Stone Soup

Where young artists paint the world with words

The international magazine of stories, poems, and art by young writers and artists. Published continuously since 1973.

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Chinese Calabash Girls

2019-4-Chinese-Calabash-Girl-I
Chinese Calabash I, Chinese ink, watercolors, and calabash

 

2019-4-Chinese-Calabash-Girl-II
Chinese Calabash II, Chinese ink, watercolors, and calabash

 

On my second calabash, I drew a Chinese poem written by Wang Anshi, a famous prime minister of the Northern Song Dynasty. The poem describes the Spring Festival in ancient China. Here is the poem in Chinese and its translation in English.

Spring Festival Eve
by Wang Anshi (1021-1086)
Written during the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127)

元日
(北宋)王安石
爆竹声中一除,
春风送暖入屠苏。
千门万户曈曈日,
总把新桃换旧符。

Firecrackers are shouting goodbye to the last year,
In warm spring breeze people drink tusu wine.
Thousands of households greet the bright rising sun,
Replacing each couplet on the door with a new one.

 

Chinese Calabash Girls Ziqing Peng
Ziqing Peng, 10
Nanjing, China