Chinese Classical Poem --0081 (By Du Mu) & Shirley Created Music-0071: Qing Ming -- Tomb-sweeping Day

LISTEN TO THE TEXTLISTEN TO SHIRLEY PLAY & SING THE POEM

April 5, is an important Chinese traditional festival --Qing Ming --   Tomb Sweeping Day. It is also called "Festival of March", there is a history for about 2500 years already.

Qing Ming is one of the 24 solar terms of China as well. After this day, there are raining more and more. That means everything will be re-fresh and re-growing up. So, there are many customs to celebrate Qing Ming.

First of all, the main activity of Qing Ming is to pay respect to the ancestors, great people, friends and family who have gone at their tombs...

Secondly, people like to have a walking, picnic, hike, to enjoy the great nature in the spring season.

Thirdly, in different places there are different customs... most of places, people enjoy flying kites, and in the North places, people enjoy playing swing outdoor.

There are thousands and thousands poems to describe the spring views and people’s feelings on Qing Ming in China. Now, I would like to introduce one of most famous that was written by Tang Dynasty poet Du Mu Qing Ming -- Tomb Sweeping Day :-)

As usual, I have created a piece of music to match it and hope it will be a little bit help to you to understand this poem and to improve your Chinese aural comprehension...

Here is another two poems I had introduced by Du Mu in December, 2005 and November, 2005 and hope you still remember it:

No. 2: Chinese Classical Poem--0023 & Shirley Created Music --0013: Ji Yangzhou Hanchuo Panguanguan -- To Yangzhou Hanchuo Official

No.1: Chinese Classical Poem -- 0017 and Shirley Created Music:   Shan Xing -- Travel In A Mountain

When I am listening to the music and my singing at that time, I do feel the quality is really too low. :-)   So, I will try to re-record it someday when I have time. :-)


MAIN MEANING OF THE POEMLISTEN TO SHIRLEY PLAY & SING THE POEM

Tomb-Sweeping Day

By Du Mu   ( Tang )

It is raining one after one during the Tomb-Sweeping Day,
a pedestrian's heart would be broken on the road.
May I ask where any restaurant is?
A cowboy points to distance
-- a village is around apricot flowers...


NEW WORDS AND PRONUNCIATION :

Please hit any Chinese character that you need help with, to see its Chinese pinyin, pronunciation, and meaning and follow me to read it.

CHINESE CHARACTERS :

清 明

杜牧 （ 唐 ）

清明时节雨纷纷，
路上行人欲断魂。
借问酒家何处有，
牧童遥指杏花村。


LISTEN TO SHIRLEY PLAY & SING THE POEM


If you have any questions, comments and suggestions, please write to shirley@ebridge.cn or shirleyz004@yahoo.com. You are welcome to publish your opinions in Message Board as well.

Shirley Zhang
Written, Sung, Translated and Recorded on Sun, April 8, 2007