羅袂兮無聲 玉墀兮塵生
虛房冷而寂寞 落葉依於重扃
望彼美之女兮安得 感余心之未寧
Song of Fallen Leaves and Plaintive Cicada Liu Che 江紹倫譯
Her silky sleeves rustle without sound
The marble steps gather dust around
Empty is her bower cold and dreary
Fallen leaves outside pile up in heaps hilly
How I look for you my love only in vain
How could my heart rest and be rid of pain
秋風起兮白雲飛 草木黃落兮雁南歸
蘭有秀兮菊有芳 懷佳人兮不能忘
泛樓船兮濟汾河 橫中流兮揚素波
簫鼓鳴兮發棹歌 歡樂極兮哀情多
少壯幾時兮奈老何
Song of Autumn Wind
(Emperor of Han Dynasty) Liu Che (156-87 BC) 江紹倫譯
Autumn winds rise to help white clouds glide
When yellow grass withers and sends geese southward fly
Orchids display their elegance and mums sweet scent
My love how I pine for you when you are out of sight
On a bark to cross the river I hurry to be with you
At midstream ripples turn white and keep my boat behind
The rhythm of drums and pipes sound the rowing song
Excitement when spent subsides as sad feelings rise
The time of youth will cede as old age comes in sight
Cao Cao Tomb
神龜雖壽 猶有竟時
騰蛇乘霧 終為土灰
老驥伏櫪 志在千里
烈士暮年 壯心不已
Tortoise Longevity (selected part) Cao Cao 江紹倫譯
Sacred tortoise live their lives long
They will not go against nature but die along
Free spirit dragons rise above the clouds to glide
In death they will disintegrate and return to earth to hide
An old horse takes its respite in its stall
Its determination remains to gallop speedily and tall
A brave man knows his years in decline
His aspirations are still bold and high
The Indomitable Soul tr. by Father John Turner, S.J. (1909-1971)
Though old be the wise tortoise, yet
Die in the end he must:
And the mist-scaling dragonet,
He too shall come to dust.
Yet ancient steeds in stall that lie
Dream of the leagues they ran:
And heroes, though their doom is nigh
As ever play the man.
結髮為夫妻 恩愛兩不疑
歡娛在今夕 燕婉及良時
征夫懷往路 起視應何其
參長皆已沒 去去從此辭
行役在戰場 相見未有期
握手一長嘆 淚為生別滋
努力愛春華 莫忘歡樂時
生當復來歸 死當長相思
Adieu Dear Wife Su Wu ( Han Dynasty) 江紹倫譯
We vowed to be husband and wife for life
Our loving relationship is true without guess
Let’s love one another even more tonight
Let’s make the best use of time for ecstasy
To embark on the far off journey I have no fancy
I get up from bed to check the hour of night frequently
Stars in the dark night are giving way for dawn to be
And I must leave home now and part with thee
From this moment on my life will be in battle ground
We must believe firmly our reunion will come around
Holding your hand I could but sigh and again sigh
Letting go I pledge to keep our love in mind
Let’s do our best to keep alive our love for spring
Let’s remember the happy times our togetherness brings
Whence alive and sound I’ll be with you certainly
Even in death our soul be one eternally
東臨碣石 以觀滄海
水何澹澹 山島竦峙
樹木叢生 百草豐茂
秋風蕭瑟 洪波涌起
日月之行 若出其中
星漢燦爛 若出其裏
幸甚至哉 歌以詠志
The Sea Cao Cao (155-220) 江紹倫譯
From the Rocky Hill on eastern shore
I stand to watch the sea in awe
How the waves rock the beaches boisterous
How island mountains stand bold and marvellous
Trees of varying sizes grow competing to reach the sun
A hundred species of grass thrive green as one
Whence the autumn wind blows bleak
Billows surge to show thunderous feats
The sun and moon revolve in good time daily
They rise and fall as if from the deep
Stars from the Milky Way twinkle ever so gaily
They always return to sea to sleep
How grateful I feel to be here
I sing this song for memory to adhere
生年不滿百 常懷千歲憂
晝短苦夜長 何不秉燭遊
為樂當及時 何能待來茲
愚者愛惜費 但為後古嗤
仙人王子喬 難可與等期
Nineteen Ancient Poems XV 江紹倫 譯
People live not a hundred years long
They worry how life goes a thousand year strong
Days are too short as nights too long
To enjoy life why not light candles to play along
Seize the moment to be fun and gay
Leave the future alone however it may
Only fools like to live frugally
And keep their wealth for posterity
The immortals may like to level with mankind sometime
To ascend to heaven is difficult as to leave earth behind
Life That’s Scarce a Hundred Years tr By Father John Turner
Life, that’s scarce a hundred years,
Holds millenniums of fears.
Brief is noon, and long its night:
Best then mingle dark with light.
Merry-making whiles ye may:
Wait not for another day.
Fools that treasure up their stock
After-generation’s mock.
Him that held a bond with fate
None may seek to emulate.
行行重行行 與君生別離
相去萬餘里 各在天一涯
道路阻且長 會面安可知
胡馬依北風 越鳥巢南枝
相去日已遠 衣帶日已緩
浮雲蔽白日 遊子不顧返
思君令人老 歲月忽已晚
棄捐勿復道 努力加餐飯
Nineteen Ancient Poems I 江紹倫 譯
On and on away you go
Separated more and more we both
With you living ten thousand li away
We are each on a different geo-sway
The road between us is blocked and far
We can’t tell whence again we could be together
Hungarian steeds love to gallop against northern winds cold
Southern birds choose to nest on warm trees old
Each day farther from me you stay
My clothes get more loose around the waist
Floating clouds veil the sun during the day
My wandering husband returns home in no haste
Yearning for you I become old speedily
And my days and years get fewer steadily
Please say not you are forsaking me
Remember to eat well and stay healthy
清晨入古寺 初日照高林
曲徑通幽處 禪房花木深
山光悅鳥性 潭影空人心
萬籟此俱寂 惟餘鐘磬音
A Chan Hall Behind a Temple Ruin tr By S L Kong
I arrive at this ancient temple at first light
The morning sun shines into the forest its lofty trees bright
A bamboo- lined path leads me to a deep serene retreat
The Chan Hall is hidden in shrubs and flowers sweet
Birds chase one another in the mountain aura displaying pleasure
In the bottom of the deep mountain pool my mind finds solitude and leisure
‘Tis so quiet I find no trace of heavenly sounds here
Only temple bells toll their peel linger in the air
花間一壺酒 獨酌無相親
舉杯邀明月 對影成三人
月既不解影 影徒隨我身
暫伴月將影 行樂需及春
我歌月徘徊 我舞影零亂
醒時同交歡 醉後各分散
永結無情遊 相期邈雲漢
Drinking Alone in Moonlight tr By SL Kong
A bottle in hand amid flowers plentiful
Drinking alone with no one dear to hold
I raise my cup to invite the moon for my drinking mate
Her light casts my shadow so we have a three-some date
The moon knows not how to drink or cheer
Leaving only my shadow to follow me here and there
Together for the moment we happily play
And make merry this spring day
I sing and the moon lingers far and near
I dance and my shadow flutters hither and where
Sober we remain cheerful and gay
Drunk we part to go each other’s own way
We pledge togetherness for eternity
To parallel the legendary lovers in the galaxy
庭院深深深幾許，楊柳堆煙，簾幕無重數。
玉勒雕鞍遊冶處，樓高不見章台路。
雨橫風狂三月暮，門掩黃昏，無計留春住。
淚眼問花花不語，亂紅飛過秋千去。
Tune: Butterfly linger flower tr By S L Kong
Deep deep the mansion and courtyards so deep
Veiled by countless willows waving smoke-like screens
Where her master is roaming on jade saddles and bridles she knows not
Standing in her balcony she seeks his whereabouts seeing naught
Fury gusts and pours rage the late spring dusk
She closed all windows and doors to shut out the evening
But spring stays in her feelings like a vane
Tearfully she asks flowers what to do flowers answer not
Only a flurry of pink petals fly her by past the swing