杜甫（712-770）
字子美，号少陵野老。与李白齐名，世称为诗圣。其诗悲天悯人，忧国忧民。梁启超评:少陵只为苍生苦，赢得乾坤不尽愁。
诗作背景
这叙事诗写唐玄宗，穷兵黩武，连年征战，民不聊生。是反战之名作。
杜甫 兵车行
车辚辚，马萧萧，行人弓箭各在腰。爷娘妻子走相送，尘埃不见咸阳桥。牵衣顿足拦道哭，哭声直上干云霄！道旁过者问行人，行人但云点行频。或从十五北防河，便至四十西营田。去时里正与裹头，归来头白还戍边。边庭流血成海水，武皇开边意未已！君不闻，汉家山东二百州，千村万落生荆杞。纵有健妇把锄犁，禾生陇亩无东西。况复秦兵耐苦战，被驱不异犬与鸡！长者虽有问，役夫敢申恨？且如今年冬，未休关西卒。县官急索租，租税从何出？信知生男恶，反是生女好，生女犹得嫁比邻，生男埋没随百草！君不见，青海头，古来白骨无人收，新鬼烦冤旧鬼哭，天阴雨湿声啾啾！
Yuan Zhen The Summer Palace
In the faded old imperial palace,
Peonies are red, but no one comes to see them….
The ladies-in-waiting have grown white-haired
Debating the pomps of Emperor Xuanzong.
Translated by Witter Bynner (1929)
Yuan Zhen (779 – 831)
courtesy name Weizhi, was an important Chinese writer and poet. He and his friend Bai Juyi together developed their own poetic style.
Chan Low San, former professor of Chinese literature at several universities in Hong Kong.
Cantonese preserves the pronunciation of the official language of the Tang dynasty. Tang poetry rhymes in Cantonese as was originally intended.
元稹 行宫
寥落古行宫，宫花寂寞红。白头宫女在，闲坐说玄宗。
元稹 (779 – 831)
字微之。工诗且善言情，与白居易齐名。元白交情最深，诗歌有共同特色，世称元白体。有元氏长庆集传世。
诗作背景
唐玄宗初时励精图治，及后奢侈淫逸，引至安史之乱。本诗语少意足，道出宫女伤感生活，暗示唐朝由盛到衰。
陈鲁慎教授
年逾百岁。曾任广州国民大学、香港广大书院、联合学院、能仁书院、珠海大学、德明书院等中文系教授达卅年。
粤语保存唐音韵，粤读唐诗最传神。
广府话读诗词，宜家学唔怕迟。
Li Bai (701–762) was one of the greatest poets of the Tang Dynasty. He was both a prolific and a profound poet. He was brilliant, romantic and uninhibited.
Li Bai Drinking Alone with the Moon
Translated by Witter Bynner (1929).
From a pot of wine among the flowers
I drank alone. There was no one with me —
Till, raising my cup, I asked the bright moon
To bring me my shadow and make us three.
Alas, the moon was unable to drink
And my shadow tagged me vacantly;
But still for a while I had these friends
To cheer me through the end of spring….
I sang. The moon encouraged me.
I danced. My shadow tumbled after.
As long as I knew, we were boon companions.
And then I was drunk, and we lost one another.
…Shall goodwill ever be secure?
I watch the long road of the River of Stars.
Li Bai A Farewell to Secretary Shuyun at the Xietiao Villa in Xuanzhou
Translated by Witter Bynner (1929).
Since yesterday had to throw me and bolt,
Today has hurt my heart even more.
The autumn wildgeese have a long wind for escort
As I face them from this villa, drinking my wine.
The bones of great writers are your brushes, in the School of Heaven,
And I am a Lesser Xie growing up by your side.
We both are exalted to distant thought,
Aspiring to the sky and the bright moon.
But since water still flows, though we cut it with our swords,
And sorrows return, though we drown them with wine,
Since the world can in no way answer our craving,
I will loosen my hair tomorrow and take to a fishingboat.
Chao Yuen Ren (1892-1982)
Famous linguist, philosopher, composer, best known for his contributions to the modern study of Chinese phonology and grammar.
Private school tune chanting goes back 3,000 years. It has been passed down through private schools and family tutors from generation to generation. Similar to singing, there is a scale, but the scale is not pre-set.
李白(701-762)
字太白，号青莲居士，与杜甫齐名。世称诗仙，才华横溢，浪漫不羁。
诗作背景
当时李白，备受排挤，有志难伸。感到孤独，苦闷寂寞，借酒消愁。
李白 月下独酌
花间一壶酒 独酌无相亲 举杯邀明月 对影成三人
月既不解饮 影徒随我身 暂伴月将影 行乐须及春
我歌月徘徊 我舞影凌乱 醒时同交欢 醉后各分散
永结无情游 相期邈云汉
诗作背景
李白为饯别李云而写此诗。诗中抒发，年华虚度，报国无门，苦闷情怀。
李白 宣州谢朓楼饯别校书叔云
弃我去者 昨日之日不可留
乱我心者 今日之日多烦忧
长风万里送秋雁 对此可以酣高楼
蓬莱文章建安骨 中间小谢又清发
俱怀逸兴壮思飞 欲上青天览明月
抽刀断水水更流 举杯消愁愁更愁
人生在世不称意 明朝散发弄扁舟
赵元任（1892-1982）
著名语言学家，哲学家，作曲家，被尊为汉语言学之父。
私塾调之吟诵
通过私塾或家教，代代相传之吟诵，有三千多年历史。虽无固定之音阶，但像唱歌地诵读。
这吟诵的声带，录于一九七零年，为赵家之珍藏。
駱賓王 詠蟬
西陸蟬聲唱，南冠客思深。不堪玄鬢影，來對白頭吟。
露重飛難進，風多響易沉。無人信高潔，誰為表寸心。
駱賓王字觀光，出身寒門。七歲能詩，號稱神童。初唐四傑之一。寫討武曌檄。
詩作背景
詩藉詠蟬比喻己身高賢潔行。不哀傷自怨，不厚俗而易其真。
粵語保存唐音韻，粵讀唐詩最傳神。
廣府話讀詩詞，宜家學唔怕遲。