Member Poem

Before the Duke of Zhou

Yu Xin (513-581)
 
 
One dawn I had a home; today it’s gone,
An orchid rooted out and set to burn.
As one would tell a tale of long lost friends
I live my life to watch the world turn.
 
 

Chinese   集周公處連句詩 庾信   市朝一朝變 蘭艾本同焚 故人相借問 平生如所聞

Pronunciation   Jí Zhōu Gōng Chǔ (Lián Jù Shī) Yŭ Xìn   Shì zhāo yī zhāo biàn Lán ài běn tóng fén Gù rén xiāng jiè wèn Píng shēng rú suǒ wén

 
 
Transliteration and Notes
 
Assemble Zhou Duke Place (Connected Verse Poem)
 
Town dynasty one morning change
Orchid artemisia root same burn
Old friend each-other may ask
All life like places heard
 
     “Connected Verse” (連句 a.k.a. renga in Japanese) means collaborative verse with pieces written by different poets. “Zhou Duke” refers to the 11^th century B.C. Duke of Zhou, who played an important role in founding the Western Zhou state. He was also known as the “God of Dreams” and important in developing the “mandate of heaven,” which allows the overthrow of dynasties when they lose this “mandate.” Zhou is also credited with writing parts of the classics I Ching and the Book of Poetry (Shijing). This historical allusion probably relates to author’s life.
     Yu Xin was a poet of the Liang and Northern Zhou dynasties (557-581). He came from a wealthy, aristocratic family of the Liang dynasty and was sent on a diplomatic mission to the Western Wei, which failed, and was taken captive. When the Western Wei became the Northern Zhou and took over Liang, they took Yu captive and executed three of his children.