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Butterfly and its symbols - a composition dedicated to our conversation. Different cultures render different symbols to butterfly. I would illustrate its 3 symbols in Chinese culture through fable and poems: I. Symbol of Wisdom. A Dai Wang Shu poem: The White Butterfly What wisdom are you giving me, Little white butterfly, When you unfold an empty bookpage, And fold an empty bookpage? The unfolded bookpage: Loneliness; The folded bookpage Loneliness. 戴望舒詩: 白蝴蝶 給甚麼智慧給我, 小小的白蝴蝶, 翻開了空白之頁, 合上了空白之頁? 翻開的書頁: 寂寞; 合上的書頁: 寂寞. II. Symbol of Love 复此从凤蝶，双双花上飞。寄语相知者，同心终莫违。”(南朝梁·简文帝《咏蛱蝶》  这是现存是早的表现爱情的蝴蝶诗，作者是南朝著名文学家萧纲。此诗借蝶寄言，希望有情人永结同心. a) The most ancient and first love poem (fm nearly 1,500 years ago) containing butterfly as a love symbol. My B-grade translation as below: “Butterfly” by Xiao Gang (503-551, a 2 years emperor but a famous poet) I wish we were the phoenix butterfly, flying in a pair amongst flowers. And wish my message to lovers loving each other be conveyed, those of one heart should never break. (qianz, a ancient poem for your try) b) “Butterfly” - “Liang & Zhu's Love Story” 由于封建势力和封建观念对美好爱情的阻挠破坏，多少坚贞不渝的男女为情献身。人民怀念他们，想象那长相依伴的双蝶是他们的化身，柔美的蝶翼也被赋予了刚烈的气概。 Due to patriarchy ruling in the conservative feudalistic society, there was no freedom to love and marriage. All was arranged. Therefore, many women and men sacrificed their life for sake of love. People view the butterflies always flying in pairs are their spirits. That’s why we have the famous Chinese classic violin piece “Butterfly” (namely,” Liang Zhu”, which based on a touching love story btw Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai, outrivaled Romeo and Juliet. The story: The Maiden Zhu disguised herself into a male scholar and hence entered the male school. There she met Liang and they became good friends. Upon leaving school, she showed her real face and the two fell in love. But her family arranged a marriage for her. Desperately knowing this, Liang fell sick and died. But Zhu surprisingly agreed the marriage with a request to visit Liang’s tomb on the way. So, on her wedding way to the arranged husband’s home, she suicided by bumping onto her lover’s grave. Days later, the two transformed into a pair of butterflies: people saw a pair of beautiful butterfly flying freely in the spring field. II. The most ancient yet evergreen symbol from fable “Zhuangzi dreamed he was a butterfly" (莊周夢蝶 Zhuāng Zhōu mèng dié) - Philosophy of “Making all things equal” (齊物 (to avoid being too long, better i put it to another post) 
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5/16/2006 6:09 pm |
yet, one is a page to be filled, or not filled, and the other, a page of designation to be filled or unfilled..
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5/17/2006 10:06 pm |
Hi Swallowtsui, OK...here's my try at the translation and a play on words. "Leaf" is used to referred to pages in English, as well as "flipping" the pages. Enjoy!  -Q 白蝴蝶 給甚麼智慧給我, 小小的白蝴蝶, 翻開了空白之頁, 合上了空白之頁? 翻開的書頁: 寂寞; 合上的書頁: 寂寞. White Butterfly What wisdom do you bring me, Little, little white butterfly, How you flutter open on an empty leaf, And then close again on an empty leaf? Leafing open the book page: Hollow; Leafing close the book page: Hollow.
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5/17/2006 10:17 pm |
Hi Swallowtsui, OK...here's my try at the translation and a play on words. "Leaf" is used to referred to pages in English, as well as "flipping" the pages. Enjoy! -Q 白蝴蝶 給甚麼智慧給我, 小小的白蝴蝶, 翻開了空白之頁, 合上了空白之頁? 翻開的書頁: 寂寞; 合上的書頁: 寂寞. White Butterfly What wisdom do you bring me, Little, little white butterfly, How you flutter open on an empty leaf, And then close again on an empty leaf? Leafing open the book page: Hollow; Leafing close the book page: Hollow.
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qianz, Finally you come w/ your translation.  Well, without you here, the translating contest is so lonely.I like leaf. Leaf can have double connotations 1) bookpage 2) butterfly's white wings. But I'd like to know 1) why you put how? to question, as I understand, the question is to question "what wisdom". 2) Leafing open sounds strange, why not use a passive verb as adjestive. 3) Hollow. Sounds awful. Make me think of a horror movie. 3)
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5/18/2006 2:04 am |
Hi Swallowtsui, Slight Correction/Revision to my previous post: 白蝴蝶 給甚麼智慧給我, 小小的白蝴蝶, 翻開了空白之頁, 合上了空白之頁? 翻開的書頁: 寂寞; 合上的書頁: 寂寞. White Butterfly What wisdom do you bring me, Little, little white butterfly, As you flutter open on an empty leaf, And then close again on an empty leaf? Leafing open the book page: Hollow; Leafing close the book page: Hollow. -Q
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"What wisdom do you bring me, Little, little white butterfly, How you flutter open on an empty leaf, And then close again on an empty leaf? Leafing open the book page: Hollow; Leafing close the book page: Hollow." My re-written version enlightened by qianz: , thanks qianz. White Butterfly What wisdom are you giving me? Little, little white butterfly, While you flutter open the leaf, While you flutter close the leaf? The open book page: Loneliness; the close book page: Loneliness. Here, loneliness or solitude is much fitter than hollow, because it should be a noun to respond to wisdom. The poet wanted to find wisdom fm book (also butterfly is a symbol of wisdom); but all he got is loneliness. What's your say?
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5/18/2006 2:35 am |
Hi Swallowtsui, Hahaha...I was thinking that too after it got posted...sorry a bit tired today. Slight Correction/Revision to my previous post: 白蝴蝶 給甚麼智慧給我, 小小的白蝴蝶, 翻開了空白之頁, 合上了空白之頁? 翻開的書頁: 寂寞; 合上的書頁: 寂寞. White Butterfly What wisdom do you bring me, Little, little white butterfly, As you unfold open an empty leaf, And then fold close the empty leaf? The unfolded book leaf: Stark; The folded book leaf: Stark. -Q
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5/18/2006 3:05 am |
Hi Swallowtsui, Hahaha...I was thinking that too after it got posted...sorry a bit tired today. Here's a revision: 白蝴蝶 給甚麼智慧給我, 小小的白蝴蝶, 翻開了空白之頁, 合上了空白之頁? 翻開的書頁: 寂寞; 合上的書頁: 寂寞. White Butterfly What wisdom do you bring me, Little, little white butterfly, As an empty leaf unfolds open, As an empty leaf folds close? The unfolded book leaf: Forlorned; The folded book leaf: Forlorned. -Q
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5/18/2006 3:12 am |
Hi Swallowtsui, Hahaha...I was thinking that too after it got posted...sorry a bit tired today. Here's a revision: 白蝴蝶 給甚麼智慧給我, 小小的白蝴蝶, 翻開了空白之頁, 合上了空白之頁? 翻開的書頁: 寂寞; 合上的書頁: 寂寞. White Butterfly What wisdom do you bring me, Little, little white butterfly, Whether an empty leaf unfolds open, Or an empty leaf folds close? The unfolded book leaf: Forlorned; The folded book leaf: Forlorned. -Q
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5/18/2006 4:43 am |
Hi Swallowtsui, Please feel free to delete some of my posts to this blog...Hmmm  Seems some of the ones I "deleted" actually got posted...LOL  The ones that were deleted (or should be deleted are) the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th one with the poem. Only the first and last one with a poem was suppose to be posted or kept. Please feel free to delete this comment also.I'll try to work on the other translation for Xiao Gang. -Q
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qianz, you gave a hard job. I never deleted anybody's comments
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qianz. I hardly miss your stark. a not so frequented word. And you have forlorn. I perfer loneliness, plain but to point, though it looks not classic and less literature-conerened. My direct reaction is a happy laugh when reading out Stark. Fm all your versions. I like this best: White Butterfly What wisdom do you bring me, Little, little white butterfly, As an empty leaf unfolds open, As an empty leaf folds close? The unfolded book leaf: Forlorned; The folded book leaf: Forlorned. But pls change the Forlorned to a simple noun such as loneliness or solitude? And, why you use whether ... or in another version? We are a bit forlorned here, only you and me this time.
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