SHIYUN: POETIC RHYME, UPLIFTING QI 2020 《诗韵悦氣》PROGRAMME BOOKLET

10 Oct 2020, Sat 10am onwards | Free Online via theartshouse.sg

Presented by

As part of

CREDITS 制作人 PRODUCER

琵琶 PIPA

聂家爱 Lisa Lip

朱伟康 Gildon Choo

策划人 CURATOR

阮 RUAN

陈志锐 Tan Chee Lay 朗诵者 NARRATORS

朱伟康 Gildon Choo 罗彩霞 Luo Chai Xia

徐山淇 Mia Chee 谢燊杰 Nelson Chia 郑光辉 Tay Kong Hui

陈善汇 Chen Indra

音乐总监 MUSIC DIRECTOR

罗彩霞 Luo Chai Xia

朱伟康 Gildon Choo

音乐制作 MUSIC PRODUCER

Lalit Kumar

古筝 GU ZHENG 人声 VOCAL 世界敲击/箫

WORLD PERCUSSION/XIAO

陈国俊 Govin Tan 钢琴 PIANO

林家贝 Rachma Lim

诗韵悦氣 POETIC RHYME, UPLIFTING QI

在一呼一吸之间， “氣”随着本地华文新诗与华族室内音乐交织而生。

面对新冠瘟疫，2020年中秋的《诗韵悦氣》暂别旧国会大厦艺术之家 的实体剧 场，将新加坡多元且深刻的南洋人文诗乐带至线上平台，继续为大家打气。线 上录音通过本土华文（甚至华语、英语、马来语、福建、广东、潮洲等方言，基至 Singlish）诗词的朗诵吟咏，以及华族室内各乐器之间的默契对话，引领观众踏 上诗意的光阴与美音之旅，让充满正能量的气韵打动你的感官并平抚疫情中的 情绪。 本中秋录音将呈献10位优秀新华诗人的“氣韵”诗作，包括新加坡文化奖得主 王润华教授、作家协会会长林得楠、新文潮文学社创始人孤星子、得奖青年诗人 钟韵宜博士等。这10首诗歌各代表“氣”字的10个笔画，有气韵有气魄还有先象 万千，是节气也是元气，更是浩然正气，乃新加坡重要诗人学者陈志锐教授精心 策划，并由九年剧场艺术总监谢燊杰、剧团总监徐山淇与资深演员郑光辉朗诵， 再加上杰出青年音乐制作人朱伟康，及其团队的演奏与配乐，精采可期。 《诗韵》属于旧国会大厦艺术之家”唱诵诗乐”系列活动。 Within the breath of local Chinese poetry and ethnic chamber music, Qi emerged.

Held in conjunction with the Mid-Autumn Festival, Poetic Rhyme, Uplifting Qi bids farewell to the physical space of a theatre amidst the Covid-19 pandemic, and brings our multidisciplinary Nanyang-style of music online. The result is a wonderful and creative collection of multilingual podcast recordings of Singaporean Chinese poetry recitations, which include Chinese, English, Malay, Hokkien, Cantonese, Teochew and even Singlish. Intimate conversations between these lyrical verses and ethnic chamber

melodies are bound to lead you onto a poetic journey of time and sounds, uplifting your spirit by touching your senses in this difficult epidemic period.

This collection features poems by 10 outstanding Singaporean poets across different generations, including Cultural Medallion recipient Prof Wong Yoon Wah, President of Singapore Association of Writers Denon Lim, Founder of TrendLit Andy Ang, and awardwinning young poet Cheong Yun Yee. The 10 poems each represent a single stroke

of the character Qi (ć°Ł), symbolising the varied facets of Qi - spiritedness, boldness of

vision, majestic grandiose, awe-inspiring righteousness, vitality, and even the 24 solar

terms. Curated by renowned scholar-poet, Prof Tan Chee Lay, these poems are recited

by Nelson Chia and Mia Chee, Artistic Director and Company Director respectively of Nine Years Theatre, and veteran actor Tay Kong Hui. Music is conceptualised, composed and directed by musician Gildon Choo, and performed by his team.

Poetic Rhyme, Uplifting Qi is predominantly performed in Mandarin, with 2 poems in dialect, and is part of The Arts House’s Poetry with Music series.

【 】 1

岁末再读邱菽园：星洲才子，天南一柱 1

Recollections of Poems

by Khoo Seok Wan: Legacies and Creation 钟韵宜/Translated by Cheong Yun Yee

玉笛诗

不知昨夜落月斜照 指间起伏 时呼龙召鹤 时清脆如玉流淌 长倚楼头，恍惚 迂回的尾末 人散 曲终 THE JADE FLUTE Who in the pavilion lends his breath to the jade flute Deft fingers sending these notes drifting to the broken moon Blue and intimate Ineffable and full Gentle like a river meandering into the darkening dankness of our eventual separation

遣婢

再一次我们不期而遇 你俯身摘下一朵透明的 花面向潮湿的午后 那时，你读到我的 讶异相顾无言 回眸渗出的 寸落成灰 ON THE HANDMAID’S DEPARTURE We meet, yet again unexpectedly You lean over and pluck, a flower invisible, in the humid afternoon Your eyes catch mine, appalled and silent, brimming Tears to dust fall 晚过嘉东

回帆反衬 流云 椰树婆娑排比 潮水往复 如何牵起斜阳的长影 引用卵石堤岸记忆 潮湿泥土的气味 和颤抖的晚风

PASSING THROUGH KATONG AT DUSK A verse with evening clouds, wildly dyed, juxtaposed with the pallor of returning sails with swaying coconut trees, lined, parallel to the vacant shore and its lapping waves Soft shadows walk behind me across filaments of sand that reach for miles into memories distilled The wind brings with it, salt and dampness Quivering, I write 念佛常课

把无雨的季节对折 一半，静观经文循 沉香缭绕 一半，回旋曾经 杯觥交错 笑声哗哗然 跌宕入纸的 墨花 NEMBUTSU The rainless season unfolds Half in meditation, scriptures doused in sandalwood incense Half in reminiscence, chalices of wine, banter and merriment taking shape, like inked blossoms on my silk paper

Footnotes 1

邱菽园 (1874-1941), 新加坡文艺先驱，几经大起大落，一生传奇。他创作丰富，曾被誉为“星洲才

子”，康有为更是称他为“天南一柱”。邱菽园的旧体诗超过一千首，代表作有《玉笛诗》、 《遣

婢》、 《晚过嘉东》和《念佛常课》等。笔者保留了四首诗的诗题，根据其意象意境进行再创作。 1

Khoo Seok Wan (1874-1941) was a Singaporean poet and one of the foremost figures of Sinophone literature.

His literary talent earned him the esteemed titles of Star of Sin Chew and Master Poet of the South. Khoo Seok Wan was a prolific writer, composing more than 1,000 classical poems in his lifetime. These poems depict the ebb and flow of his life, from his early days of opulence and excess to his later years of poverty and illness. I have retained the titles and themes of four of his most renowned poems, namely The Jade Flute, On the Handmaid’s Departure, Passing through Katong at Dusk and Nembutsu, and reimagined these classics in modern poetry.

【作者简介】

钟韵宜，文学爱好者，北京大学汉语言文学系学士、新加坡国立大学中文系硕士、伦 敦大学学院测试与评估博士、哈佛大学访问学人。钟韵宜同时为新加坡作家协会及 大士文艺促进会理事。

Yun Yee holds a PhD in Curriculum, Pedagogy and Assessment from University College London and was a Visiting Predoctoral Fellow at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Educated in Singapore, China, the UK and the USA, she is a curious blend of various cultures. Yun Yee spends her free time travelling, contemplating, and withering into the truth.

【 】 2

月亮夜访星洲一一戴着白色的口罩, 也遮盖不住欢悦的容颜 王润华 今人不见古时月， 今月曾经照古人。 （李白）。 1.

我在云端网课，越境跨国 与北京、华盛顿、新山、芙蓉与麻坡的研究生 争论李白《把酒问月》的马来文翻译秘诀：

书架旁沉默的李白突然醉醒后 质疑马来文词典为何没有酒 看见唐朝永恒的明月 高高挂在星洲晴朗天空上：

Orang-orang zaman kini tak pernah melihat bulan zaman dahulu, Bulan ketika ini pernah menyinari pada orang-orang zaman dahulu

月亮笑了。 2.

听到李白与我们在云端书房论诗 明月在后院徘徊多时 担心石榴树的小火把会燃烧起来 微雨后野草的绿会爬上白色的衣服

她走进餐厅与客厅 没有照到金樽与酒气，我已戒饮 却嗅觉到薄荷、斑斓叶、万年青、寒蝉花 袭人的芬芳 香气从屋前屋后的院子 爬墙穿窗走进客厅与餐厅 3.

她在我的信箱留言 写在一片月宫桂树的叶子上： 我曾远赴鼠疫蔓延的北非奥兰城 还有霍乱瘟疫笼罩下威尼斯的沙滩 Albert Camus 与 Thomas Mann 看见 都是孤独、焦虑、绝望、颓丧、荒诞 而新冠肺炎蔓延时 星洲马上转身走进new normal, 新常态 办公、学习、购物、唱歌、约会、跳舞都在云端 原来天上人间都一样欢乐 4.

无意中，我在监视录影里看见 黎明月亮才悄悄走出我家铁栅门 戴着白色的口罩,也遮盖不住欢悦的容颜

VISITING SINGAPORE IN A MOON-LIT NIGHT – WHITE-MASKED, YET BEAMING Wong Yoon Wah Translated by Tan Chee Lay Men in our time have not seen the ancient moon, but this moon did shine on men of yore – Li Bai

1.

I was teaching virtually in the cloud, crossing borders and beyond With graduate students in Beijing, Washington, Johor Bahru, Seremban and Muar We debated on how best to translate Li Bai’s “Wine in Hand Asking the Moon” into Malay:

Li Bai, drunk and silent by the bookshelf, woke up abruptly Questioning the absence of wine in the Malay dictionary He caught sight of the eternal bright moon in the Tang Dynasty That hung high in the clear sky of Sin Chew: Orang-orang zaman kini tak pernah melihat bulan zaman dahulu, (Men in our time have not seen the ancient moon) Bulan ketika ini pernah menyinari pada orang-orang zaman dahulu. (but this moon did shine on men of yore) The moon smiled.

2.

The bright moon overheard Li Bai discussing poetry with us in the virtual study And she lingered for long in the backyard Concerned that the small torch of the pomegranate tree will set ablaze Green weeds clung onto white clothes after drizzles She treads into the dining and living room

And see neither the golden bottle nor alcohol for I have quit drinking She smells the overwhelming fragrance instead Of mint, Pandan leaves, Sacred Lily, and Chilling Cicada flowers Aroma from the front and back yard Ascended the wall through the window into the living and dining rooms 3.

She left a message in my mailbox Written on an Osmanthus leaf of the Lunar Palace: I have been to Oran in North Africa, where the plague spread And the Venice’s beaches shrouded by the Cholera pandemic All Albert Camus and Thomas Mann saw Were loneliness, anxiety, despair, depression, and absurdity Yet when the new coronary pneumonia spread Sin Chew immediately turned and entered into a “xin changtai”, new normal Work, study, shopping, singing, dating and dancing all existed in the cloud It turned out that heaven and earth were equally joyous 4.

Inadvertently, I saw in the surveillance video The moon creeping out of my house’s metal gate at dawn Even the white mask she wore could not hide her beaming face

【作者简介】

王润华，美国威斯康辛博士，新加坡学者、诗人、散文家，曾任新加坡国立大学中文 系教授，现为马来西亚南方大学中文系教授。

曾获新加坡国家文化奖等。创作有《南洋乡土集》、 《把黑夜带回家》、 《热带雨林与 殖民地》、 《重返诗抄钞》等。

Wong Yoon Wah is now a Professor of Chinese Studies at Southern University in Malaysia. He has won many literary awards including Singapore Cultural Medallion.

Prof Wong’s creative works are in prose and poetry, including Taste of Durian and The New Village.

【 】 3

《喊标》 林得楠

一声 两声 三声 Huat啊 兄弟Check in，众生庆赞 一米 两米 三米 Huat啊 米桶深深，填满无常 庚子年的舞台在云端 我们构建普渡新常态 轻轻地隔空吟唱 以一片心，下载半张脸 搁在家中祈求平安 抬头，足以相对 小别，为了回眸 阴阳从不隔离 风月皆为福物 我的魂，你的魄 恰似缕缕青烟 承载人间，袅袅召唤 一声，一世，三声，三世 大家Huat啊

AUCTION CALL Denon Lim Denan Translated by Tan Chee Lay Calling once, twice, thrice Huat ah Brothers check in, all beings celebrate together One metre

Two metres

Three metres

Apart

Huat ah The rice buckets ran deep, filled with impermanence The Year of the Gengzi2 had its stage in the cloud A new norm construed to rescue beings from sufferings Chanting softly in the thin air With all of one’s heart, we downloaded half a face To be placed at home, to pray for peace Lifting up our heads, just enough to see each other A brief absence, so as to look back Yin and Yang were never separated Wind and moon, but a blessing My spirit, your soul As if plumes of smoke Carrying the summons of the world Calling once, one life, Calling thrice, three lives Everyone Huat ah 2

Gengzi year – 37th year of the 60 lunar year cycle, referring to year 2020 in this poem.

【作者简介】

少年时期开始发表诗作。 曾获金笔奖华文诗歌组第二名与第一名。著有诗集《怀念

小灯笼》 （1991）， 《梦见诗》 （2005）， 《如果还有萤火虫》 （2017。著作两次入围新 加坡文学奖。

Denon Lim Denan started writing in his teenage years. Golden Point Award winner in 2001 (2nd prize) and 2003 (1st prize). He published three collections of poems in 1991, 2005 and 2007.

【 】 4

《Kopi, Teh O, Hokkien Mee?》 周天派 路邊食袂著火炭炒粿條 五腳基揣袂著跳飛機的囡仔 聽袂著阿嬤叫孫仔轉厝食飯 嘛看袂著各人正面的手機時代 咱講東講西莫講KPI 免鬱卒怨嘆這個烏白來的世界 今暝逐家啉一甌閣一甌 凊彩你欲烏狗，白㗝呸 酸柑冰，茶C kosong 抑是閣叫幾隻blur sotong 大大聲喝：飲～勝！ 真正おいしい 人生海海，時好時歹 明仔載有明仔載的世界 今仔日有今仔日的精彩 KOPI, TEH O, HOKKIEN MEE? Chew Thean Phai Translated by Tan Chee Lay Lost, is the roadside charcoal fried kway teow Lost, are the kids playing hopscotch on the five-foot-way

Unheard now, a grandma’s mealtime call to the grandchild And everyone’s front turned invisible in a handphone era Let’s discuss anything except KPIs Be not perturbed nor demurred this daffy world Tonight, let’s drink, one after another Regardless if it was a Guinness stout or white coffee Iced lime juice, Teh C kosong Or even to order a few “blur sotong” Yelling: Yum—Seng!

Truly おいしい (tasty) Life is a sea wave of ups and downs Tomorrow,a new palette will present itself Today, is simply showing off its own colours

【作者简介】

周天派曾获台湾周梦蝶诗奖首奖，高雄文学创作奖助计划新诗首奖，马来西亚海鸥 文学奖， 《南洋商报》与《光华日报》副刊年度诗人，新加坡全国诗歌节创作赛首奖 等。 著有诗集《岛屿派》。

Chew Thean Phai is the author of Isle of pie (島嶼派). He has won several literary awards, including Taiwan’s prestigious poetry award (周夢蝶詩獎) for his debut poetry collection, Kaohsiung Literary Programme Award, Hai-O Literary Award in Malaysia, and National Poetry Competition in Singapore.

【 】 5

《城市的儿歌》 语凡

谁吹奏一曲悠扬的薩克斯风 不断的乐符 把长街拉向无尽远方 气韵如雨落在家家户户 阳台上窗玻璃上 带着夏天少有的清凉 封城的日子 它代替我们走过城市 敲敲每一扇窗 起风了，起风了 用手抓几个音符 煮一碗甜甜的綠豆汤 有人在阳台上舞蹈成天鹅 有人唱出几只麻雀在天上 天黑黑，要落雨 阿公仔举锄要掘芋 等大雨过后，孩子 我们一起出门去彩虹下面 掘出一袋生气勃勃

NURSERY RHYMES OF THE CITY Written and translated by Yu Fan Who is playing a melodious saxophone With ceaseless musical notes?

They stretch this street endlessly A charming rain falls in every household On the window glass, upon the balcony Bringing rare coolness in summer The day the city was locked down Musical notes walked through the city in our place Knocking on every window It’s windy, it’s windy Grab a few notes with your hands And cook a bowl of sweet green bean soup Someone swans into a dance on the balcony Someone sings sparrows into the sky It is dark and it will rain Grandpa raises a hoe to dig taro After the heavy rain, my child Let’s go out together under the rainbow To unearth a bag of vitality

【作者简介】

語凡，新加坡作家，著有《逝去的羽光》， 《草地裡的男生》， 《旅行的困境》， 《我們

不知道的歸類》。

Singapore writer Yu Fan has been published in poetry anthologies such as Dead Feather Light, Boy in the Grass Field, The Harass of Travel, Classification that we don’t know.

【 】 6

《踏脚车方程式》 非心

稳住一只脚 另一只跨过上管 坐好了，抓着车把和煞车握把 行与停在自己手上 眼睛是为了远方 因此要记得 昂首不低头 你说 往前看 慢慢 敢敢 免惊 我原以为 平衡 兼顾脚踏 是与身俱来的动作 左右摇晃 才知道一路的难 就这样，我从小知道 需要慢慢 需要敢敢 需要𠀾惊

在行踏的路上 摆正自己 眼睛是为了自己相信的远方 BIKE-RIDING FORMULA Fei Xin Translated by Phaedra Tan, Eunoia Junior College Steady one foot Swing the other over the top tube Take a seat, grabbing the handle and brake in each hand To stop or to go — your fate is in your own hands Eyes are for navigating the path ahead So, remember: to keep your head up and never look down you said look forward, steadily and bravely Don’t be afraid I used to think balancing with both pedals was an inborn skill only when I wobbled did I discover its difficulty just like that, I knew from young that I had to be steady

I had to be brave I had to be calm on the cycling path steady yourself your eyes are for navigating the path you believe in 【作者简介】

非心，本名李慧玲，媒体人。最忙碌时喜欢翻阅诗集。最新出版的文集为《遗忘成 水》 （2015)。

Fei Xin is the pen name of Lee Huay Leng who works in the media industry. Her latest book Yiwang Chengshui is a collection of proses and poems published in 2015.

【 】 7

《聽風》 孤星子

快速撥奏的曼陀鈴 以各種流浪風情展示，吹拂 擺動野草散發的意志 吉普賽狂歡的歌聲送給了天際 個人的命運，留在風中 伴隨抑揚頓挫的歌舞 圍火輕踏與蘭姆酒的觥影 由原邀請姍姍來遲的步伐 樹仔在邊，不動親像山 樹身之前刻下的印記，用歲月洗盪 恥笑少年時與風的打鬥 也還有那落尾未果的及時追逐 寬鬆的穿裝，迎接風的寂寞 埋藏撲朔迷離的各類心事 彼此亦挑故意找揣歸屬，用赤熱的心 立起耳仔聽風，再過去掠揣驟降的夜星 在那遠方，伴隨風傳來的消息 參到明日亦過是即將到來的暴雨

浸濕千年由原未風化的眼光 又夠在窺看大山佇立，若春風一度的小斑鳩 LISTEN TO THE WIND Gu Xing Zi Translated by Tay Xin En, Eunoia Junior College Hands swiftly plucking the strings of the mandolin The wind blows, displaying a variety of wandering styles Swaying the will of swinging seeds Sending the gypsies’ revelrous voices as a gift to the horizon The fate of the individual dangling in the wind Accompanied by fluctuations of singing and dancing Treading lightly around the fire with the shadow of rum Still welcoming footsteps of latecomers The young tree stood at the side, unmoved like a mountain The marks etched on the tree trunk slowly washed away by time Mocking the young self that naively fought with the wind And chasing the wind that never stopped Welcoming the loneliness of the wind in loose clothing Hiding bewildered thoughts of the heart We deliberately search for a place to call home, and with a fervent heart We listen carefully to the wind, then catch the plummeting stars Still afar, accompanied by news brought by the wind

Mixed with the rain storm that may come tomorrow The eyes whose light remains unweathered though soaked a thousand years Still peeks at a mountain standing tall, like turtle doves making love 【作者简介】

孤星子，1987年生。現為新文潮出版社創社社長與總編。著有詩集《喧囂過後》、 《消滅眾神》等。

Gu Xing Zi (1987) is the founder and currently the editor-in-chief of TrendLit Publishing.

His published poetry collections include After Commotion and Destroy All Gods.

【 】 8

《秋分》 安诗一

听闻 已是蟹肥菊黄 昼夜平分 江上的秋也渐深 街灯 渗透所有季节 用橘色的晚风 收割黄昏 想一个人 想看满树银杏微醺 装点一杯婆娑的梦 想看她眼里的漫天星辰 沉沦 五百万种可能 而相思成阵 都不知这一笔认真 要如何写成 我们 AUTUMNAL EQUINOX

By An Shiyi Translated by Ng Lai Sze It’s the time again Of eating meaty crab and viewing chrysanthemum bloom, I heard The time where days and nights are no longer than each other And autumn gradually lays itself on the river Street lights permeate every season, reaping the dusk with their orange evening breeze Alone and longing, I wish to watch tipsy ginkgo hanging down the tree, embellishing a cup of whirling dreams I wish to see the sky of stars in her eyes, sinking, into five million possibilities My yearning for you has lined in formation And how does this stroke of earnest translate into US

【作者简介】

安诗一，90后诗人。曾获新加坡大专文学奖现代诗、汉诗组奖项。著有诗集《三分之 一》，合著有《舞墨文苑七友集》。

An Shi Yi is a young Chinese poet. She has won Singapore Tertiary Chinese Literature Awards and published poetry collections San Fen Zhi Yi (Third). Her poems were also published in an anthology called Wumo Wenyuan Qiyou Ji.

【 】 9

鸟声 辛白

露珠依附在草上 群树在薄雾中站立 早晨的公园 此起彼伏的鸟声 是唯一的语言 我坐在高大的雨树下 静静聆听 看鸟儿在枝丫间 轻快地跳动 在树与树间 随意往返 乃相信 那无法听懂的语言 是快乐的对话 露珠消失了 群叶闪亮 我起身离开 快乐的对话 还响亮在 枝丫间

BIRD CHIRPS Xin Bai Translated by Yew Rui En Rachel, Eunoia Junior College As dewdrops cling to the grass And trees stand tall in the mist Punctuated bird chirps Are the only languages In the morning park.

I sat under the lofty raintree, listening silently.

As I watched the carefree birds Skip light-heartedly on the branches Hoping back and forth From tree to tree I believe That their unintelligible language Makes up the happiest conversations.

The dewdrops disappeared And the trees shone through.

I took to my feet and left, While the cheerful chatter Continued resounding within the branches.

【作者简介】

辛白，本名黄兴中。主要写诗。也写散文、闪小说等。著有诗集《风筝季》、 《细雨燕 子图》、 《看见》和散文集《音乐雨》等。

Xin Bai is the pen name of Ng Heng Teong. He primarily writes poetry but has also written prose and flash fiction. He has published three collections of poetry titled Kite Season, Swallows Flying in The Rain and Seeing, as well as a collection of prose titled Musical Rain.

【 】 10

《方言之舌吐气，如兰》

终于初醒，每一根舌头 鼓足勇气才敢指向英姓的跋扈：

无招（bo jio）？凭什么yaya papaya？ 难道话都你说完？难道耳朵只剩单调？ 没有天乌乌欲落雨，怎可下雨？ 没有咿喲嘿，怎样真正趣味？ 没有麻雀仔，谁去担竹枝？ 没有饮——胜，怎么干杯？ 没有sotong，怎样够blur？ 没有一声、两声、三声，如何huat啊？ 唯有慢慢，才能敢敢，所以𠀾惊 打结太久的舌根有太多的皱痕 拧不干的血汗拭不完的泪 还没绝种的方音来得及的传宗 接代的余音，绕梁的气 终究如兰

EXHALATIONS OF THE DIALECT TONGUE, LIKE ORCHIDS Tan Chee Lay Translated by Tan Inn Shin, Nanyang Girls’ High School Finally waking up, every tongue Mustering up the courage to point to the domineering language with a surname Eng: Bo jio? Why yaya papaya?

How can you do all the talking? Is the ear only monotonous?

Without ti or or beh loh hor, how can it rain?

Without yi yo hei, how is it really interesting?

Without ma que zai, who will bear the bamboo branches?

Without yam—seng, why toast?

Without sotong, how can you be blur?

Without “calling once, twice, thrice”, how to huat ah?

Only slowly can you dare, without fear The long-knotted tongue bears too many wrinkles Blood that can’t be wrung dry, tears that can’t be wiped away The dialects that have not turned extinct are passed down in time The vibrating remnants of the generation, linger in the air, and Remain like orchids, after all

Footnotes Bojio Hokkien; literally means “no invite”. Usually used when one finds out there been excluded from an activity.

Yaya papaya Derived from the Malay word ‘yaya”. It is used to describe an arrogant person.

Ti or or beh lor hor Lyrics from a Hokkien song; literally means “the sky is getting dark and the rain is coming”.

Yi yo hei Lyrics from the same Hokkien song above, sounds made when exerting force.

Ma que zai Cantonese; literally means “little sparrow”.

Yam—seng Cantonese; meaning “cheers”. It is a form of congratulatory cheer usually performed at Chinese weddings.

Blur sotong Literally means “blur like a squid”; used to describe a clueless person.

Huat ah Hokkien; meaning “to prosper”. A phrase commonly used to welcome prosperity.

【作者简介】

陈志锐，剑桥大学汉学博士，国立教育学院副教授。发起新加坡全国学生文学奖、 新加坡诗歌节。曾获多项文学与美术奖。撰写并主编华文创作、中英文学术论著逾 20种， 《狮城地标诗学》获2018 新加坡文学奖。

Tan Chee Lay received a PhD in Oriental Studies from Cambridge University and is currently an Associate Professor in National Institution of Education at Nanyang Technological University. He founded Singapore Student Literary Award (Bilingual) and Poetry Festival Singapore (a multilingual festival). Chee Lay has also won numerous literary and arts awards, and has published over 20 creative and academic books.

BEHIND THE SCENES

From left to right Govin Tan, Nelson Chia, Lisa Lip, Lalit Kumar, Chen Indra, Tan Chee Lay, Luo Chai Xia, Gildon Choo and Mia Chee.

Not pictured: Tay Kong Hui, Rachma Lim

BIOGRAPHIES Tan Chee Lay陈志锐 Curator 策划人

陈志锐副教授曾在东西方求学，获台湾师范大学国文系学 士、英国莱斯特大学商业管理硕士、新加坡国立大学英国 文学硕士及英国剑桥大学汉学博士。他现任南洋理工大学 国立教育学院亚洲语言文化学部副主任、终身教授、博士生 导师，协助主管华文、马来文及淡米尔文系。他受委国家图 书馆华文阅读委员会主席，教育部、社青体部、艺术理事会、 华文报集团的咨询委员。 作为一名学者作家与艺术工作者，陈志锐曾发起新加坡全国学生文学奖、新加 坡诗歌节，并担任东南亚文学奖、新加坡文化奖、金笔奖等评审。他曾获新加坡 文学奖、金笔奖、方修文学奖、青年艺术家奖、全国杰出青年奖，陈之初美术奖 等。 他撰写并主编华文创作、中英文学术论著逾20种，最近创作为《狮城地标诗学》 （诗集，城市，2017）。 One of the most highly-acclaimed writers of his generation, scholar-writer Tan Chee Lay works as Associate Professor at the National Institute of Education in the day, and writes Chinese creative writing, calligraphy and paints in the night. A founding member of Poetry Festival Singapore and a judge of the Cultural Medallion and SEA Write Award, he was conferred the Young Artist Award, Singapore Youth Award and Golden Point Award.

As a Lee Kong Chian Research Fellow and George Lyndon Hicks Fellow at National Library, he enjoys researching into Nanyang literati and artists, and recently launched a webpage, VeryNanyang, to share and promote Nanyang cultures. A most prolific writer of various genres, he has published over 20 books of poetry, children’s picture books, short stories, and prose, the latest being Landmark Poetics of the Lion City (City Book Room), which won the Singapore Literature Prize in 2018.

Mia Chee 徐山淇

Narrator 朗诵者

徐山淇是九年剧场的剧团总监及联合创办人，也是一名演 员、剧场监制和剧场导师。 她自9岁加入了丽的呼声少年儿童话剧组之后，就爱上了表 演。在念书时期不断参加表演工作的她，后来毕业自新加坡 国立大学，主修戏剧学及汉语。 她也曾于1997至2014年在 YES933电台担任兼职广播员。 Mia Chee is an actor, theatre producer and theatre educator, also co-founder and Company Director of Nine Years Theatre.

She found her love in performing at the age of 9 when she joined Rediffusion’s children radio drama group. Since then, she has been performing in school through her teenage years and eventually graduated with a BA in Theatre Studies and Chinese Language from the National University of Singapore.

Mia also worked as a part-time DJ at Y.E.S. FM93.3 during the years 1997–2014.

Nelson Chia 谢燊杰

Narrator 朗诵者

谢燊杰是九年剧场的艺术总监及联合创办人，也是一名演 员、导演和戏剧导师。 二十多年来，他活跃於新加坡舞台，担任过无数英语 和华语 舞台剧的主角或要角。他曾凭一百分钟的独角戏《 白言 》 ( 2010 )和 《 男男自语 》(新加坡艺术 节，2012)两度荣获海峡时报“生活!戏剧大 奖”最佳 男主角奖。 作为导演，他以翻译和改编自古典与当代经典的华语 舞台剧受到各界的瞩目。 他曾四度荣获海峡时报 “生活!戏剧大奖”的最佳导演奖(《十二怒汉》 2014， 《艺术》2015， 《画室》2018， 《茱莉小解》 2019), 也是首个连续三年受滨海艺术 中心委约为旗 下的 “华艺节” 呈献演出的新加坡导演。 燊杰毕业自伦敦大学哥斯密斯学(导演硕士)及新加坡国立 大学(戏剧学学士)。 他曾任南洋艺术学院戏剧系主任、拉萨尔艺术学院讲师和新加坡国立大学戏 剧科讲师。他也担任过 Toy 肥料厂的副艺术总监(2003–2013)、实践剧场的驻团 演员 / 导演(2000–2002)、电力站的附属艺术家(2007–2009)，也是创作组合 A GROUP OF PEOPLE 的创办人之一 (2008–2012)。2017年，他获颁为期三年的奖学 金，赴纽约与国际表演艺术协会的各国成员进行交流。他目前也是新加坡跨文 化戏剧学院的考核委员会成员。

Nelson Chia is an actor, director and theatre educator, also co-founder and Artistic Director of Nine Years Theatre.

He has been an active player on the Singapore stage for more than two decades, taking on numerous major and leading roles in English and Mandarin productions. He is a twotime winner in the Best Actor category in The Straits Times’ Life! Theatre Awards for his performance in a 100-minute, one-man show White Soliloquy (2010) and A Language Of Their Own (Singapore Arts Festival 2012).

As a director, he is known for his detailed and tight ensemble work on stage and his translation and re-imagination of classics in Mandarin. He is a four-time winner in the Best Director category in the Straits Times’ Life! Theatre Awards (Twelve Angry Men, 2014. Art, 2015. Art Studio, 2018. Pissed Julie, 2019). He was the first Singapore artist to be commissioned for three consecutive years by the Esplanade to present works at the Huayi Chinese Festival of Arts.

A graduate of Goldsmiths College, London (MA in Directing) and the National University of Singapore (BA Theatre Studies), Nelson has headed the Department of Theatre at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, and also lectured at Lasalle College of the Arts and the Theatre Studies Programme at the National University of Singapore. He was the Associate Artistic Director of Toy Factory Productions (2003–2013), a Resident Artist with The Theatre Practice (2000–2002), an Associate Artist with The Substation (2007– 2009), and a founding member of the ensemble collective A GROUP OF PEOPLE (2008–2012). In 2017, he was awarded a 3-year fellowship with the International Society for Performing Arts in New York. He currently sits on the examination board of the Intercultural Theatre Institute in Singapore.

郑光辉 Tay Kong Hui

郑光辉，伦敦圣马丁艺术学院艺术硕士，香港浸会大学传媒学

士，主修电视电影。

表演艺术启蒙自新加坡已故戏剧前辈程茂德先生，曾从事记者、

电台、电视、电影和剧场的工作。光辉参与的演出多次荣获戏剧 奖项与提名，并在国家艺术理事会资助下，于2014年赴纽约进

修戏剧课程。

Tay Kong Hui holds a Master of Arts from London Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design. He was also awarded a Bachelor Degree by the Hong Kong Baptist University School of Media, majoring in cinema and television, and had learnt the performing arts from the late Mr Thia Mong Teck, a respectable and legendary theatre veteran in Singapore history.

Kong Hui is a media and theatre practitioner. His profession over the years covers journalism, radio broadcasting, television, filmmaking and theatre. The theatre productions that he was involved in had received several awards and nominations.

He was also funded by National Arts Council in 2014 to undergo an intensive theatre training in New York.

Gildon Choo 朱伟康

Music Director 音乐总监 | Pipa 琵琶 | Ruan 阮

Gildon Choo is an active Pipa performer, instructor and arts programmer. He studied the Pipa under Yan Yu during his time in Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts. He was also a winner of the National Chinese Music Competition Pipa Open Category in 2006. Over the years he had collaborated with multiple artists and art groups, performing overseas as well as local festivals; such as the Busan International Dance Festival in South Korea, Australian International Music Festival, 1st Bahkshi Arts Festival in Uzbekistan and Singapore Festival in Vietnam, and others.

In recent years, he has helped form up the Namhwa Teochew Music Ensemble with Namhwa Opera Limited and also founded the Open Score Project, a local syncretic ensemble with cultural diversity. He has creatively directed a few programmes for these groups over the short period since its founding; a World of Teochew Music for Namhwa Teochew Music Ensemble, Stories: Yours & Mine Open Score Project debut concert, and others.

Currently, Gildon is the Music Director at Republic Polytechnic Chinese Ensemble. He also coaches at Victoria Junior College, Maris Stella High and a few other schools.

For Shi Yun 2020, Gildon worked closely with Poetry Curator Dr Tan Chee Lay and Music Producer Lalit Kumar to compose and produce this 11-track album.

Lalit Kumar

Music Producer 音乐制作 A graduate from the illustrious Berklee College of Music (Masters in Contemporary Performance & Music Production), Lalit Kumar is a multi-percussionist and music producer. Be it performance or music production, his sound is best represented as a progressive world music style, where he constantly strives to bring together futuristic sounds with concepts from traditional music.

His love affair with music began at the age of 10, studying the Tabla at Temple of Fine Arts Singapore under the mentorship of Nawaz Mirajkar. In 2011, Lalit was awarded the highest award at the National Indian Music Competition, Tabla open category. Since then, he has collaborated with artists from diverse backgrounds of music and cultures to develop his own unique style and sound. In 2019, Lalit was awarded the National Arts Council Postgraduate Scholarship and the Berklee Scholarship for his Master’s education at Berklee.

Currently Lalit is working on freelance music production and recording projects along with his debut self-produced album Reflections, which celebrates a diversity of influences ranging from Indian Classical to Latin, Contemporary world music and Electronic.

Chen Indra 陈善汇

Guzheng 古筝

Graduated from the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, Chen Indra has won numerous awards from both local and overseas competitions.

Of the many awards, she clinched the Second Prize in the National Arts Council Chinese Music Competition Guzheng Open Category in 2018 and Gold Award for the Second International Zheng Competition which was held in Hong Kong in 2011. As an OCBC Local Undergraduate Scholar, Indra is now serving the role as an Assistant Secretary General of the Singapore Qin Zheng Association and coaches the NUS Chinese Orchestra (Guzheng Ensemble); Tanglin Secondary; Dunman High School; many other local schools and students. Apart from being a passionate and dedicated educator, she also enjoys arranging Guzheng pieces and writing little tunes in her own time.

For Shi Yun 2020, she also plays a part in composing and arranging apart from playing the Guzheng.

Lo Chai Xia 罗彩霞

Ruan 阮 | Vocals 人声

Lo Chai Xia is a graduate of Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts. She started her Ruan journey under the professional guidance of SCO Ruan Principal, Zhang Rong Hui. She also studied Guzheng from Yin Qun as her minor studies.

Chai Xia was awarded the National Arts Council Arts Bursary. She is a winner in the National Chinese Music Competition Zhongruan Open Category. Apart from local competitions, she also bagged prizes from international competitions such as the Inaugural Beijing Ruan Competition and the 3rd International Zheng Competition.

Chai Xia is currently the Zhong Ruan Associate Principal of Singapore Chinese Orchestra, as well as the Gaoyin Ruan Principal in the Singapore Ruan Chamber Ensemble. Apart from coaching schools, she was coach for the Singapore National Youth Chinese Orchestra and an adjunct teacher in the School of the Arts Singapore.

For Shi Yun 2020, Chai Xia dabbles into composition and improvisation for the first time.

Govin Tan 陈国俊

World Percussion 世界敲击 | Xiao 箫 Govin Tan , founding member of bands, GTkai and Flame of the Forest, is a multi-percussionist who started learning the art of Indian Music at a young age. He studied the Tabla under Mr. Chandra Sekaran (Singapore) and subsequently furthered his craft with Ustad Jagjit Singh (India, Punjab).

With perseverance and diligence, Govin was the first non-Indian to win the National Indian Music Competition Tabla Intermediate Category and subsequently, in the Tabla Open Category. This truly is an astonishing historical feat that has never repeated itself to date.

Govin has since brought his performances to new heights, both musically and technically where he displays his percussion techniques skilfully in many performances.

He often travels and performs internationally as an accompanist and soloist. Throughout his journey, Govin continues to study and explore with various ethnic instruments of the world.

For Shi Yun 2020, Govin sonically explores the possibilities of using natural percussion such as pieces of wood and metal.

Rachma Lim 林家贝

Piano 钢琴

Originally born in North Sumatra, Indonesia, Rachma Lim is a Pianist-composer who has been gigging in the Singapore jazz scene since her graduation from Lasalle School of Contemporary Music in 2009.

After spending the last decade performing and collaborating with a number of great local musicians influenced by many different cultures, to name a few; Raghajazz – a jazz Indian-classical fusion band, Orchestra Melayu Singapura (OMS), The City Swing, Singapore Wind and Symphony Big Band, Qi & Teng - ensembles that bridges the traditional and contemporary, the East and West, as well as working with International touring vocalists Mariam John (US), Jennifer Palor (HK), Veronique Forget (France), Gillian Margot (Canada), she then discovered her niche and original musical style that tends to have have some flavours of world music, and since then she frequently collaborates with other musicians from these genres.

Rachma has released an EP containing original jazz compositions, Her Nocturnal Chapters. She has also recorded with various bands such as FRED says hi and a local Malay Hari Raya album entitled Jazzeid.

Recently she earned a Master’s degree in Jazz Studies in Queens College, New York City.