Translation Request

**Jundo** · 11-10-2019, 01:42 PM

Hi Nenka,

Mina and I are not sure but think them Chinese. The writing in the first is a four character phrase 鳥語花香 which mean "bird speak flower scent" (i.e., "the bird's call, the scent of flowers"). Here is a idiom dictionary listing.

「鳥語花香」（ちょうごかこう）の意味

https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=ja&u=https://yoji.jitenon.jp/yojig/3455.html&prev=search

四字熟語「鳥語花香」の意味。鳥語花香とは、のどかな春の景色のこと。鳥のさえずりと花の香りという意味から。

The source is apparently an old 12th Century Chinese text by a poet named in Japanese Ryohonchu and in Chinese Lü Ben-zhong 呂本中

Error 400 (Bad Request)!!1

https://books.google.co.jp/books?id=P-c4CQAAQBAJ&pg=PA853&lpg=PA853&dq=L%C3%BC+Benzhong&source=bl&ots=EppO2SXLue&sig=ACfU3U1Zra2wsAn-T3UoK61pm4SLEEaHug&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjC7MDr2N_lAhWHUN4KHSM9CVcQ6AEwBHoECAkQAQ#v=onepage&q=L%C3%BC%20Benzhong&f=false

呂本中(リョホンチュウ)とは？意味や使い方 - コトバンク

https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=ja&u=https://kotobank.jp/word/%25E5%2591%2582%25E6%259C%25AC%25E4%25B8%25AD-150163&prev=search

デジタル大辞泉 - 呂本中の用語解説 - ［1084?～1145］中国、宋代の思想家。字あざなは居仁。東莱先生と称された。程顥ていこう・程頤ていいの学問を学び、また、博学で、詩文にも長じた。著「春秋解」「童蒙訓」「師友淵源録」など。

The second is a three character phrase 燕雙飛 that means "swallow pair flying" (i.e., "a pair of swallows flying"). It seems to be a hit book and tv show in Taiwan, and older songs seem to use the phrase. I don't know much more. Here is a song by the same name ...

燕雙飛 - 劉秀嫚

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8gJPCrruJ0

燕雙飛 - 劉秀嫚，原唱陳玉梅 .詞曲：高天棲 .燕雙飛，畫欄人靜晚風微，記得去年門巷，風景依稀，綠蕪庭院，細雨濕蒼苔，雕梁塵冷春如夢，且啣得芹泥，重築新巢傍翠幃。棲香穩，軟語呢喃話夕暉，差池雙剪，掠水穿簾去復回。魂縈楊柳弱，夢逗杏花肥，天涯草色正芳菲。樓台靜，簾幕垂，煙似織，月如眉，豈奈流光速，鶯花老，雨風催，...

Perhaps this Han dynasty poem is the source ...

The Anchor Book of Chinese Poetry

https://books.google.co.jp/books?id=aoH11JVHs4AC&pg=PA35&lpg=PA35&dq=chinese+%22pair+of+swallows+flying%22&source=bl&ots=t_2ogICBz2&sig=ACfU3U2XyNeRgtB_nDSKeB5sNRwjvbgvJg&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjanbia29_lAhWROnAKHWSZCsYQ6AEwDHoECAkQAQ#v=onepage&q=%22pair%20of%20swallows%20flying%22&f=false

Unmatched in scope and literary quality, this landmark anthology spans three thousand years, bringing together more than six hundred poems by more than one hundred thirty poets, in translations–many new and exclusive to the book–by an array of distinguished translators. Here is the grand sweep of Chinese poetry, from the Book of Songs–ancient folk songs said to have been collected by Confucius himself–and Laozi’s Dao De Jing to the vividly pictorial verse of Wang Wei, the romanticism of Li Po, the technical brilliance of Tu Fu, and all the way up to the twentieth-century poetry of Mao Zedong and the post—Cultural Revolution verse of the Misty poets. Encompassing the spiritual, philosophical, political, mystical, and erotic strains that have emerged over millennia, this broadly representative selection also includes a preface on the art of translation, a general introduction to Chinese poetic form, biographical headnotes for each of the poets, and concise essays on the dynasties that structure the book. The Anchor Book of Chinese Poetry captures with impressive range and depth the essence of China’s illustrious poetic tradition.

The expression next to both is unclear, but seems to be 丙农春 or something like "Spring everywhere"? Not sure.

The artist seems to sign his name "Grass Hermit" 草仙 or Caoxian in Chinese.

Gassho, J

STLah

**Risho** · 11-10-2019, 04:28 PM

Nenka,

I think they say something like "More Doctors Smoke Camel than any other cigarette".

I kid, I kid; they look really cool!

Gassho

Rish
-lahst

**Nenka** · 11-10-2019, 09:10 PM

Thank you, Jundo (and Mina!) for taking the time to check these out. I've been wondering about them for some time.

Risho--as they're both a little bit grease (?) spattered, we figure they might have once hung in a restaurant. My husband suspected they said "Eat at Joe's."

Gassho

Nenka

ST

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