On the Stork Tower by Wan Zhi Huan

At the graduation ceremony, Hannah's class recited two famous Tang dynasty poems.  The first was  'Seng guan que lou' ('On the Stork Tower') by Wan Zhi Huan (688-742) which is is #236 in the famous collection of 300 Tang poems. 

“On the Stork Tower” by Wang Zhihuan

“The mountains eclipse the setting sun, 
While seawards the Yellow River runs; 
To widen your view to hundreds of miles, 
Come to the upper storey by climbing one more flight.”


You can hear this in chinese by clicking this link.

登鹳雀楼

Dēng guàn què lóu

[ascend] [stork] [sparrow] [tower]

白日依山尽,

bái rì yī shān jìn

[white] [sun] [on] [mountain] [finish]

黄河入海流。

huáng hé rù hǎi liú

[Yellow] [River] [enter] [sea] [flow]

欲穷千里目

yù qióng qiān lǐ mù

want] [furthest] [thousand] [mile] [eye]

更上一层楼。

gèng shàng yì céng lóu

[more] [ascend] [one] [floor] [tower]

'Ascend one floor tower' (更上一層樓) is now a general idiom for taking things up a level

http://eastasiastudent.net/china/wenyan/wang-zhihuan-stork-tower/

The Stork Tower is a tower in Shanxi province, with three floors, situated between mountains and the Yellow River.   I think the tower in this link is the right one.

"This five-character quatrain has been widely read and praised by generations of Chinese. Easy to read, the poem is ostensibly about climbing a little higher to enjoy the distant view, but actually puts forth a profound philosophical principle in these few lines.

'The mountains eclipse the setting sun, While seawards the Yellow River runs;' The sun gracefully glides into the vast expanse of the mountains while the Yellow River rushes into the surging, powerful, magnificent, and faraway ocean. In the comparison between the tension and serenity, motion and calm, a magnificent picture is painted for us: the graceful sunset, the mountains, the ocean, and the golden river. This poem takes in everything at a glance.

'To widen your view to hundreds of miles, Come to the upper storey by climbing one more flight.' In the last two lines the author ingeniously transits from a portrait of natural destiny to a philosophical theory of life. His words are concise but comprehensive. Instead of eloquent debate, Wang Zhihuan used a simple metaphor to lay bare the secret of ascending through realms. Through the ages there have been innumerable poems about ascending to greater heights to enjoy a distant view, but none of them can compare to this one for its philosophical value. It is no surprise that 'On the Stork Tower' by Wang Zhihuan remains one of the most frequently recited poems for thousands of people through generations because it is really the best among the best poems in history.  (http://www.pureinsight.org/node/1063)

Wanderer's Song by Meng Jiao

At the graduation ceremony, Hannah's class recited two Tang Dynasty poems :  'Seng guan que lou' ('On the Stork Tower') by Wan Zhi Huan and 'You zi yin' ('Wanderer's Song') by Meng Jiao

Mèng Jiaō (孟郊,751-814) spent many years as a recluse and a poet in Southern China, associating himself with the Zen Buddhist poet-monks of the region.   Eventually, at forty years of age, he settled in the area of the metropolis of Luoyang.   His pursuit of poetry and failure until late in life to pass the imperial examinations resulted in his living a life in which necessities were scarce.  Nevertheless, he succeeded in writing many successful poems and becoming an influential leader in terms of poetic innovation.   Two of his poems are included in the Three Hundred Tang Poems collection.  One of which - "遊子吟" ('Wanderer's Song') - is one of the most famous Classical Chinese poems.    (Wikipedia)

The 'Wanderer's Song' is a well-known and popular poem that nicely expresses the obligation to return parental love, a conventional virtue in Chinese morality. The poem is relatively simple and easy to understand even for speakers of modern Chinese.   (http://www.cjvlang.com/Pfloyd/mengch.html)

WANDERER'S SONG  (Translation by A. C. Graham)

The thread in the hand of a kind mother

Is the coat on the wanderer's back.

Before he left she stitched it close

In secret fear that he would be slow to return.

Who will say that the inch of grass in his heart

Is gratitude enough for all the sunshine of spring?

Note:  according to Graham, thoughts are traditionally thought to occupy a hollow space in the heart one inch square - hence the one inch of grass image.

遊子吟

yoú zǐ yín

wanderer song

慈母手中線

cí mǔ shǒu zhōng xiàn 

loving mother hand-inside (=in the hand) thread

遊子身上衣

yoú zǐ shēn shàng yī 

wander child (=person) body-on (=on the body) clothing

臨行密密縫

lín xíng mì mì féng 

on-the-point-of go dense dense sew

意恐遲遲歸

yì kǒng chí chí guī 

think/mind fear late late return

誰言寸草心

shuí yán cùn cǎo xīn

who say inch grass heart

報得三春暉

bào dé sān chūn huī 

repay-kindness three spring sunshine

To hear this in chinese click on this link.  (Or go to Youtube and search for "you zi yin threesseventwoshop").  Hannah and I love this video.  I expect it gives you an idea of how Gao Lau Shi taught the poem to Hannah's class.

Graduation Ceremony

This Friday afternoon we went to Hannah's class of 2012 graduation ceremony.

It was a loverly event which the teachers and children had clearly worked very hard on.   The event started with the children saying 'hello' in their 20 or so different native languages.  Hannah said a very nice 'Konnichiwa' on behalf of the Japanese contingent.

Then the classes sang various songs in English and Chinese like 'A beautiful day' and the school song 'We are the stars of PIPS'.   (Oddly nothing by Gladys Knight).    The songs were interspersed with a very witty 'time machine' video showing what the children wanted to be when they grew up.  Lots of the children wanted to be ballet dancers of policemen.  Hannah was the only one who wanted to be a mummy.

Finally the presentation of graduation certificates, and a farewell song.

Hannah's class singing and dancing 'cha-cha-cha'.

Hannah's being presented with her graduation certificate, to the obligatory soundtrack of 'land of hope and glory'.

Class photo with Gao Lao Shi.

Video:  Graduation ceremony

All of the children were presented with a medal showing their 'IB learner profile'.   Hannah's was 'thinker'.   Hannah was very happy with this, (although Daddy had been secretly hoping for 'cheer-leader').  

The farewell song was in chinese - 'Shi en nan wang' ('I never forget my teachers' grand kindness').    

"Dearest teachers we salute you, Do you know that we love you?  

Without your hard work and guidance our early years wouldn't have been as good,  

You are like a caring gardner working endlessly.  Because of you we've become knowledgable..."  

All in all it was a very well produced and touching event that made us very proud of our Hannah and the other children.