A Poem for the Swallows
《燕詩》 /《燕詩示劉叟》
75 X 35cm
Click to Enlarge.
《燕詩》 /《燕詩示劉叟》
75 X 35cm
Click to Enlarge.
A Poem for the Swallows
(《燕詩》 /《燕詩示劉叟》)
75 X 35cm in Regular Script (楷書)
Historical information
A Poem for the Swallows (《燕詩》 /《燕詩示劉叟》) was written by the renowned poet Bai Juyi (白居易, 772-846AD) of the Tang Dynasty. It is a very popular poem in traditional Chinese culture as the poem reflects on the Confucian concept of filial piety (孝). According to a preamble of the poem, this work was composed by Bai Juyi for one sad elderly gentleman, Lau, whose son left him without a trace:叟有愛子，背叟逃去，叟甚悲念之。叟少年時，亦嘗如是。故作《燕詩》以諭之矣。
Translation (by KS Vincent POON 潘君尚. Feb. 7, 2018)
English Translation
Original Chinese
Two swallows were upon a wooden beam,
a he and a she stood elegantly (翩翩) as a team.
梁上有雙燕，
翩翩雄與雌。
Clays amassed by their beaks (銜泥) rested between two wooden pilings,
a nest that hatched four offspring.
銜泥兩椽間，
一巢生四兒。
The four offspring grew by the day and night,
demanding food endlessly as they chirp (孜孜) with all their might.
四兒日夜長，
索食聲孜孜。
Fresh worms were not easy to catch as preys,
and the young mouths (黃口) seemed not to be satiated by any day.
青蟲不易捕，
黃口無飽期。
Beaks and talons were about to be tattered (敝),
yet the minds and bodies knew no tired.
嘴爪雖欲敝，
心力不知疲。
In an instant, making ten flights to and fro,
still fearing starvation in the nest might take hold.
須臾十來往，
猶恐巢中飢。
Working hard for thirty days,
the mother became thin while the chicks gradually gained more weight.
辛勤三十日，
母瘦雛漸肥。
Murmuring to teach them how to speak,
brushing every one of their feathery coats to keep them neat.
喃喃教言語，
一一刷毛衣。
Once their wings had grown and could expand,
it was time to lead them to a straight tree branch;
一旦羽翼長，
引上庭樹枝；
the youngsters all spread their wings without looking back,
taking flight and dispersed with the wind leaving no tracks.
舉翅不回顧，
隨風四散飛。
She and he cried out for the little ones in midair,
yet not even one return as their voices exhausted in despair;
雌雄空中鳴，
聲盡呼不歸；
the couple returned to the empty nest,
tweeting all night sad.
卻入空巢裏，
啁啾終夜悲。
O dear swallows you both should not have been so sad,
you should have reflected upon yourselves instead:
燕燕爾勿悲，
爾當反自思：
the days when you were also little chick toddler,
you too once took flight and turned your back on your mother.
思爾為雛日，
高飛背母時。
Back then, your parent’s thoughts of sorrow,
this day, you shall fully know!
當時父母念，
今日爾應知！
Translated by KS Vincent Poon Feb. 7, 2018
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