#he jumps out windows and rides lizard mount

[threebea]

My favourite thing about Obi-Wan is that he's a jock that has us convinced is he's just a nerd.

[zhongwen-lingblr]

Welcome to that Cultural Segment

With your host, Zhongwen-lingblr

Today we’ll be talking about Mulan, addressing some complaints about the up-coming movie, and introducing you to 500 AD Chinese Poetry.

Mulan is a verbal folktale retold hundreds of thousands of times before ever being written down and recorded. Folktales are unique to the region and time at which the story is told. So each retelling of Mulan is bound to be different because the audience to which it’s been told is also different.

The oldest known written version of Mulan comes from a 360-word poem by an anonymous writer. It was written sometime in between 386-534 AD in the northern Wei dynasty.

The Mulan we know today, is not even close to the Mulan of the Wei dynasty. In this first poem (for those of you who don’t want to read it below) includes Mulan, who notices the Khan’s draft posters, decides she is bored of weaving and goes off to war. Her parents have no inner struggle with this, there is no honor in it, no romance, and no disgrace. She is not discovered during her time served, and when she returns she reveals her gender to her fellow comrades, and they have no quarrels. She goes back to weaving.

The poem I’ve explained is the first written poem, and it doesn’t seem that interesting, does it? No family drama, no romance, no honor upon her family, no magic, no dragons or even names, no motive what’s-so-ever.

So when people tell me they want a more accurate Mulan, this is what I think about.

Mulan is a folktale meant to entertain and enthrall the audience at the period in time its being told. As an audience, we wouldn’t find this original and accurate version very interesting, so to us at least, the embellishing is totally fine.

If you are, however, looking for a more realistic version (where there are no witches or magical lizards) we would suggest Mulan : Rise of the Warrior (花木兰，2009). It’s realistic, but still not completely “accurate”.

Right, on with the actual poem 😛

木 兰 诗

唧唧复唧唧，木兰当户织。不闻机杼声，唯闻女叹息。

问女何所思？问女何所忆？“女亦无所思，女亦无所忆。

昨夜见军帖，可汗大点兵。军书十二卷，卷卷有爷名。

阿爷无大儿，木兰无长兄。愿为市鞍马，从此替爷征。”

东市买骏马，西市买鞍鞯，南市买辔头，北市买长鞭。

朝辞爷娘去，暮宿黄河边。不闻爷娘唤女声，但闻黄河流水鸣溅溅。

旦辞黄河去，暮至黑山头。不闻爷娘唤女声，但闻燕山胡骑声啾啾。

万里赴戎机，关山度若飞。朔气传金析，寒光照铁衣。将军百战死，壮士十年归。

归来见天子，天子坐明堂。策勋十二转，赏赐百千强。

可汗问所欲，“木兰不用尚书郎，愿借明驼千里足，送儿还故乡。”

爷娘闻女来，出郭相扶将；阿姊闻妹来，当户理红妆；

小弟闻姊来，磨刀霍霍向猪羊。开我东阁门，坐我西阁床

脱我战时袍，着我旧时裳；当窗理云鬓，对镜帖花黄。

出门看火伴，火伴皆惊惶。“同行十二年，不知木兰是女郎。”

雄兔脚扑朔，雌兔眼迷离。双兔傍地走，安能辩我是雄雌？

__

Mùlán shī

[ jījī fù jījī, mùlán dāng hù zhī. Bù wén jīzhù shēng, wéi wén nǚ tànxí.

Wèn nǚ hé suǒ sī? Wèn nǚ hé suǒ yì?“Nǚ yì wú suǒ sī, nǚ yì wú suǒ yì.

Zuóyè jiàn jūn tiě, kè hán dà diǎn bīng. Jūn shū shí'èr juǎn, juǎn juàn yǒu yé míng.

Ā yé wú dà er, mùlán wú cháng xiōng. Yuàn wéi shì ānmǎ, cóngcǐ tì yé zhēng.”

Dōng shì mǎi jùnmǎ, xī shì mǎi ān jiān, nán shì mǎi pèitóu, běishì mǎi zhǎng biān.

Cháo cí yé niáng qù, mù sù huánghé biān. Bù wén yé niáng huàn nǚshēng, dàn wén huánghé liúshuǐ míng jiān jiān.

Dàn cí huánghé qù, mù zhì hēishān tóu. Bù wén yé niáng huàn nǚshēng, dàn wén yànshān hú qí shēng jiūjiū.

Wànlǐ fù róng jī, guānshān dù ruò fēi. Shuò qì chuán jīn xī, hán guāngzhào tiě yī. Jiāngjūn bǎi zhàn sǐ, zhuàngshì shí nián guī.

Guīlái jiàn tiānzǐ, tiānzǐ zuò míngtáng. Cè xūn shí'èr zhuǎn, shǎngcì bǎi qiān qiáng.

Kè hán wèn suǒ yù,“mùlán bùyòng shàngshū láng, yuàn jiè míng tuó qiānlǐ zú, sòng er hái gùxiāng.”

Yé niáng wén nǚ lái, chū guō xiāng fú jiāng; ā zǐ wén mèi lái, dāng hù lǐ hóngzhuāng;

xiǎodì wén zǐ lái, mó dāo huòhuò xiàng zhū yáng. Kāi wǒ dōng gé mén, zuò wǒ xī gé chuáng;

tuō wǒ zhàn shí páo,zhe wǒ jiùshí shang; dāng chuāng lǐ yúnbìn, duì jìng tiē huā huáng.

Chūmén kàn huǒ bàn, huǒ bàn jiē jīnghuáng.“Tóngxíng shí'èr nián, bùzhī mùlán shì nǚláng.”

Xióng tù jiǎo pū shuò, cí tù yǎn mílí. Shuāng tù bàng de zǒu, ān néng biàn wǒ shì xióng cí? ]

And finally, the translation :

Mulan Poem

Tsiek tsiek and again tsiek tsiek,

Mu-lan weaves, facing the door.

You don't hear the shuttle's sound,

You only hear Daughter's sighs.

They ask Daughter who's in her heart,

They ask Daughter who's on her mind.

"No one is on Daughter's heart,

No one is on Daughter's mind.

Last night I saw the draft posters,

The Khan is calling many troops,

The army list is in twelve scrolls,

On every scroll there's Father's name.

Father has no grown-up son,

Mu-lan has no elder brother.

I want to buy a saddle and horse,

And serve in the army in Father's place."

In the East Market she buys a spirited horse,

In the West Market she buys a saddle,

In the South Market she buys a bridle,

In the North Market she buys a long whip.

At dawn she takes leave of Father and Mother,

In the evening camps on the Yellow River's bank.

She doesn't hear the sound of Father and Mother calling,

She only hears the Yellow River's flowing water cry tsien tsien.

At dawn she takes leave of the Yellow River,

In the evening she arrives at Black Mountain.

She doesn't hear the sound of Father and Mother calling,

She only hears Mount Yen's nomad horses cry tsiu tsiu.

She goes ten thousand miles on the business of war,

She crosses passes and mountains like flying.

Northern gusts carry the rattle of army pots,

Chilly light shines on iron armor.

Generals die in a hundred battles,

Stout soldiers return after ten years.

On her return she sees the Son of Heaven,

The Son of Heaven sits in the Splendid Hall.

He gives out promotions in twelve ranks

And prizes of a hundred thousand and more.

The Khan asks her what she desires.

"Mu-lan has no use for a minister's post.

I wish to ride a swift mount

To take me back to my home."

When Father and Mother hear Daughter is coming

They go outside the wall to meet her, leaning on each other.

When Elder Sister hears Younger Sister is coming

She fixes her rouge, facing the door.

When Little Brother hears Elder Sister is coming

He whets the knife, quick quick, for pig and sheep.

"I open the door to my east chamber,

I sit on my couch in the west room,

I take off my wartime gown

And put on my old-time clothes."

Facing the window she fixes her cloudlike hair,

Hanging up a mirror she dabs on yellow flower powder

She goes out the door and sees her comrades.

Her comrades are all amazed and perplexed.

Traveling together for twelve years

They didn't know Mu-lan was a girl.

"The he-hare's feet go hop and skip,

The she-hare's eyes are muddled and fuddled.

Two hares running side by side close to the ground,

How can they tell if I am he or she?"

<<Translation taken from : Han H. Frankel, The Flowering Plum and the Palace Lady: Interpretations of Chinese Poetry Yale University Press, 1976.>>

***

I would suggest, if your practicing your Mandarin, to read the Chinese characters first. Even if your brain is just jumping to the next “木兰” because it’s the only thing you recognize, it still helps.

<<Also, I’m currently memorizing this poem for a read-aloud contest next month. Kmn😫>>

Anyway, we hope this was interesting for you all!!