Chinese Poems

采桑子·其三 冯延巳 西风半夜帘栊冷， 远梦初归。 梦过金扉， 花谢窗前夜合枝。 昭阳殿里新翻曲， 未有人知。 偷取笙吹， 惊觉寒蛩到晓啼。 To “Ts’ai Sang-tzu” (III) Feng Yen-ssu A wind from the west in the dead of night—latticed blinds are cold; Just returned from a far away dream, (…) past golden doors, As blossoms drop from the boughs of mimosa trees outside the window. Within the halls of Chao-yang Palace, a song newly arranged, That no one at all has ever heard. She takes up her pipes and blows a furtive note, Waking with a start the chill crickets that cry all through the night. （Daniel Bryant 译）...

沁园春·自题小影 谈印梅 来自何方， 去自何年， 孑然一身。 向花间小立， 瘦真露骨， 灯前密坐， 交已忘形。 卿本工愁， 我独落魄， 同作天涯薄幸人。 披图处， 独卿能知我， 我也怜卿。 何妨遁入空门。 早抛却、 红尘换白云。 奈乾啼湿哭， 未能免俗， 风磨雨折， 不若无生。 萱草长枯， 春晖久老， 无复爷娘唤女声。 君因怎、 也心如棋局， 抱恨难平。 Qinyuan chun: Inscribed on My Own Portrait Tan Yinmei Where did you come from? What year will you depart? Alone without any companion. For a short while you stand among the flowers So thin your bones are showing. We sit intimately by the lamp, Friends who have cast off formalities. You by nature sad And I still spiritless, Both are unfortunates at the edge of the world. I unroll the picture: Only you can know me And I cherish you too. Why not vanish through the Gate of Emptiness? Early on I threw away the red dust for white clouds. It’s just that in wailing and weeping tears I cannot avoid the common lot. Trials and tribulations Cannot compare with release from the cycle of rebirths. The lilies1 for curing sorrow have dried up forever, The light of spring grew old long ago, Never again will the parents call for their daughter. How is it that you too Have a heart like a game board, Uneven from holding resentment? 2 1. The…...

送夏进士序 龚自珍 乾隆中，大吏有不悦其属员者，上询之，以书生对。上曰：“是胡害？朕亦一书生也。”大吏悚服。呜呼，大哉斯言！是其炳六籍、训万祀矣。 嘉庆二十二年春，吾杭夏进士之京师，将铨县令，纡道别余海上。相与语，益进，啐然愉，谡然清，论三千年史事，意见或合或否，辄哈然以欢。余曰：“是书生，非俗吏。”海上之人以及乡之人皆曰：“非俗吏！”之京师，京师贵人长者识余者，皆识进士，亦必曰非俗吏也。 虽然，固微窥君，君若惧人之訾其书生者，又若有所讳夫书生者，暴于声音笑貌焉。天下事，舍书生无可属。真书生又寡，有一于是，而惧人之訾已而讳之耶？且如君者，虽百人訾之，万人訾之，啮指而自誓不为书生，以喙自卫，哓哓然力辩其非书生，其终能肖俗吏之所为也哉？为之而不肖愈见其拙回护其拙势必书生与俗吏两无所据而后已。噫！以书生之声音笑貌，加之以拙，济之以回护，终之以失所据。果尔，则进士之为政也，病矣！ 新妇三日，知其所自育；新官三日，知其所与。予识进士十年，既庆其禄之及，于吾里有光，而又恐其信道之不笃，行且一前而一却也。于其行，恭述圣训，以附古者朋友赠行之义。 On the Departure of the Jinshi Scholar Xia Gong Zizhen In the mid-Qianlong period, there was a high official who was dissatisfied with one of his subordinates. When the emperor asked him why, the official replied that the man was just a bookman. The emperor said, “What is wrong with being a bookman? I am one myself.” The official was stunned. Ah! What a marvelous pronouncement! Outshining all the six classics, it will be treasured for generations to come. In the spring of the twenty-second year of Jiaqing [1817] the jinshi scholar Xia Huang who came from my hometown to Hangzhou, made a detour to Shanghai to bid me farewell while on his way to the capital to receive his appointment as County Magistrate. As we talked, I found that he had become more advanced in his learning than before. This was reflected in his appearance—he looked pleasant and refined. In our discussion of the events of three thousand years of Chinese history we sometimes agreed and sometimes did not, but always we exchanged smiles of appreciation. I remarked, “This is a true bookman, not a common official.” People in Shanghai and the country…...

与丘长孺书 袁宏道 闻长孺病甚，念念。若长孺死，东南风雅尽矣，能无念耶？弟作令备极丑态，不可名状。大约遇上官则奴，候过客则妓，治钱谷则仓老人，谕百姓则保山婆。一日之间，百暖百寒，乍阴乍阳，人间恶趣，令一身尝尽矣。苦哉！毒哉！ 家弟秋间欲过吴。虽过吴，亦只好冷坐衙斋，看诗读书，不得如往时，携侯子登虎丘山故事也。 近日游兴发不？茂苑主人虽无钱可赠客子，然尚有酒可醉，茶可饮，太湖一夕水可游，洞庭一块石可登，不大落寞也。如何？ Letter to Qiu Chang-ru Yuan Hongdao I’ve been very concerned since I heard how sick you’ve been. If you should die, all the grace and culture of the Southeast will be gone. Can I help being concerned? As a county magistrate, I’ve had to play the most hateful roles—they are indescribable. To give you a general idea: when I chance to meet a superior official, I’m a slave; when I entertain a guest who has dropped by, I’m a courtesan; when I manage money or grain, I’m a warehouse supervisor; when I explain things to the peasantry, I’m an old lady matchmaker. In the course of a single day, things blow hot and cold a hundred times now bright and active, now dark and passive—the county magistrate experiences all the worst qualities of the everyday world. It’s painful and it’s like poison to me. My brother was going to pass through Wu last autumn, and though he did pass through, he just wanted to sit around in the county office library reading books and poems, and we didn’t get to go climb Tiger Hill as we had before with Mr. Hou. Have you felt much…...

河渎神·其二 孙光宪 江上草芊芊， 春晚湘妃庙前。 一方卵色楚南天， 数行斜雁联翩。 独倚朱阑情不极， 魂断终朝相忆。 两桨不知消息， 远汀时起鸂鶒。 “Spirit of the Yellow River” (Ho-tu Shen) Sun Kuang-hsien 2 The grass on the river bank is fresh green. It is late spring by the shrine of the Hsiang-fei. The southern sky of Ch’u is a pale-colored strip of blue. The wild geese soar across in slanting formations. Alone I lean on a vermilion railing, my feelings endless. My heart is breaking with memory all the day long. There is no sign of oars bringing a boat this way. Wild ducks hover in the air on a distant sand bar. （Lois Fusek 译）...

河渎神·其一 孙光宪 汾水碧依依， 黄云落叶初飞。 翠娥一去不言归， 庙门空掩斜晖。 四壁阴森排古画， 依旧琼轮羽驾。 小殿沉沉清夜， 银灯飘落香灺。 “Spirit of the Yellow River” (Ho-tu Shen) Sun Kuang-hsien 1 The green water of the Fen flows on and on. Scattered leaves fly up among the twilight clouds. She left trailing azure plumes, giving no date of return. The gate to the shrine is shut to the setting sun. In the eerie gloom, ancient paintings cling to the walls. Even then, her feathered chariot was jade-wheeled. A silent chill darkness descends on the sanctuary. A tiny flame in the silver lamp flickers and dies. （Lois Fusek 译）...

菩萨蛮·其一 孙光宪 月华如水笼香砌， 金镮碎撼门初闭。 寒影堕高檐， 钩垂一面帘。 碧烟轻袅袅， 红战灯花笑。 即此是高唐， 掩屏秋梦长。 “Deva-like Barbarian” (P’u-sa Man) Sun Kuang-hsien 1 Bright moonlight floods the steps like a cascade of water. The golden knocker clatters when the door is being closed. Chill shadows fall from the topmost eaves. The curtain is trailing loose on its hook. A smoky mist of azure softly curls around. The red candle flame shakes with laughter. So this is what Kao-t’ang is really about. The screen conceals her long autumn dream. （Lois Fusek 译）...

瑞鹤仙·酒家 郑燮 青旗江上酒， 正细雨梨花， 清明前后。 虾螺杂鱼藕， 况泥头旧瓮， 新开未久。 清醇可口， 尽醉倒渔翁樵叟。 向村墟归路微茫， 人与夕阳薰透。 知否？ 世间穷达， 叶底荣枯， 卦中奇偶。 何须计较， 捧一盏， 为君寿。 愿先生一扫长安旧梦， 来觅中山渴友。 解金貂付与当垆， 从今脱手。 Tune: Jui-ho hsien (An Immortal on an Auspicious Crane) Title: The Tavernkeeper Cheng Hsien A green flag—wineshop by the river Amid fine rain and blossoming pear trees. At this time of the spring festival. Shrimp and snails, mixed fish and lotus roots, And of course the old jug under seal, Opened only now, Pure, mellow, sweet, Enough to souse a fisherman or a woodman. The road back to village and town grown blurred, Man and setting sun are flushed through and through. Did you know There are rich and poor in the human world, Growth and decay among the leaves, Ins and outs on fortune’s wheel? So why worry? Raise the winecup, Long life to you, May you sweep away your old dreams of the capital And come to find your thirsty friends here in the hills. Take off that golden sable and give it to the tavern hand! From now on, let go! （Jan W. Walls 译）...

瑞鹤仙·渔家 郑燮 风波江上起， 系扁舟绿杨， 红杏村里。 羡渔娘风味， 总不施脂粉， 略加梳洗。 野花插髻， 便胜似宝钗香珥。 乍呼郎撒网鸣榔， 一棹水天无际。 美利， 蒲筐包蟹， 竹笼装虾， 柳条穿鲤。 市城不远， 朝日去， 午归矣。 并携来一瓮谁家美酝， 人与沙鸥同醉。 卧苇花一片茫茫， 夕阳千里。 Tune: Jui-ho hsien (An Immortal on an Auspicious Crane) Title: The Fisherman When wind and waves rise upon the river, They tie the little boat to a green willow tree, In the village of red apricot blossoms. How I envy the fisherwoman’s air: She uses no rouge or powder, Only occasionally works her hair. A wild flower on her bun Surpasses any jeweled earring or hairpin. Suddenly she calls her man to toss the net, sound the rattle, And they row the boundless river-sky. The profit’s good. Rush bags encase their crabs, Bamboo baskets hold their shrimp, And willow strands string their carp. The city’s not far away: Go there in the morning, Be back at noon. They bring along a vast of someone’s fine brew: Men and gulls get drunk together, Lying among blossoming reeds, a vast stretch of white, And miles and miles of setting sun. （Jan and Yvonne Walls 译）...

点绛唇·寒夜感怀 谈印梅 寂寞深闺， 当窗月色凉如水。 夜阑无睡。 湿透重重泪。 辗转匡床， 只有兰釭对。 闲庭内。 虫鸣鹤唳。 搅得心儿碎。 Dian jiang chun: Thoughts on a Cold Night Tan Yinmei Lonely solitude, deep in the boudoir: As I face the window, moonlight feels cool as water. Late at night, sleepless: Soaking wet from flood upon flood of tears. Toss and turn on the bed With only the orchid-oil lamp for company. In the quiet courtyard Insects chirp and a crane cries Shattering my heart to pieces. （Grace Fong 译）...

金缕曲·检得亡姊遗诗，悲成此调 谈印梅 偶把遗编读。 觉凄清、 风生满纸， 哀音裂竹。 貌比左芬年更少， 况又才逾徐淑。 肯久恋、 红尘千斛。 试问埋香何处好， 料青山、 也有修来福。 泉路下， 鬼应哭。 朝朝暮暮相追逐。 怎而今、 云消雨散， 形孤影独。 后会自然来世有， 谁道他生未卜。 可邀我、 同登仙箓。 昨夜分明惊入梦， 羡容颜、 依旧温如玉。 便携手， 述心曲。 Jinlü qu: Composed in Grief as I Sorted out My Sister’s Posthumous Poems Tan Yinmei It happens when I read the pieces she left behind: I can feel a chill, clear wind rising, filling the paper, Its sorrowful sound cracking the bamboos. In looks she compared with Zuo Fen, only more precocious; What’s more, her talent surpassed Xu Shu’s. She was ready to enjoy the full measure of this world of dust. Let me ask then: where would be a good place to bury her fragrance? Even the green hills would gain by her perfection. Down the road to the Yellow Springs Ghosts, too, must cry. Every morning, every evening, we pursued each other’s company. Why now have the clouds disappeared and the rain dispersed? And my form is single, my shadow alone. Of course we’ll meet again in worlds to come: Who says that future lives have not yet been divined? You can invite me to join you on the list of immortals. I was startled when you came into my…...

貂裘换酒·前调·与女兄夜话 谈印梅 秋掩重门里。 坐西窗、 联床翦烛， 良宵能几。 去日匆匆苍狗幻， 尝尽愁中滋味。 恨四壁、 埋忧无地。 蓦念光威分手日， 到那时、 忆着归宁未。 人一别， 便千里。 名山著述成何计。 叹年来、 东涂西抹， 半供游戏。 女伴过从元不少， 眼底纷纷弱绮。 算谁是、 闺中知己。 我有吟情抛未得， 更怜卿、 骨相都寒矣。 一灯灺， 浩歌起。 Diao qiu huan jiu: Talking at Night with My Elder Sister Tan Yinmei Autumn hides us behind double gates. Sitting on linked beds by the west window, we trim the candle. How many fine nights can there be? Days hurry by, the passing clouds an illusion. I’ve tasted all the flavors of sorrow And regret there’s nowhere to bury my worries within these walls. Suddenly I think of that awful day when we shall part: Then I’ll be anxious to see you return for a home visit. Once we separate It will be hundreds of miles. What’s the point of writing about famous mountains? I sigh that this year I’ve scribbled off and on, Half treating it as a game. I am associated with not a few women friends, Before my eyes, their silk gauze robes displayed in multitude. On whom can I count to be my companion in these chambers? I have been unable to abandon my poetic nature. Still more I’m sorry your features have all grown plain. When the…...

瑞鹤仙·官宦家 郑燮 笙歌云外迥， 正烛烂星明， 花深夜永。 朝霞楼阁冷， 尚牡丹贪睡， 鹦哥未醒。 戟枝槐影， 立多少金龟玉笋。 霎时间雾散云销， 门外雀罗张径。 猛省， 燕衔春去， 雁带秋来， 霜催雪紧。 几家寒冻， 又逼出， 梅花信。 羡天公何限乘除消息， 不是一家悭定。 任凭他铁铸铜镌， 终成画饼。 Tune: Jui-ho hsien (An Immortal on an Auspicious Crane) Title: Powerful Officials Cheng Hsien Music and song wandering beyond the clouds, Candles burning, stars bright, Flowers thick, the night goes on and on. Glowing sunrise in a cold upper room, Peonies greedy for a little more sleep, The parrots have not wakened. Amid the halberdlike shadows of the locust tree, Stand so many dignitaries with their insignia of office, In no time, the fog disperses and clouds disappear, So desolate, a sparrow net could be spread outside the gate. Suddenly he knows: Swallows have taken the spring away, Wild geese have brought the fall. And frost and snow press in, Some households feel the cold That forces out The sign of the blossoming plum. Ah, how closely Heaven divides and multiplies human fortune—waxing and waning! Not circumscribed by the greed of a single house, Even though cast with iron, molded of bronze, All are like cakes drawn on paper! （Jan W. Walls 译）...

瑞鹤仙·僧家 郑燮 茅庵欹欲倒， 倩老树撑扶， 白云环绕。 林深无客到， 有涧底呜泉， 谷中幽鸟。 清风来扫， 扫落叶尽归炉灶。 好闭门煨芋挑灯， 灯尽芋香天晓。 非矫， 也亲贵胄， 也踏红尘， 终归霞表。 残衫破衲， 补不彻， 缝不了。 比世人少却几茎头发， 省得许多烦恼。 向佛前烧炷香儿， 闲眠一觉。 Tune: Jui-ho hsien (An Immortal on an Auspicious Crane) Title: The Monk Cheng Hsien The thatched temple, leaning toward collapse, Is supported by an ancient tree, Encircled by white clouds. The forest deep, no visitors arrive, But a spring babbles at the bottom of the brook In the valley of hidden birds. Gentle winds come to sweep And sweep the fallen leaves into the stove, So he may close the door, bake potatoes, trim the lamp. The lamp expires, potatoes smell sweet, day dawns. No fakery— Though he hobnobs with nobility. Though he treads the red dust, Still he always returns to the rosy clouds; Tattered shirt, frazzled patches, Unmendable, Unsewable. He has less hair than a man of the world, But fewer troubles, too. He lights incense before the Buddha, Takes a nap at ease. （Jan W. Walls 译）...

瑞鹤仙·帝王家 郑燮 山河同敝屣， 羡废子传贤， 陶唐妙理。 禹汤无算计， 把乾坤重担， 儿孙挑起。 千祀万祀， 淘多少英雄闲气。 到如今故纸纷纷， 何限秦头楚尾。 休倚， 几家宦寺， 几遍藩王、 戚里。 东扶西倒， 偏重处， 成乖戾。 待他年一片宫墙瓦砾， 荷叶乱翻秋水。 剩野人破舫斜阳， 闲收菰米。 Tune: Jui-ho hsien (An Immortal on an Auspicious Crane) Title: Kings and Emperors Cheng Hsien Mountains and rivers are like discarded shoes: How I envy the sage ideal of Emperor Yao Who passed over his son, ceded his throne to the worthiest man. And Emperor Yü and T’ang who hatched no schemes, But let their sons and grandsons Bear the burden of the universe. In a thousand generations, a myriad ages, How many heroes have been wasted— Now only reams of old paper! Why regret the founding of Ch’in upon the heels of Ch’u! Rely on no one! Neither on enunuchs, Nor on princes, Nor on royal kin! Prop up the east, and the west will fall; Lean heavily to one side, And there is friction and quarrel. In other years, palace walls will be broken bits of tile, Lotus leaves will flap about on autumn waters; There remains a rustic on a tattered boat in the slanting sun, Leisurely picking the wild rice. （Jan and Yvonne Walls 译）...

Li He 金铜仙人辞汉歌并序 李贺 魏明帝青龙元年八月，诏宫官牵车，西取汉孝武捧露盘仙人，欲立致前殿。宫官既拆盘，仙人临载，乃潸然泪下。唐诸王孙李长吉遂作《金铜仙人辞汉歌》。 茂陵刘郎秋风客，夜闻马嘶晓无迹。 画栏桂树悬秋香，三十六宫土花碧。 魏官舝车指千里，东关酸风射眸子。 空将汉月出宫门，忆君清泪如铅水。 衰兰送客咸阳道，天若有情天亦老。 携盘独出月荒凉，渭城已远波声小。 Song of the Bronze Statue Li He In the eighth month of the first year of the Qinglong era, during the reign of Emperor Ming of Wei, the court ordered a palace officer to ride west and bring back the gilded bronze figure of an immortal holding a disc to catch dew made during the reign of Emperor Wu of Han, in order to set it up in the front court. When the palace officer removed the disc and took the statue to his carriage, the bronze figure shed tears. So Li Changji, descended from a prince of the House of Tang, wrote this song. Gone that emperor of Maoling, Rider through the autumn wind, Whose horse neighs at night And has passed without trace by dawn. The fragrance of autumn lingers still On those cassia trees by painted galleries, But on every palace hall the green moss grows. As Wei’s envoy sets out to drive a thousand li The keen wind at the East Gate stings the statue’s eyes… From the ruined palace he brings nothing forth But the moon-shaped disc of Han, True to his lord, he sheds…...

迎仙客·括山道中 张可久 云冉冉， 草纤纤， 谁家隐居山半崦。 水烟寒， 溪路险。 半幅青帘， 五里桃花店。 Tune: “Traveler Welcoming the Immortal” Chang K’o-chiu Clouds seen and unseen. Grass thin and green. Whose house hidden half up the hill? Smoke-water’s chill. Path along the stream full of peril. Half a curtain green. Five-mile Petal Inn. （Wai-lim Yip 译）...

兴贤 王安石 国以任贤使能而兴，弃贤专己而衰。此二者，必然之势，古今之通义，流俗所共知耳。何治安之世有之而能兴，昏乱之世虽有之亦不兴？盖用之与不用之谓矣。有贤而用，国之福也，有之而不用，犹无有也。商之兴也，有仲虺、伊尹，其衰也，亦有三仁。周之兴也，同心者十人，其衰也，亦有祭公谋父、内史过。两汉之兴也，有萧、曹、寇、邓之徒，其衰也，亦有王嘉、傅喜、陈蕃、李固之众。魏、晋而下，至于李唐，不可遍举，然其间兴衰之世，亦皆同也。由此观之，有贤而用之者，国之福也，有之而不用，犹无有也，可不慎欤？今犹古也，今之天下亦古之天下，今之士民亦古之士民。古虽扰攘之际，犹有贤能若是之众，况今太宁，岂曰无之？在君上用之而已。博询众庶，则才能者进矣；不有忌讳，则谠直之路开矣；不迩小人，则谗谀者自远矣；不拘文牵俗，则守职者辨治矣；不责人以细过，则能吏之志得以尽其效矣。苟行此道，则何虑不跨两汉、轶三代，然后践五帝、三皇之途哉。 Advocacy of Talents Wang Anshi A nation thrives when it appoints and utilizes talents, but it declines when it neglects these talents and its ruler monopolizes everything. This is irreversible—true in the past and true at parent and known even by common people. But how is it that a nation in good order can thrive with its talents while a nation in chaos cannot in spite of its talents? This is only a matter of whether talents are utilized or not. If a nation utilizes them, a good fortune will come to it; otherwise, it is just as though they do not exist. There were talents like Zhong Hui and Yi Yin when Shang was flourishing, but as it declined, there were also three talents. There were ten talents making a concerted effort for the King when Zhou was on its rise, but on its fall, there were also talents like Duke Zhai Moufu and Nei Shiguo. There were talents like Xiao He, Cao Can, Kou Xun, Deng Fu, etc. in the prime of both the Eastern Han and the Western Han, but on their downfall, there were also a great number of talents like Wang Jia,…...

Bai Juyi-白居易 读庄子 白居易 去国辞家谪异方，中心自怪少忧伤。 为寻庄子知归处，认得无何是本乡。 Reading Chuang Tzu Po Chü-I Leaving home and homeland, banished to some far-off place, I wonder how it is I’m nearly free of grief and pain. Puzzled and searching Chuang Tzu for insight on returning to dwell, I realize it’s a place beyond questions: that’s our native land. （David Hinton 译）...

Bai Juyi-白居易 琴 白居易 置琴曲几上，慵坐但含情。 何烦故挥弄，风弦自有声。 Ch’in Po Chü-I Letting my ch’in stay on its little table, I sit idly, letting what I feel stay deep. Why bother to play it? In this breeze, strings sing perfectly well themselves. （David Hinton 译）...

谢池春 李之仪 残寒消尽， 疏雨过、清明后。 花径敛余红， 风沼萦新皱。 乳燕穿庭户， 飞絮沾襟袖。 正佳时仍晚昼， 著人滋味， 真个浓如酒。 频移带眼， 空只恁、厌厌瘦。 不见又思量， 见了还依旧， 为问频相见， 何似长相守。 天不老， 人未偶， 且将此恨， 分付庭前柳。 Tune: “Xie Chi Chun” Li Zhiyi Gone is the weakening cold. Light rains come and go. Tomb-Sweeping Day has passed. Withered flowers are buried in the flowery path. Breeze strikes the pond to make wrinkles. Little swallows fly in and out the door or windows. Flying petals stain my sleeves. I enjoy the time from noon till night. The rich flavor is felt like tasting good wine. I repeatedly move my belt from hole to hole. I helplessly watch my body weight to stay low. Not seeing her increases my pining. After singing her, we again end up parting. Let me ask: if we can’t break this chain, why can’t we be together from morning to evening? Heaven can’t get old, it will stay. But I have yet got my mate. Alas, I may as well share my sorrow with the frontcourt willow? （Edward C. Chang 译）...

乞食 陶渊明 饥来驱我去，不知竟何之。 行行至斯里，叩门拙言辞。 主人解余意，遗赠岂虚来。 谈谐终日夕，觞至辄倾杯。 情欣新知欢，言咏遂赋诗。 感子漂母意，愧我非韩才。 衔戢知何谢，冥报以相贻。 Begging for Food Tao Yuanming When Hunger came to drive me far away, I did not know to wander to what side; I walked alone until I reached this house. Knocked at the door and found my tongue was tied. My good host understood what was my wish. And fed me that I might not come in vain. We talked and joked until the evening time, And when my cup was filled I would it drain. I am delighted with my new found friend, And thus in speaking have these verses framed. So grateful for your hospitality, I for my lack of talents am ashamed. With grateful heart my thanks I cannot say, But after death I may the gift repay. （杨宪益、戴乃迭 译） Begging for Food Tao Yuanming Driven by hunger I seek for food and drink, Not knowing where to go however hard I think. I walk and walk till I come to a door; I tap the door but stammer, plead, implore. The host know why I come and what I need, And gives me lots of solid food indeed. Until sunset I chatter with the host And quaff the…...

Meng Jiao 游子吟 孟郊 慈母手中线，游子身上衣。 临行密密缝，意恐迟迟归。 谁言寸草心，报得三春晖。 For Her Son Who’ll Be Away for a While Meng Jiao Needle and thread in doting mother’s hand Turn out garments for her son out to roam the land. She puts in more stitches e’en as he leaves And frets that his homecoming may be moved back. Who says the tiny inch-tall blade of grass Can e’er repay the warm sunshine of spring? （龚景浩 译） The Wandering Son’s Song The thread from my dear mother’s hand Was sewn in the clothes of her wandering son. For fear of my belated return, Before my leave they were closely woven. Who says mine heart like a blade of grass Could repay her love’s gentle beams of spring sun? （孙大雨 译） Chant of a Roaming Son The thread in the mother’s hand, The clothes worn by the wanderlust son. The nearer the departure, The closer the stitches sown, Lest his return be further postponed. Who said the grass blade of a heart Could repay the glory of the late spring sun? （任治稷、余正 译） A Journeyer’s Song Through a kind mother’s hands passed the thread That made the clothes I journeying wear. Tightly tightly she wove them then, Dreading year…...

望江南 贺双卿 春不见， 寻过野桥西。 染梦淡红欺粉蝶， 锁愁浓绿骗黄鹂， 幽恨莫重提。 人不见， 相见是还非？ 拜月有香空惹袖， 惜花无泪可沾衣， 山远夕阳低。 Wang Jiangnan He Shuangqing No sight of spring; I’ve searched through west of the deserted bridge. The pink that tints the dream cheats the butterfly; The dark green that locks in my grief fools the oriole. Deep regrets, best not to mention them again. No sight of him; The meeting that should be is still denied to me. I salute the moon, incense only troubles my sleeves. You pity the flower, but there are no tears to wet your shirt. The mountains are far away and the sun is low. （Grace S. Fong 译）...