離離原上草    一歲一枯榮
野火燒不盡    春風吹又生
遠芳侵古道    晴翠接荒城
又送王孫去    萋萋滿別情

Farewell by the Ancient Grass Plain    江紹倫譯

Grass grow on this ancient plain wide and far
They thrive and wither once every year
Heath fires burn but in vain
A touch of vernal breeze they thrive again
Their fragrance penetrate paths swept by wind
They adjoin towns in ruin bright and green
I’ve come to bid you farewell once again
Grief overwhelm like wild grass on plain

《燕詩示劉叟》                                   (唐)白居易

梁上有雙燕   翩翩雄與雌   銜泥兩椽間   一巢生四兒
四兒日夜長   索食聲孜孜   青蟲不易捕   黃口無飽期
觜爪雖欲敝   心力不知疲   須臾十來往   猶恐巢中饑
辛勤三十日   母瘦雛漸肥   喃喃教言語   一一刷毛衣
一旦羽翼成   引上庭樹枝   舉翅不回顧   隨風四散飛
雌雄空中鳴   聲盡呼不歸   卻入空巢裏   啁啾終夜悲
燕燕爾勿悲   爾當返自思   思爾為雛日   高飛背母時
當時父母念   今日爾應知 

Swallow Song                                      江紹倫譯                       

A pair of swallows above our girder appear
A she bird and a he bird together they fair
For a new nest they bring bits of mud and fibre with their beaks
Soon four chicks are hedged in it so neat
The foursome baby birds grow day and night
They plead for nourishment tweeting with mouths wide
Fresh worms are far away and not easy to catch
The opening mouths are ne’er fully fed
Beaks and claws of parent birds are worn out approaching defeat
But caring ma and pa care not their own fatigue
They busy in relay rounds to fetch food without rest
The hunger of their nestlings must not go through any test
After a month of such laborious tasks complete
To teach baby birds to chirp and call is no small feat
The fletching feathers also need be cleaned with mum’s beak
As soon as baby birds get ready to fly
They need be coaxed to take position on tree branches near by
Off they fly with no time for looks to linger
The dispersed birds on wings seen no longer
The parents search in the air calling their young anxiously
Not a single baby bird returns home knowingly
To the empty nest mother and father their love prolong
They twitter grief all night long
Swallow swallow you needn’t harbour any regret
To your own childhood days you must reflect
Remember those happy days you were growing up
You did also leave your parents to freely fly and hop
How your parents cared to be with you in anguish
The same caring you now know too late to appease your parents howe’er you wish

君不見走馬川行雪海邊      平沙莽莽黃入天
輪台九月風夜吼      一川碎石大如斛
隨風滿地石亂走      匈奴草黃馬正肥

金山西見煙塵飛      漢家大將西出師
將軍金甲夜不脫      半夜軍行戈相撥
風頭如刀面如割      馬毛帶雪汗氣蒸
五花連錢旋作冰      幕中草檄硯水凝

虜騎聞之應膽懾      料知短兵不敢接      車師西門佇獻捷

Seeing General Feng off on His Western Expedition    江紹倫譯

Behold the Dashing Horse River flows on a sea of snow
The desert stretches wide its expanse only the horizon knows
Up the Wheel Tower autumn gales roar throughout the night
On river bed even broken rocks are big like dou
Carried by winds rocks fly everywhere wild
The Huns steeds are plump and strong when grass grows tall and yellow

Dust and smoke rise from battles west of Golden Mount
Where our generals lead the army fast to combat ground
Eager warriors keep their metal armours on while they rest
Ready to advance at midnight sharp spears in their best
Frigid winds like sharp swords slash faces inducing loud screams
Dashing steeds sweat their manes are on steam
Ice rolls down from horse back like floral shower
Inside the tent inkwells freeze the commander can only issue verbal order

Enemy cavaliers should be afraid of such a fierce campaign
They dare not cross swords with our warriors nor allowed to complain
Victory reports are expected to reach commander Feng at Westgate

暮從碧山下   山月隨人歸   卻顧所來徑   蒼蒼橫翠微
相攜及田家   童稚開荊扉   綠竹入幽徑   青蘿拂行衣
歡言得所憩   美酒聊共揮   長歌吟松風   曲盡河星稀
我醉君複樂   陶然共忘機

With Hermit Husi in the Zhongnan Mountain          江紹倫譯 

I descended the green hill as dusk got hold
The moon followed me home without being told
Looking back at the path I had leisurely treaded
It winded through thickets in dark green spread
We arrived at your farmhouse holding hands
Children opened the wooden gate polite and glad
The secluded alley had lush green bamboo lined on both sides
While blue vines caressed my clothing as I walked by
We chatted amiably enjoying a peace of mind
And sampled fine brews our connoisseur taste so define
Fervently we sang songs of pine and wind
Stopping not until stars appeared dim and thin
How happy it was with me tipsy and you in glee
We made merry forgetting worldly strife and drudgery

十年生死兩茫茫
不思量  自難忘
千里孤墳  無處話凄涼
縱使相逢應不識
塵滿面  鬢如霜

夜來幽夢忽還鄉
小軒窗  正梳妝
相顧無言  惟有淚千行
料得年年腸斷處
明月夜  短松岡

Remembering my Deceased Wife in Dream        江紹倫譯
To the Tune “Riverside Town”   

Ten years since your death you and I drifted in worlds so vague
Even as I try not to contemplate
Your death I can’t negate
With you in a lonely grave ten thousand li away
To whom could I my grief convey
If we should by chance meet you may know me not
Face dusty
Hair frost-grey

At last in a dream I returned home in haste
Sitting by the little window
You were doing make-up with so much grace
We met with not a single word to say
Only tears rolled a thousand lines astray
I recall I visited your lone grave every year in grief
At moonlit nights
On a short pine rise

蒼蒼竹林寺    杳杳鐘聲晚
荷笠帶夕陽    青山獨歸遠

Seeing Monk Ling Che on His Way         江紹倫譯

Green green the temple stands
Late late vespers toll
His straw cloak bearing the setting sun
He stalks the green hills to go far

一路經行處   莓苔見履痕
白雲依靜渚   春草閉閑門
過雨看松色   隨山到水源
溪花與禪意   相對亦忘言

Visiting Daoist Chang by the Stream           江紹倫譯

Along the way I had become aware
Footprints touched the moss ground to tear
White clouds nestle above to shade the moor
Lush grass stopped in front of the solitary door
Clean pine needles tell me about visits of rain
I follow the mountain path to reach the spring
Between wild flowers and Chan wisdom I contemplate
No words are needed to communicate

獨在異鄉為異客        每逢佳節倍思親
遙知兄弟登高處        遍插茱萸少一人

To my Brothers on Double-Nine Festival                江紹倫譯

Alone a stranger I remain in foreign land
At every festival I pine for my dear ones in fervent
From here I can see my brothers ascending the mountains with fun
Everywhere they plant dogwood spray but find the team missing one

積雨空林煙火遲      蒸藜炊黍餉東菑
漠漠水田飛白鷺      陰陰夏木囀黃鸝
山中習靜觀朝槿      松下清齋折露葵
野老與人爭席罷      海鷗何事更相疑

At My Wanchuan Retreat During Rain                   江紹倫譯

The rain-soaked forest has my firewood delayed
I cook millet and vegetable to entertain
Over the spacious water fields egrets glide
In the shaded summer woods yellow orioles cry
Quietly I watch the althea thrive in the morning sun
And dine with friendly pines savouring dewy mallows with fun
A rustic old man I’m now folks befriend me in delight
Why seagulls stay in air suspicious and not alight