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Song title: Joy of Studying in Four Seasons
Song selected by: Nicole
Original poem:(Chinese-English reference)
山光照檻水繞廊，舞雩歸詠春風香。
好鳥枝頭亦朋友，落花水面皆文章。
蹉跎莫遣韶光老，人生惟有讀書好。
讀書之樂樂何如？綠滿窗前草不除。
Lovely mountains overlook the railings. The veranda is surrounded by the water.
After relaxing under shadow, people are walking back in the fragrant Spring breeze.
Those chirping birds on the branches are good companions when I study.
Every falling petal on the water could be a literary masterpiece.
Make the best of every good minute with studying.
The only fun in life is studying.
How do I describe the joy of studying?
It is like the green grass in front of the window, so flourishing that one doesn’t want to hoe it.
新竹壓檐桑四圍，小齋幽敞明朱曦。
晝長吟罷蟬鳴樹，夜深燼落螢入帷。
北窗高臥羲皇侶，只因素稔讀書趣。
讀書之樂樂無窮，瑤琴一曲來薰風。
My cabin has young bamboo by the roof and mulberry tree around it.
The delicate study room in it is spacious and full of warm sunlight.
During the day I could hear the lovely sounds of cicadas on the trees.
At night, I could see fireflies visit me in my curtain as the cinders go dark.
Sometimes I lay by the north window enjoy summer like the noble people back in Fuxi’s time.
It is all because I have always understand the fun of studying.
The fun of studying is endless.
It is like play a good song with the jaded fiddle in the summer breeze.
昨夜庭前葉有聲，籬豆花開蟋蟀鳴。
不覺商意滿林薄，蕭然萬籟涵虛清。
近床賴有短檠在，對此讀書功更倍。
讀書之樂樂陶陶，起弄明月霜天高。
Last night, I heard leaves falling in the front yard.
The sweet pea was blooming on the fence. The crickets are chirping.
All of sudden, the woods are fill with the atmosphere of autumn.
Every natural sound is soaking in the peaceful, clear autumn air.
Thankfully, I have this small lamp by my bed.
It makes it easier for me to read at night.
The joy of studying is so delightful.
It is just like being up in the night and appreciating the bright moon in the cool autumn sky.
木落水盡千崖枯，迥然吾亦見真吾。
坐對韋編燈動壁，高歌夜半雪壓廬。
地爐茶鼎烹活火，四壁圖書中有我。
讀書之樂何處尋？數點梅花天地心。
Leaves are falling. Waters are exhausted. All the cliffs are covered with withered trees.
Watching such broad winter view makes me seeing my true self.
When I read at night, there are moving shadows of lamp on my walls.
As I reciting the books in the middle of night, the winter snow is covering my humble reed roof.
There is a pot of hot tea boiling on my stove on the ground.
I enjoy my studying in this room with four walls of books.
Where do you find the joy of studying?
Even in the coldest winter, there are still plum blossoms prospering. That is how the nature nurtures everything in the world. |
About the poet: Weng Sen
 Weng Sen, courtesy name Xiao Qing, art name Yi Piao, was a native of Xian Ju, Tai Zhou (present day Xian Ju County, Zhe Jiang Province). He was born in the period that crossed from Yuan Dynasty into Song Dynasty. He was very well-educated, and if someone asked him a question, he would always explain it thoroughly. He had hence earned a nickname of ‘Bookshelf Weng.’ His most famous work was ‘Joy of Studying in Four Seasons.’
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About the poem:
Before Yuan Dynasty, studying was deemed very important. After Yuan Dynasty, the ruler proclaimed that studying was useless, and that made even the riches stayed away from books.
However, Weng Sen did not agree. He thought studying was important because a country could not exist without culture.
As a response, he built schools, taught students, and wrote ‘Joy of Studying in Four Seasons’ to illustrate the fun of studying in different seasons. People would discover the fun in reading by studying in all four seasons. Weng hoped every one would pick up the books and start reading. 
‘Joy of Studying in Four Seasons’ afterthoughts:
After listening to this song, I felt totally relaxed because this song was quite sentimental, and the lyrics did not make me overly sad or happy, just the right kind of song for me. This is my favorite song.
The song depicted the scenes in spring, summer, autumn, and winter, and what made me feel really relaxing was this song also wrote about nature. First, in spring, Weng wrote about river, spring breeze, and birds on the tree to describe how lively spring really was. Next, in summer, Weng wrote about bamboo, white mulberry trees, cicada buzzing, fire flies, and sunshine to describe the fun of studying in summer. Then, in autumn, Weng wrote about falling leaves, withered flowers on the fence, and crickets to illustrate the fun of studying in autumn. Finally, in winter, Weng wrote about balding treetops, dried rivers, charcoal fire, and tea to tell readers that through the blooming of plum blossom, people could see mother nature’s way to nurture life. In addition, HanGuang Vocal Band made a lot of sounds with their voice to signal changes in season. For example, they mimicked the sound of chirping birds in spring and buzzing cicada in summer. For autumn, they changed a key to depict the cooling weather and scenery. When it came to winter, the band lowered its key by one full octave to give listeners a feeling of icy coldness. |
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Text: the Beautiful Voices Compiled by Nicole │ Pictures: the Beautiful Voices 
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