Vespers, with a twist

Via the estimable Laudator comes this nice Chinese poem, which touches on themes of fishing, quiet, moonlight, common to many of the verses of the Tang dynasty scholars.

Wang Wei (699-759), To Subprefect Chang (tr. Irving Y. Lo):

In late years, I love only the stillness,
The world’s affairs no longer trouble my heart.
Looking at myself: no far-reaching plans;
All I know: to return to familiar woods—
The pine winds blow and loosen my sash;
The mountain moon shines upon me playing the lute.
You ask for reasons for failure or success—
Fisherman’s song enters the riverbanks deep.

A translation was set to music:

[wp_youtube]5ukGxdGyeLw[/wp_youtube]

That said, here is vespers with no frills from the Breviarium Romanum. You can follow HERE. Use the settings for “all” and “Rubrics 1960”.

About Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Fr. Z is the guy who runs this blog. o{]:¬)
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4 Comments

  1. Timbot2000 says:

    Ahh….Wang Wei. Easily my second favorite Tang poet, though Bai Juyi is my absolute fave. His Pi’pa Rhapsody (???) is one of the most heartbreaking works in all of literature. Wang Wei OTOH, is a mater word painter of both natural and psychological landscapes. Hardly surprising as he was considered one of the greatest painters of his age.

  2. acardnal says:

    Well, you finally got a comment from someone who appears to be qualified to comment on this post. I most certainly am not. I presume this means your trip to China is nearer. ; =)

  3. Nice poem, though. No?

  4. pm125 says:

    Yes, it’s a nice poem. The second line … the past two months ruined.

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