斜斜的午後陽光也指向您的芳鄰。 在夏日湛藍的天空襯托下，臨安的白桑樹越發艷麗。 雖我在嶺南，我們都在立夏，陋室邊有木棉。 樹木如故都的桑葚，我懇切祈願護送您去。 目前，我正在等待來信，以聽到您的喜訊。
恭祝您萬財如命。 我相信您對日常生活感到滿意，您對自己感到快樂和滿意。 老天保佑您，願您無災無難。 雖然文字不能完全表達我想說的話，但因為我沒有註意您的健康，所以我懷著羞愧的心情，敢恭敬地問候您的健康。 懷念從前在官邸懷念舊情，同心同德。 對於那個地方，我無限的感激永遠銘刻在記憶中，而且這一年我過得很好，多虧了您的幫助。
多年來，您的深情愈發深沉，而我卻在陰鬱的雲中徘徊。觀賞山川，愈感愁腸百轉，愈顯深遠。上個季節，我的書寫筆宛如從死寂中突然甦醒。用它深黑的墨水書寫如此，表達那無法言語的情感。如同以往一樣，您非常忙碌，因此即使得到一封回信，就像在雨停之後瞥見月亮。如果您有相同的情懷，我敢求請您一同交流詩歌。素文虛如假玉，小才敢獻拙詩供君鑑：
一首【快速蘭花】
迎着被風吹起的灰塵，強烈地看著山，
綠意盎然切割初陽，芬芳的蘭花在尋找，
破碎的波濤變得遙遠而密密麻麻，
照耀着一片風景的光榮，向着長長的影子檀木。
浮生不長，奮鬥如風吹塵。 自然法則成為遠景的光輝，晨曦成為長影，高木成為濃波，蘭花和檀香都飄散了。 與其說是多麼可憐，不如說是比起一具永遠躺著的屍體，那急速湧上來的香氣，卻是潔白如玉。 一息浮雲，何其可愛，何其燦爛，何其短暫的！ 請批判地審視我的粗俗用語，我熱切地等待你給我一個回應。
九秋未見，淚落衣裳，芒種來時去南頭； 無忠人的路漫漫其修遠兮。 我的好朋友，因為我不能和您一起欣賞臨安的風景，我們之間的距離增加了我的痛苦。 儘管如此，我還是祝愿你在詩歌中快樂，身體健康。 寫下這幾句是為了讓我們的精神友誼相連，請原諒我的錯誤。
不一，文軒哥。
Auspicious Letter
A sunrise reply to Mr. No-one of Lin’an
from Brother Wenxuan of Ram City
20th year of Kangjin Era, 223rd year of Hua, the summer of Guimao, month of Dingsi, day of Bingzi
Recently arrived letter
To my old friend, may peace be upon you.
In my dream I climbed the sunlit terrace, that rising sun above Yuri pavilion. While facing the moon in the sleepless nights thinking of you, I longed eagerly for your countenance. Even if the august heavens bear thoughts of vanished youth, my feelings of amity for you are eternal. I bid you wash off the dust from your long journey, so you may look upon your dignity as a mirror’s lustre. I bitterly regret not being able to visit you, my loving friend. Despite being as a thousand li away from you, I am grateful for you treating me as your own flesh and blood. In this plum month’s summer-heat, because of the sweet smell, the cicadas perch on sprays of osmanthus blossoms, and the slanting afternoon sun points to your fragrant neighbourhood as well. Against the summer air’s clear blue sky, the white mulberry trees of Lin’an are more beautiful when they are more bright. Even if I am in Lingnan, still we both are in the beginning of summer, during which the red flowering cotton trees are beside my humble abode. The trees being like the mulberries of the former capital, it is my earnest prayer to escort you thither. At present, I await for the coming letter, in order to hear your glad tidings.
I humbly wish you ten thousand fortunes. I trust you are content with daily life, and you are happy and pleased with yourself. God’s blessings upon you, may you live without disaster. Though writing cannot fully express what I wish to say, nevertheless because I have failed to pay attention to your health, embracing shame I dare to respectfully inquire after your well-being. I am nostalgic for the past times at your official residence remembering old feelings of friendship, together sharing the same views. For that place, my boundless gratitude is engraved forever in memory, moreover this year I am very well thanks to your help.
Your warm feelings have deepened over the years, whereas I wandered among gloomy clouds. In viewing the mountains and rivers, the more aggrieved, the more profound one becomes. Last season my writing brush was as one suddenly awakened out of lifelessness. Writing by its deep black ink in order to express that which I could not put into words. As before, you are very busy, so even one letter of response is like obtaining a glimpse of the moon when the rain ceases. If you have the same sighs of emotion, I dare beg that we exchange poems together. My plain letter is as substanceless as the false jade of Yan, yet I of little talent dare present my clumsy poetry for you to inspect:
Poem 1: Rushing Orchids
Swiftly seize the sky-born sand—employ strength to survey the precarious peaks
Verdant and virescent cutting the early sun—fragrant orchids seeking
Surging swiftly upward above the summit, distant and dense breaking waves
Casting light on vista’s glory, facing a stretched out sandalwood sea
This floating life will not last, striving is like the dust blown by the wind. Natural law becomes the vista’s glory, the brightness of morning becomes long shadows, tall trees become dense waves, orchids and sandalwoods all float away. Instead of saying how pitiable it is, compared to an eternity lying down as a corpse, the fragrance which hurriedly rushes up is as white and beautiful as jade. The fleeting clouds of a single breath, how truly lovely and radiant, how impossible it is for it to linger! Please critically review my vulgar phrases, I await eagerly that you would grant me a response.
For nine autumns I haven’t seen you, tears falling on my robe, when the grain is in ear I will travel to Nantou; long and boundless is the road, without a man who is faithful through good and bad times. My good and honest friend, because I am unable to enjoy the scenery of Lin’an with you, the distance between us increases my painful state. Nevertheless I wish you happiness in poetry and good health. I wrote these few lines to connect our spirits in friendship, please bear with my mistakes.
Not one, Brother Wenxuan.
