Lotus Pond by Moonlight - And Other Selected Prose by Zhu Ziqing

荷塘月色－朱自清散文选

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Introduction: This book includes five famous prose pieces written by Chinese scholar Zhu Ziqing (1898-1948) with English translation and introductory paragraph written by Haiying Zhang.

简介：本书包括中国学者朱自清的著名散文五篇和由张海英撰写的前言和所选散文的英文译文。 

Cover image: 

Contents:

Introduction

1. 匆匆 Swiftly

2. 春 Spring

3. 荷塘月色 Lotus Pond by Moonlight

4. 背影 The View of My Father's Back

5. 桨声灯影里的秦淮河 Qin Huai River in Sound of Oars and Light Reflections

Zhu Ziqing (朱自清) was an outstanding Chinese prose writer, poet and educator. He was born in Zhejiang Province in 1898.

Zhu Ziqing wrote both poetry and prose, but he is better known as an essay-writer than a poet. He was educated at Beijing University . After qualifying in 1925, he took a position as professor of Chinese literature at Qinghua University .

In 1931-1932 he studied English literature and linguistics in London, and travelled to five countries in Europe . He returned to China in July 1932, and became the dean of the Chinese Language Department at Qinghua University .

He started writing poetry early in his career and is best known for his long poem "Huimie" [Destruction] (1923). His collections of prose include “Beiying” [The View of My Father’s Back] (1928) and “Ni wo” [You and Me] (1936).

Upright, diligent and a tireless teacher, Zhu Ziqing was regarded as a model modern scholar by his students and colleagues. Two of his most respected pieces of prose The View of My Father’s Back and Lotus Pond by Moonlight are included in this book.

Zhu died in August 1948. In August 1978, three decades after his death, "Ziqing Pavilion" was built at Qinghua University in his memory. In April 1987, during the anniversary of the founding of the university, a white-marble statue of Zhu was erected on the bank of the lotus pond.

In this collection, the translator selected five of Zhu’s most famous prose pieces and translated them into English. One piece is about a person The View of My Father’s Back, another describes the passing of time Swiftly, and the other three are about nature and scenery. Zhu is famous for his descriptions of nature and scenery. He has the ability to make people believe that they are there seeing and feeling what he is experiencing. It is as if when reading his work you can touch the trees, feel the mist, taste the water, and smell the grass

The five pieces of prose were all written in the 1920’s. Lotus Pond by Moonlight is one of Zhu Ziqing’s masterpieces (1927). It was written after the coup of 12 April in 1927 [the 4.12 Coup]. The author was left depressed by the confusion and disorder caused by the Coup. He became down hearted so he said directly at the beginning of the piece "I have been feeling uneasy these days.” He felt no sense of freedom in daytime, so he found freedom of expression with nature at night. Even though his night-time escape to nature was short, it refreshed him. He came to the lotus pond and found peace there in the vast moonlit night with the fragrance of lotus blossoms. While reading this work the reader should remember the turmoil and the restrictions he was under as a writer in time of political unrest. It may be necessary for today’s reader to read between the lines to get the full meaning of this piece of work.

The aim of this book is to give people outside China a chance to become better acquainted with Chinese poetry and prose, while offering Chinese readers a chance to see the work in English translation.

--- Haiying Zhang.

1. 匆匆

燕子去了，有再来的时候；杨柳枯了，有再青的时候；桃花谢了，有再开的时候。但是，聪明的，你告诉我，我们的日子为什么一去不复返呢？──是有人偷了他们罢：那是谁？又藏在何处呢？是他们自己逃走了罢：现在又到了哪里呢？

Swiftly

Swallows depart, they will come back again; willows wither, they will be green again; peach flowers fade, they will bloom again. But clever as you are, please tell me, why do our days pass never come back again? Has someone stolen them? If so, who could that be? And where have they been hidden? Have they run away by themselves? Where are they now? ... ...

2. 春

盼望着，盼望着，东风来了，春天的脚步近了。

一切都像刚睡醒的样子，欣欣然张开了眼。山朗润起来了，水长起来了，太阳的脸红起来了。

... ...

Hoping, hoping, the wind from the east is coming; spring is gently drawing near.

The world slowly awakes from its winter sleep, eyes opening to spring's new beginning. The mountains are wearing their coats of spring greenery; water is rising; the face of the sun is reddening.

... ...

3. 荷塘月色

这几天心里颇不宁静。今晚在院子里坐着乘凉，忽然想起日日走过的荷塘，在这满月的光里，总该另有一番样子吧。月亮渐渐地升高了，墙外马路上孩子们的欢笑，已经听不见了；妻在屋里拍着闰儿，迷迷糊糊地哼着眠歌。我悄悄地披了大衫，带上门出去。

I have been feeling uneasy these days. Sitting in the cool of the evening in my yard, I suddenly think of the lotus pond, which I pass by everyday. In this full moonlight, might it look different? The moon is higher; gone is the laughter of children by the road outside the wall. My wife is stroking our son, Run-er, drowsily humming a lullaby. Quietly, I put on my coat, close the door and go out... ...

4. 背影

我与父亲不相见已二年余了，我最不能忘记的是他的背影。那年冬天，祖母死了，父亲的差使也交卸了，正是祸不单行的日子，我从北京到徐州，打算跟着父亲奔丧回家。到徐州见着父亲，看见满院狼藉的东西，又想起祖母，不禁簌簌地流下眼泪。父亲说，“事已如此，不必难过，好在天无绝人之路！”... ...

I haven’t seen my father for over two years but the thing that stays in my mind is the view of his back. In the winter that my grandmother died, my father lost his job. That was the time when misfortunes never came singly. I went to Xuzhou from Beijing , going to make some funeral arrangements with my father. I saw him in Xuzhou . The yard was in a mess. Thinking of my grandmother, I couldn’t hold my tears back. My father said, “Things have happened, don’t worry, we will find a way.” ... ...

5. 桨声灯影里的秦淮河

一九二三年八月的一晚，我和平伯同游秦淮河；平伯是初泛，我是重来了。我们雇了一只“七板子”，在夕阳已去，皎月方来的时候，便下了船。于是桨声沽沽，我们开始领略那晃荡著蔷薇色的历史的秦淮河的滋味了。

On an August night in 1923, Ping Bo and I visited the Qinhuai River together. It was the first time for Ping Bo but the second time for me. We hired a “Seven Paddle Boards”. When the evening sun had gone, the bright moon rose. We got on the boat. The sound of oars was bubbling. We began to enjoy the flavour of the Qinhuai River rippling with the history of pink love affairs.

Boats on the Qinhuai River are better than boats in Beijing’s Wang Sheng Garden , better than the boats at the Summer Palace , better than the boats on the West Lake, better even than the boats on the slim Yang Zhou West Lake . If it is not because the boats in those places are clumsy, then it is because they are too simple or too narrow. They don’t have the lingering charm that the Qinhuai River boats do. Roughly, there are two types of boats on the Qinhuai River : one is a big boat, the other is a small boat called the “Seven Paddle Boards”. The entrance of a big boat is wide and it is big enough to hold twenty or thirty people. A big boat is furnished with calligraphic paintings and red wood furniture, smooth and shining; the table surfaces are of icy marble. Finely carved window squares make people feel soft and tender, red or blue window panes with exquisite designs shine inside, quite pleasing to the eye. Although a “Seven Paddle Boards” is not as large as a big one, the light blue balustrades and the spacious cabin are beautiful enough to acquire people’s affection. The best place is in its bow, which forms a part of its deck. There is an arched ceiling on the top, supported by widely spaced columns on both sides. Normally, there are two deck chairs made of rattan.

... ...

- Translated by Haiying Zhang