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The audio file contained herein is in Ogg Vorbis format which will play in Winamp.

PhonePost 479K 2:39

唧唧復唧唧，木蘭當戶織， 不聞機杼聲，惟聞女歎息。 問女何所思，問女何所憶。 女亦無所思，女亦無所憶。 昨夜見軍帖，可汗大點兵； 軍書十二卷，卷卷有爺名。 阿爺無大兒，木蘭無長兄， 願為市鞍馬，從此替爺征。 東市買駿馬，西市買鞍韉， 南市買轡頭，北市買長鞭。 旦辭爺孃去，暮宿黃河邊， 不聞爺孃喚女聲，但聞黃河流水聲濺濺。 旦辭黃河去，暮宿黑山頭， 不聞爺孃喚女聲，但聞燕山胡騎聲啾啾。 萬里赴戎機，關山度若飛， 朔氣傳金柝，寒光照鐵衣。 將軍百戰死，壯士十年歸。 歸來見天子，天子坐明堂， 策勳十二轉，賞賜百千強。 可汗問所欲，木蘭不用尚書郎， 願借明駝千里足，送兒還故鄉。 爺孃聞女來，出郭相扶將； 阿姊聞妹來，當戶理紅妝； 小弟聞姊來，磨刀霍霍向豬羊。 開我東閣門，坐我西閣床； 脫我戰時袍，著我舊時裳； 當窗理雲鬢，對鏡貼花黃。 出門看伙伴，伙伴皆驚惶： 同行十二年，不知木蘭是女郎。 雄兔腳撲朔，雌兔眼迷離， 兩兔傍地走，安能辨我是雄雌？ Transcribed by: bride

The Ballad of Mulan

Click, click, and click click,
By the doorway Mulan weaves.
When all at once the shuttles cease,
A sigh is heard with solemn grief.
O my daughter who is on your mind?
O my daughter who is in your heart?
I have no one on my mind,
I have no one in my heart.
But last night I read the battle roll,
A roll consisting of twelve scrolls.
The Khan is drafting an army of awe,
My father's name on each beadroll.
Alas Father has no grown son,
Alas Mulan has no elder brother.
But I will buy a saddle and a horse,
And join the army in place of Father.
In the East Market she buys a steed,
From the West Market she buys a saddle.
From the South market she buys a bridle,
In the North Market she buys a long whip.
At dawn she bids her family farewell,
At dusk she camps by the Yellow River.
She no longer hears her parents calling,
Upon her pillow the waters whisper.
At dawn she departs the Yellow River,
At dusk she arrives at Black Mountain.
She no longer hears her parents calling,
But tarter horses wailing from Yen Mountain.
She gallops ten thousand miles,
For the war she has to honor.
She crosses lofty hills,
Like an eagle soaring over.
From northern gusts, through biting chills,
Echoes the watchman's clapper.
With wintry glow of icy hue,
Light glimmers on her armor.
Generals die in a hundred battles,
Our warrior's back, how ten years fly.
Upon her return she is summoned
To see the Emperor.
In the Hall of Light,
She receives the highest honor.
She is awarded a promotion to top rank.
The Emperor bestows hundreds of thousands in prizes.
The Khan asks her what she desires.
Mulan has no use for a minister's post,
Mulan has no other extravagant want.
I wish to borrow a swift footed mount,
To take me back to my home.
When Father and Mother hear she's coming,
They watch by the gate, bracing each other.
When Elder Sister hears she's coming,
She runs to her room and dabs on rouge powder.
When Little Brother hears she's coming,
He whets his knife, flashing like a light,
And prepares pig and sheep for dinner.
Let me push open the door to East Chamber,
Let me sit on my bed in West Recess.
So swiftly comes off the warrior's vesture,
And silently I put on my old-time dress.
Beside the window I dress up my hair,
In front of a mirror, I rouge my face.
And when i come out to meet my compeers,
They are perplexed and amazed.
'For twleve years,
We fought as comrades in arms,
The Mulan we knew was not a lady of charm.'
A male hare will kick and strike,
While females stare with bleary eyes.
If both are allowed to run free
Who can tell whether I am a he or a she?

I'm participating in the Monday Poetry Reading. It's not Monday yet, but I don't know if I'll have time to do this tomorrow.

I picked this poem because... well, I love the poem, for one. I always have. But, I also wanted to see if I could still remember all of it, by heart. And I did. =) It was like a reflex. Once I got going, I just rambled it all into the phone.

The Ballad of Mulan is a required study, recital and dictation piece in any Chinese Literature curriculum in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong for about third or fourth grade and most reputable Chinese schools overseas. It's very long and just barely do-able for a third/fourth grader. It's also a pretty tough read, as classical literature is apt to be. In Cantonese, it also has odd pronunciation exceptions.

It's not only a beautiful poem that captures so well the concepts of family, honour, excellence, humility, feminine charm and intrigue, but it represents something of a rite of passage to me. I was in my mid-teens when I got to it... later than most, but I think I appreciate it more than my friends who learned it at a younger age.

The phone post is in Cantonese because that's the way I learned it and that's the way it sounds most natural to me. =) Any takers for a Mandarin recital? Don't make me pick someone! =D

And I am purposely not acknowledging Disney. We're not talking about that.