After Visiting Zhuge Liang's Shrine Poem by Denis Mair

Through the ages, in collections of literati works
Anyone who made a trip to Chengdu
Would leave a poem about Zhuge Liang's shrine.
The 2017 "Chengdu International Poetry Week"
Arranged a salon-style gathering for us there;
Indeed the feel of the place is quiet and secluded.
I recall from Du Fu's poem that it had towering cypresses,
But I was listening to the pretty guide and forgot to look.
The tour guide summed up Zhuge Liang's era:
In a trifecta of kingdoms, many upstart heroes contended.
She worshipfully directed our gaze to Liu Bei's statue:
Lordly and hugely tolerant, bent on restoring the Han.
A listener needled her: Was he a legitimate successor?
She stressed Zhuge's loyalty, a wizard who crowned his age,
Moved by Liu's selflessness, he left his mountain idyll.
A heckler quipped: in chaotic times people rally around figureheads.

At any rate, seeing a historical figure treated so devoutly
Helped to establish a solemn atmosphere for our salon,
Because a man straddled the line between human and divine,
But his apotheosis happened in the past, and now this place
Has been restored as a venue for humanistic gatherings.
From human to divine to human, it was all an aesthetic process.
This kind of conversion gives a taste of the literati ethos,
Which is why joining in this salon felt like coming home.
..........


Thanks to Mr. Wang Hao for translating this into Chinese:

访武侯祠有感

历代文人的著作中
只要到过成都
都会留下关于武侯祠的诗
2017年"成都国际诗歌周"
为我们安排了一次雅集
那确实是一个幽静的去处
我因听漂亮导游的讲解
忘了仰望杜甫提到过的参天柏树
导游陈述了诸葛亮的时代
三国鼎立，各路草莽称雄而起
导游带我们瞻仰刘备的像
宽宏大量的君子，发誓重建汉室
有游客故意提问，是皇帝正室的后代吗？
导游则强调武侯的忠诚，这个旷世奇才
被刘备感化，只为忧国忧民的君主出山
有游客说，在乱世中总要抱一个山头
无论如何，看到历史人物受到神般的尊奉
为这次雅集营造了一股肃静的气氛
一个伟人在这里跨越了人与神的界限
但他被神化的过程已属过去，而现在
此地已成为人文活动的场所
从人到神到人，是一个审美化的过程
它特别具有中国文人味道的转换
这次雅集啊，令我感觉回了一次家

梅丹理