Willa Lin (Age 10) – “Ode to the Willow Tree”

Willa Lin. Ode to the Willow Tree. Watercolor and pencil on paper, 6 x 9.

I would say that the delicacy and charm of this piece speak for themselves – and they do – but then there’s the matter of what is written here in the Chinese characters.

This watercolor was not done in class but was part of Willa’s supplemental education in Chinese literature and vocabulary, taught by her mother, Hong Wang. Willa is bilingual – she was born in the U.S. and lived for her first few years in China – but then Hong works with her to strengthen her skills in Chinese.

The writing in the painting is “Ode to the Willow Tree” by He Zhizhang, a poet of the Tang dynasty who lived from 659 to 744. Here is the translation by Willa herself:

Willow tree decorated in green jade,

From graceful branches hang many green silk threads.

Do you know who trimmed the slim leaves?

For the spring breezes past February are the scissors.

It’s quite interesting to compare Willa’s translation with that of a contemporary Chinese scholar, a version that can be found here. Without knowing anything about the Chinese language, it’s clear that the scholar has gone to great pains to make the lines rhyme in English, and I find the effect not as poetic as Willa’s blank verse.