qiu jin — III
on West Lake, Hangzhou"
The poem I am working on today is an earlier one, written perhaps in Ch'iu Chin's (Qui Jin) late teenage years or early twenties. It should be noted that while there are numerous biographies written about her most deal with Ch'iu Chin "the Revolutionary" and very few even mention Ch'iu Chin "the Poet." I find this odd since her work is found in several modern anthologies of Chinese poetry; The Anchor Book of Chinese Poetry (2005) and Women Writers of Traditional China (1999) as examples. Of the few biographies that do deal with her writing at any depth, I recommend Mary Backus Rankin's Early Chinese Revolutionaries (1971). Not only is it wonderfully researched with depth and clarity it also allows us a look into Ch'iu's early influences, which might help us understand her better. Rankin writes:
Both parents were exceedingly indulgent to their older daughter. She was tutored with her elder brother and acquired a good knowledge of the classics, history and poetry. Ch'iu also evidently liked to picture herself in the role of a knight-errant (yu-hsia). She read swashbuckling novels, learned to ride a horse and use a sword and she was proud of her ability to drink huge qualities of wine. This upbringing was poor preparation for Ch'iu's marriage in 1896 to Wang T'ing-chun, the son of a wealthy merchant … There was little scope for Ch'iu's pastimes in the conservative, substantial Wang family and her conservative husband was small consolation. Although they soon had a son and later a daughter there was slight affection in the marriage. At the Wang home Ch'iu wrote poetry and was unhappy. (40)
Here follows a poem, I believe, from that period. Already certain motifs that will continue through her work appear here; her willingness to give up traditional "feminine" roles in order to follow her dreams (in this case, all that books represent), identifying happiness as being in the company of other women, a combination of a curiosity with the world combined with a muted sexuality that, even if it is in simply mentioning the "gauzy spring gown" she is wearing, is still present. Chang and Saussy note that "'treading on the green' [in my translation 'field'] or 'taqing,' was a festival marked by outings to enjoy spring air and to walk on the newly greened grass" (634).
相見歡
因書拋卻金針，笑相評，
忘了窗前，紅日已西沈。
春衫薄掩，簾幕晚新妝，
踏青明日，女伴約鄰人。
Here is my translation. Unlike other of Ch'iu's poetry found in earlier blog entries here, I could only find one other translation of this poem. Indeed, there are many poems that do not seem to have been translated into English at all. I am sure a translator better skilled than I might find it an interesting and highly rewarding task bringing her "complete work" to a modern reading audience.
“Xiang jian huan”
I set aside my women’s sewing needle
so I can read a book. We laugh;
we play “cynic;” you challenge
my views and I challenge
yours, while beyond our window
the disregarded sun
has set scarlet in the West.In my gauzy spring gown I pull
the curtain closed and clean
my evening toilette until
it glows fiercely . Tomorrow
we shall try out the old saying,
“treading on the field.”Come with me, dear neighbor;
I ask you, I want you to be my
very own female companion.
Now, as an example of comparison and my belief that translations do not happen in a vacuum, here is the translation I found in Chang and Saussy's anthology. I consider it the superior of the two, but I enjoyed attempting my version as well. I hope you enjoy both, thank you.
To read a book, I toss aside my embroidery needle.
Laughing, you and I play the critics,
you challenging my views and I yours,
unaware that beyond the window
the vermilion sun has set in the west.In my light spring gown,
I draw the curtain.
My evening toilette sparkling fresh.
"Treading on the green," tomorrow;
I'll invite my neighbor to join me
as my female companion (634).
Works Cited
Rankin, Mary Backus. Early Chinese Revolutionaries; radical intellectuals in Shanghai and Chekiang, 1902-1911. Cambridge, Mass., Harvard University Press. (1971)
Sun Chang, Kang-i and Haun Saussy (eds) Women writers of traditional China: an anthology of poetry and criticism. Charles Kwong, associate editor; Anthony C. Yu and Yu-kung Kao, consulting editors. Stanford, Calif.: Stanford University Press. (1999)