Six Cut Verses in Praise of the Battle against the Novel Coronavirus

Cheng Yongsheng

盼春

——武汉病毒稍事蔓延后，全国出门者寥寥无几，荀守奎仍外出拍摄雪后景，实在难得，特命笔以记之

（平水十一真）

几朵梅花几盼春，纷飞瑞雪粉新晨。

长江水暖偏无鸭，武汉妖魔闭要津。

（庚子年正月初三/2020年1月27日）

Expecting the Spring

——After the spreading of the new coronavirus from Wuhan to other areas, people of China seldom go outdoors. But Professor Xun Shoukui still goes out to take photos of the snow covered landscape. The rare act should be treasured and so I write a few poetic lines to mark it.

A few plum flowers expect spring times a few,

Flying snow polishes th’ morning brand new.

The Yangzte’s warmer but no duck in flow,

The Devil in Wuhan blocks passage though.

(Translated on05/02/2020)

庚子立春祈福武汉

（平水十三元）

越冬黄鹤觅春魂，妖雾寻机扰鄂村。

震怒神山喷怒火，千灾万难荡无存。

（庚子年正月十一立春/2020年2月4日）

Praying for Wuhan on the Beginning of Spring

Having passed winter, looks for spring the crane yellow,

At Hubei, new virus the evil fog does throw.

Shoots fire at the devil, the angry Fire God Hill,

And all disasters are crushed with a magic mill.

(Translated on 05/02/2020)

庚子年元宵前遐想

——新型冠状病毒作祟，该闹的元宵不闹了，特小书数行以记之

（平水二萧）

威武门神可斩妖，窗前明月报元宵。

老妻习惯花灯闹，电视刚开四下调。

（2020年2月6日）

Random Thoughts before the Lantern Festival in the Year of Gengzi

——Troubled by the novel coronavirus, the exciting Lantern Festival is not exciting at all, hence the following poetic lines to mark the occasion.

Th’ mighty Door God can evil spirits kill,

The bright moon tells us it’s yuanxiao tonight.

My wife is used to the excitement still,

She turns TV on, tunes it left and right.

(Translated on 06/02/2020)

问嫦娥

(平水五歌)

元宵佳节问嫦娥，米面蟾宫剩几何？

玉兔怀中安好否？天庭桂树可婆娑？

（2020年2月7日）

Asking Chang’e

Before the Lantern Festival, Chang’e ask I,

In Toad Palace, how much’s left of cabbage and rice?

Is Jade Rabbit in arms alright, body and eyes?

Is the laurel tree still luxuriant in the sky?

(Translated on 07/02/2020)

庚子元宵感怀

（平水五歌）

人逢十五念嫦娥，月到元宵习恋歌。

紧闭门窗疏访客，虽携玉兔又如何。

（2020年2月8日）

Random Thoughts about the Lantern Festival of Gengzi

Humans miss Chang’e on each fifteenth Day,

On yuanxiao, the love song the Moon’ll review.

Doors and windows closed, comers find no way,

With Jade Rabbit, she has no ideas new.

春到窗前

——读德丰关于二十天未出门的感叹有感

（平水十三元）

自从新冠闭邻村，初一元宵未出门。

春色临窗人欲醉，浓情似水漫金樽。

（2020年2月13日）

The Spring at the Window

——After being informed of Defeng’s stay at home for 20 days during the Spring Festival

Since the virus locked their vill days ago,

New Year’s Holidays, outdoors we didn’t go

Spring’s at window to lure us out to play, 

With cups filled up, at home, we have to stay.

(Translated on 16/02/2020)

【诗人、译者简介】   程永生，安徽潜山人，安徽理工大学教授，北京吉利学院教授，安徽省文史研究馆馆员，中华诗词研究会会员，发表诗词曲近千首，著有《英汉对照律诗绝句二百首》，建有个人微信公众号《淮风皖韵文学）。

About the author and the translator:

A native of Qianshan City, Anhui Province, Cheng Yongsheng served as professor of English in Anhui University of Science and Technology before retirement and now he is employed by Beijing Geely University as professor of English and works concurrently as a member of Literature and History Research Institute of Anhui Province. A member of China Poetry Research Association, he has published nearly a thousand poems in various paper and WeChat journals in addition to a collection of poems entitled Two Hundred Chinese Regulated and Cut Verses with English Translations. And he has been running his personal WeChat account Literature of Huaihe and Wanshan Style.