Chinese Poetry at Revelations

The Candlelight Reading Series presents an evening of Chinese poetry on Saturday, September 27, 2008, 8:00 p.m. at Revelations, upstairs. Raven Garland and Freddy Niagara Fonseca will recite selections (some of them as duets) from the vast treasure chest of poetry written in China over many thousands of years.

The program is divided into four distinct sections: Unrest — War — Longing — Peace. You'll also hear the famous anonymous poem, "Fighting South of the Ramparts." Chinese poetry is very concrete and kaleidoscopic, giving wonderfully pictorial opportunities for rendering into western languages. You’ll hear versions by noted translators such as Arthur Waley, Kenneth Rexroth and others.

The reading begins with the moving, not to be missed poem, "To His Wife" by General Su Wu. Free admission. Please come on time.

PROGRAM

— Unrest —

To His Wife — General Su Wu — FNF

I Can No Longer Untangle My Hair — Anonymous — RG

The Singing Flower — Shu T’ing — RG

If Along the Highroad — Seventh Century — DUET

Tapoti — Mao Tse-tung — FNF

A Long Time Ago — T’ao Ch’ien — FNF

A Weary Song to a Slow, Sad Tune — Li Ch’ing Chao — RG

Praise Them — Li-Young Lee — RG

— War —

Now the Lotuses in the Imperial Lake — Wang Ch’ing-hui — DUET

Fighting South of the Ramparts — Anonymous — FNF

How Swift Was Your Departure — Su Ch’an-i — DUET

Crossing the River — First and Second Centuries — FNF

Minister of War — From the Minor Odes — FNF

The Locust Swarm — Hsu Chao — RG

Spring Thoughts Sent to Tzu-an — Yü Hsüan-chi — RG

How Many Wise Men and Heroes — Ch’iu Chin — FNF

— Longing —

Folk-Songs — Fourth to Fifth Century A.D. — RG

By the Stream — Hsieh Ling-Yün — DUET

The Night Comes On — Hsiang Ssu — RG

A Brush of Evening Clouds — Yü Ch’ing-Tsêng — RG

An Admonition to Myself — Chao Meng-fu — FNF

Ode to the Plum Tree — Lu Yu — FNF

Summer Song — Wu Ti — RG

Our Little Sister is Worried — Anonymous Six Dynasties — RG

Speak While There is Time — Anonymous Six Dynasties — RG

The Farm by the Lake — Chu Hsi — FNF

It Seems Like Years — Book of Songs — RG

Dreaming that I Went with Li and Yü to Visit Yüan Chên — Po Chü-i — DUET

— Peace —

Spring Night — Su Tung P’o — FNF

All Year Long — Six Dynasties — RG

All the Long Night — Tse Nan — FNF

Rejoicing at the Arrival of Ch’ên Hsiung — Po Ch’ü-i — FNF

One Heart — Li-Young Lee — RG

Old Age — Po Ch’ü-i — DUET

Fairy Tales — Shu T’ing — RG

Remembrance— Shui Tiao Ko Tou — FNF

Night in the House by the River — Tu Fu — FNF

A Vision — Ts’ao Chih — RG

The 2008 Readings

Design and copyright 2009 Freddy Niagara Fonseca

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