Posted by gaws 6 days ago
I know an old lady
She swallowed a fly
But I don't know why
She swallow the fly
I guess she'll die 何為吞蠅
蠅永同音一
化驚腸內舞
雙義笑開顏
歸路際無定
蠅永同音一
What is this “swallowing flies”?
“Fly” and “shadow” share the same voice, always.
In a flash it’s startled -- inside it dances like starlight.
The double pun draws us to smile.
Homeward the light finds no single course.
“Fly” and “shadow” -- one and the same sound.
燕過非武裝地帶
鐵雲如網隔青川
碧波照影尋舊隱
長空一點寫歸年
寥寥邊聲人未到
惟有飛羽訴和平
Barn swallows slip over the de-armed border.
Iron-barbed clouds fence off jade riverbanks.
Green waters cast their shapes -- seeking the homes of memory.
A lone dot in endless blue writes our season of homecoming.
At the silent frontier no footsteps fall.
Yet wings alone carry the plea for peace.>化驚腸內舞
>In a flash it’s startled -- inside it dances like starlight.
Where did "flash" (or "in a flash") or "starlight" come from? Neither appear in the line. You could maybe translate the line as 消化，它受惊而在场内飞舞: "digested, it is startled and dances in the intestines (~stomach)". But you generally can't tell with Classical Chinese without contextual research, since characters have multiple meanings.
Where did the poems and translations come from?