Flowers & Peoms

　　这个是这样的，Denise九月里说她的吊兰开花了：
　　
　　my Diao Lan is blossoming; I have taken a picture of it.
　　

　　然后她问了一些修竹帖的花。最后问到紫丁香：
　　When Mr Bamboo post pictures of lilac it looks like two people have answered with poems. Are these poems about lilac?

修竹的紫丁香

　　　　
　　这下子我又来劲了，立马大吹了一把。:p
　　
Hi Denise,

Your Diao Lan is so nice! I also have one, but still very small now. My father cut it down from his and let me plant it in my place. He said, it is easy, just water it and it will grow. That’s true.

I never see it blossoms.

Half of my flowers died when I am back. Shanghai is very hot in summer. So I need to water them every morning and evening. So it is not a surprise some of them died. But still some alive, not bad. ;)

I take photos when the flowers are blossoming. To prove that they once are alive in my place.

This is my flower in June.

白兰

The first 3 photos are a kind of Michelia. Bai Lan, in Chinese. 白兰花(Michelia alba DC.) A popular flower in this area. Very nice fragrance.

Em, it seems died now. (The reason for ‘seems’, I hope it can come back to life next spring… hope so)

The last photo is Aglaia odorata Lour. Mi Lan, in Chinese. 米兰. By the way, this is the exact Chinese translation of the city Milan, Italy. But the translation is only for the same pronunciation and has no relation with the flower. The reason why the flower is called Mi Lan is, they are tiny flowers, same size as rice, that is, Mi 米

It is also fragrant. But totally different from the Michelia. It is a clear, cool (like the temperature in early spring or autumn) fragrance.

By the way, do you like this post?

Herbal Painting

：） It looks nicer than email.

Then others comment: The book is like encyclopedia, also with some strange, ancient prescriptions.


Back to your questions:

By the way, I think the English names for plants are very hard for me to remember… But no problem, we have google. ;)

……

About lilac, ah, a lot of poems. Long story. :) It is always connected with girl with a little sadness. The reason is for the second poem.

The most famous one for lilac, I like it.

The first one is also nice, but it is not as good as the second. Only normal good. The main meaning is like following: I will take good care of the lilac, for you said, it is your most favorite.

Let me try to translate the second one.

雨 巷
戴望舒（1905——1950）

The Rainy Alley
By Dai Wang Shu (1905-1950)
　　
　　撑着油纸伞，独自
　　彷徨在悠长、悠长
　　又寂寥的雨巷，
　　我希望逢着
　　一个丁香一样地
　　结着愁怨的姑娘。

With an old umbrella, alone
Wandering in the long long
Lonely rainy alley
I wish I could meet
A girl like lilac
With a little sadness.
　　
　　她是有 丁香一样的颜色，
　　丁香一样的芬芳，
　　丁香一样的忧愁，
　　在雨中哀怨，
　　哀怨又彷徨；

She has the color of lilac,
The fragrance of lilac,
The sadness of lilac,
In the rain she is sighing,
Sighing and wandering.
　　
　　她彷徨在这寂寥的雨巷，
　　撑着油纸伞
　　像我一样，
　　像我一样地
　　默默彳亍着，
　　冷漠，凄清，又惆怅。
　
She is wandering in this lonely rainy alley,
With an old umbrella
The same as me.
Walking alone as me,
Silent, apathy, and sad.

　　她默默地走近走近，又投出
　　太息一般的眼光
　　她飘过 像梦一般地，
　　像梦一般地凄婉迷茫。
　　
She walks nearer, and nearer,
The gaze like a soft sigh touches me.
Then goes away like a dream,
A foggy sad dream.

　　像梦中飘过
　　一枝丁香地，
　　我身旁飘过这个女郎；
　　她静默地远了，远了，
　　到了颓圮的篱墙，
　　走尽这雨巷。
　　
Like a lilac in the dream,
The girl passes me,
She goes further and further in silence,
To the corrupted fence and wall,
To the end of the rainy alley.

　　在雨的哀曲里，
　　消了她的颜色，
　　消了她的芬芳，
　　消散了，甚至她的
　　太息般的眼光，
　　丁香般的惆怅。
　
In the mourning song of rain,
Gone her color,
Gone her fragrance,
Gone, even her sighing gaze,
As sad as the lilac.
　
　　撑着油纸伞，独自
　　彷徨在悠长、悠长
　　又寂寥的雨巷，
　　我希望飘过
　　一个丁香一样地
　　结着愁怨的姑娘。

With an old umbrella, alone
Wandering in the long long
Lonely rainy alley.
I wish there would be
A girl with the lilac sadness
Passing by.

Em, the English translation is not so good. In Chinese, there is a lot of ways to express sadness, each of them has very delicate meaning and is quite different. My translation is very monotonic. Anyway, you see, it is a very beautiful and romantic poem.

I think Sebastian and Manfred Riemer will also interested in this topic. So I cc them. ：）

LK

但接下来还没有结束，很久以后Remier先生回了一张美丽的照片。

Meadow

他说他非常忙，有很麻烦的private trouble要处理，但是I definitely want to stay in contact with you, since you are such a patient teacher of Chinese for me, and a nice friend.

这些都让我感到非常高兴。
----------------

翻得还行。过几年你再翻，功力会更进一层。
　　
　　丁香在旧诗词里总出现在江南雨季，所以修竹南国的丁香灿烂多了。
　　
评论人：linz 评论日期：2004-10-11 10:21


　　南方的丁香就是
　　丁香空结雨中愁
　　北方就是
　　花气薰人欲破禅
评论人：好色乐之 评论日期：2004-10-12 17:28