Cheng Kam-Cheong
1. First Chinese Poem of the Day:
李商隱 (813 - circa 858)
<< 嫦娥 >>
雲母屏風燭影深，長河漸落曉星沈。
嫦娥應悔偷靈藥，碧海青天夜夜心。
2. Second Chinese Poem of the Day:
張若虛 (circa 660 - 720)
<< 春江花月夜 >>
春江潮水連海平，海上明月共潮生。
灩灩隨波千萬里，何處春江無月明。
江流宛轉繞芳甸，月照花林皆似霰。
空裡流霜不覺飛，汀上白沙看不見。
江天一色無纖塵，皎皎空中孤月輪。
江畔何人初見月？ 江月何年初照人？
人生代代無窮已，江月年年只相似。
不知江月待何人，但見長江送流水。
白雲一片去悠悠，青楓浦上不勝愁。
誰家今夜扁舟子，何處相思明月樓。
可憐樓上月徘徊，應照離人妝鏡台。
玉戶簾中卷不去，擣衣砧上拂還來。
此時相望不相聞，願逐月華流照君。
鴻雁長飛光不度，魚龍潛躍水成文。
昨夜閒潭夢落花，可憐春半不還家。
江水流春去欲盡，江潭落月復西斜。
斜月沉沉藏海霧，碣石瀟湘無限路。
不知乘月幾人歸，落月搖情滿江樹。
3. Long Nights like the Blue-Green Sky and Ocean ("碧海青天夜夜深") by Cheng Kam-Cheong is one of my favorite songs from childhood.
Looking back, I am mystified why as a child I would like this song -- the lyrics are way beyond the comprehension of the I of that time; maybe it was because of the melody.
The name and melody of this song have a rather complicated pedigree.
Per Wikipedia ("春江花月夜"), the original is an ancient Chinese melody called Flute and Drum at Sunset ("夕陽簫鼓") and is for the string instrument pipa.
At the early years of Nationalist China (circa 1910s and 1920s?), someone rearranged the song into a duet for the instruments pipa and guzheng and the song title was changed to Moonlit Blossoms by the Spring River ("春江花月夜").
Moonlit Blossoms by the Spring River ("春江花月夜") itself is the name of a very famous Tang Dynasty's poem.
In the early 1950s, the composer Peng Xiu-wen (1931-1996) further rearranged the melody into orchestral music and it became popular in communist China.
Two Cantonese versions of this song came out in the late 1960s and early 1970s:
(a) Long Nights like the Blue-Green Sky and Ocean ("碧海青天夜夜深") by Cheng Kam-Cheong.
(b) Moonlit Night by Lover's River ("鴛鴦江月夜") by Liza Wang.
Furthermore, the song title "碧海青天夜夜深" is itself parasitic on a phrase of the late Tang Dynasty poem "嫦娥" ("Chang'e") -- "碧海青天夜夜心".
Chang'e ("嫦娥") is the Chinese goddess of the Moon.
("Chang'e", Wikipedia):
"In 2007, China launched its first lunar probe, a robotic spacecraft named Chang'e 1 in the goddess' honour. A second unmanned probe, named Chang'e 2, was launched in 2010. A third Chang'e spacecraft, a robotic lunar rover dubbed Chang'e 3, landed on the moon on Saturday, Dec. 14, 2013 at about 9:12 p.m., Beijing time, making China only the third country in the world to achieve such a moon feat after the former Soviet Union and the United States. The lander also delivered the robotic rover Yutu ("Jade Rabbit") to the lunar surface to begin its months-long driving mission. It has performed the first lunar soft landing since the Russian Luna 24 mission in 1976."
4. Long Nights like the Blue-Green Sky and Ocean ("碧海青天夜夜深") by Cheng Kam-Cheong:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enyT78A51YI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-cka4PhmI0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVIVz3o_6fI
5. The music Flute and Drum at Sunset ("夕陽簫鼓"):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbYA_K9QoWc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZoXXyiPa4Rg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5nSiJ9TljI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2S26P5VA5A
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1Ie2n_icgc
6. The music Moonlit Blossoms by the Spring River ("春江花月夜"):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lykgg5phVJE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjGcMBi5zJY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-arl_sbZfDg
by the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8WWGyyfXrs
with singing by Tong Li:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GwX4Kl2Ngpo
with singing by Peng Liyuan (= Mrs. Xi Jinping):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVn_vT6VE2c
7. Moonlit Night by Lover's River ("鴛鴦江月夜"):
by Liza Wang:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDzo2g7FNqQ
by Liu Jun-er (female):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twwdzjNqQwY
by Stephanie Gee:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjekW5-9wFk
by Yun Cai-hong (female):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hC4P8mpsdY
by Jin Chuan (male):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpiEoCNJYMk
8. The Lyrics in Traditional Chinese:
碧海青天夜夜深 -- 鄭錦昌
夜月照江前 倍覺波影動
願能渡過萬里山 泛輕舟涉水重重
鴛鴦生死也共 願她記取往日情
當初盡情共眷戀 今朝各分西與東
晚晚相思瘦 歎息分飛
怕看江邊柳 朝思晚想 暗把流長流
以往不堪記 人去後 春已逝
哪天再聚頭 夢中更情投 驚醒已經深秋
別恨更添愁 遠隔關山後
何年複見舊燕歸 慰癡心倆相愛情投
碧海青天依舊 夜間晚風送寒流
孤單寂寥恨句她 不知哪天歸我家
9. The Lyrics in Simplified Chinese:
碧海青天夜夜深 -- 郑锦昌
夜月照江前 倍觉波影动
愿能渡过万里山 泛轻舟涉水重重
鸳鸯生死也共 愿她记取往日情
当初尽情共眷恋 今朝各分西与东
晚晚相思瘦 叹息分飞
怕看江边柳 朝思晚想 暗把流长流
以往不堪记 人去后 春已逝
哪天再聚头 梦中更情投 惊醒已经深秋
别恨更添愁 远隔关山后
何年复见旧燕归 慰痴心俩相爱情投
碧海青天依旧 夜间晚风送寒流
孤单寂寥恨句她 不知哪天归我家
10. Names, Words and Phrases:
Chang'e (Traditional Chinese: 嫦娥; Simplified Chinese: 嫦娥).
Cheng Kam-Cheong (Traditional: 鄭錦昌; Simplified: 郑锦昌).
Guzheng (Traditional: 古箏; Simplified: 古筝).
Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra (Traditional: 香港中樂團; Simplified: 香港中乐团).
Jade Rabbit (Traditional: 玉兔; Simplified: 玉兔).
Jin Chuan (Traditional: 金川; Simplified: 金川).
Liu Jun-er (Traditional: 劉珺兒; Simplified: 刘珺儿).
Liza Wang (Traditional: 汪明荃; Simplified: 汪明荃).
Peng Liyuan (Traditional: 彭麗媛; Simplified: 彭丽媛).
Peng Xiu-wen (Traditional: 彭修文; Simplified: 彭修文).
Pipa (Traditional: 琵琶; Simplified: 琵琶).
Stephanie Gee (Traditional: 佩儀; Simplified: 佩仪).
Tong Li (Traditional: 童麗; Simplified: 童丽).
Yun Cai-hong (Traditional: 雲彩虹; Simplified: 云彩虹)
References:
"Chang'e", Wikipedia - The Free Encyclopedia,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chang'e
(accessed 2016-04-15).
"李商隱", Wikipedia - The Free Encyclopedia,
https://zh.wikipedia.org/zh-hk/%E6%9D%8E%E5%95%86%E9%9A%90
(accessed 2016-04-15).
"張若虛", Wikipedia - The Free Encyclopedia,
https://zh.wikipedia.org/zh-hk/%E5%BC%A0%E8%8B%A5%E8%99%9A
(accessed 2016-04-15).
"春江花月夜", Wikipedia - The Free Encyclopedia,
https://zh.wikipedia.org/zh-hk/%E6%98%A5%E6%B1%9F%E8%8A%B1%E6%9C%88%E5%A4%9C
(accessed 2016-04-15).
"彭修文", Wikipedia - The Free Encyclopedia,
https://zh.wikipedia.org/zh-hk/%E5%BD%AD%E4%BF%AE%E6%96%87
(accessed 2016-04-15).
"鄭錦昌", Wikipedia - The Free Encyclopedia,
https://zh-yue.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E9%84%AD%E9%8C%A6%E6%98%8C
(accessed 2016-04-15).
"香港中樂團", Wikipedia - The Free Encyclopedia,
https://zh.wikipedia.org/zh-hk/%E9%A6%99%E6%B8%AF%E4%B8%AD%E6%A8%82%E5%9C%98
(accessed 2016-04-15).
"童麗", Wikipedia - The Free Encyclopedia,
https://zh.wikipedia.org/zh-hk/%E7%AB%A5%E4%B8%BD
(accessed 2016-04-15).
End.
