Chinese Poems

菩萨蛮 纳兰性德 窗前桃蕊娇如倦， 东风泪洗胭脂面。 人在小红楼， 离情唱《石洲》。 夜来双燕宿， 灯背屏腰绿。 香尽雨阑珊， 薄衾寒不寒？ Buddhist Dancers Nalanshinde Delicate are the peach blossoms before the window, Tears streaming down the rouge face in the easterly wind. The person in the small red floor, Chanting in the most bitter touch of parting sorrow. The couple swallows lodging for the night, Their silhouette becomes dimmed on the mid-screen. The incense burns out in the rain drawing to a close, And in the thin quilt, are you all right? （吴松林 译）...

libai 沐浴子 李白 沐芳莫弹冠，浴兰莫振衣。 处世忌太洁，至人贵藏晖。 沧浪有钓叟，吾与尔同归。 Bathed and Washed Li Po ‘Bathed in fragrance, do not brush your hat; Washed in perfume, do not shake your coat: ‘Knowing the world fears what is too pure, The wisest man prizes and stores light!’ By Bluewater an old angler stat: You and I together, let us go home. （Arthur Cooper 译） Fisherman Friend Li Pai If you have washed your hair in scented water, do not dust your hat; then if you have the fragrance of the baths still on you, do not shake your clothes; no one likes one who is too good; the wise man hides his perfections; hey there, old fisherman friend1, wait for me, I’m coming along with you! 1. The old fisherman is a typical common man. （Rewi Alley 译）...

品画 袁枚 品画先神韵，论诗重性情。 蛟龙生气尽，不若鼠横行。 Talking Art Yuan Mei In painting it’s catching the “spirit” and “essence.” In poems that’s “nature” and “feelings.” An elegant dragon, with its life’s breath gone? Better a rat, with some scurry left in him. （J.P. Seaton 译）...

咏怀·其五 阮籍 平生少年时，轻薄好弦歌。 西游咸阳中，赵李相经过。 娱乐未终极，白日忽蹉跎。 驱马复来归，反顾望三河。 黄金百镒尽，资用常苦多。 北临太行道，失路将如何。 Meditations Ruan Ji V Gone are the days when I was fresh and young; I was indulged in nightly dance and song. When I went west to the capital Xianyang, I teased the pretty maidens all day long. Before I fully tasted all the fun, I found that I had passed my prime of life. Now that a new life for me has begun, I look back at the region full of strife. As I have squandered all my gold, I’m always worrying about my cost. Like the man who takes a mistaken road, What am I to do since I’ve got lost? （汪榕培 译） V I remember when I was young at heart, I paid no heed, singing and playing. Off I went westward to Xianyang, the capital, there to tease the women, flirt with the rich. All this pleasure was still at its height when suddenly, night-time fell. Now I return, on horseback, and gaze across the far reaches of Three Rivers. Hundreds of yi of gold may have been wasted— never mind. We suffer from too much wealth. Before me the road runs away to the north; how can…...

咏怀·其四 阮籍 天马出西北，由来从东道。 春秋非有托，富贵焉长保。 清露被皋兰，凝霜沾野草。 朝为美少年，夕暮成丑老。 自非王子晋，谁能常美好。 IV The heavenly horse comes galloping out of the Northwest, and on it gallops, along the Eastern Road. Spring and Autumn come and go, but tell me— How can fortune be retained? At dawn, the violets shine with dew in the marsh, the frost clusters, saturating the grass. He who is young and handsome in the morning is ugly and old when evening falls. Prince Jin with his flute which sang like a phoenix flew, flew on a crane, to the peak of Immortal Mountain! But I am not him, who is forever beautiful. （吴伏生、Graham Hartill 译）...

误佳期 谈印梅 别后车轮常转， 死后蚕丝难断。 千般懊恼万般娇， 怜尔何曾惯。 爱极转生憎， 聚久何妨散。 明知归信尚难凭， 先把归程算。 Wu jiaqi Tan Yinmei After parting, the carriage wheels roll on forever, Yet after death, the silkworm’s threads are hard to break. A hundred kinds of teasing, a thousand sorts of coyness: Loving you never became mere habit. At its peak, love turns and breeds hate. So long together, who cares if we part? Well aware that news of your return is still unsure, I first count the miles of your journey home. （Grace Fong 译）...

Jia Dao 绝句 贾岛 海底有明月，圆于天上轮。 得之一寸光，可买千里春。 Quatrain Chia Tao At the bottom of the ocean: the moon, bright moon, round as the wheel of the sky. Just get a single hand full of this glory… And you could buy a thousand miles of spring. （J.P. Seaton 译）...

题诗后 贾岛 Jia Dao 二句三年得，一吟双泪流。 知音如不赏，归卧故山秋。 After Finishing a Poem Chia Tao Those two lines cost me three years: I chant them once and get two more, of tears. Friend, if you don’t like them… I’ll go home, and lie down, in the ancient mountain autumn. （J.P. Seaton 译）...

Jia Dao 寄远 贾岛 家住锦水上，身征辽海边。 十书九不到，一到忽经年。 A Letter Sent Chia Tao The family’s living up Brocade Creek, while I’ve struggled off to this distant sea. Of ten letters sent, maybe one gets through, and when it does, it says another year’s gone by. （J.P. Seaton 译）...

Wei Yingwu 寄诸弟 韦应物 岁暮兵戈乱京国，帛书间道访存亡。 还信忽从天上落，唯知彼此泪千行。 To My Cousins Wei Ying-wu Late last year when the capital was being looted I sent letters by back roads to see if you survived your answer has suddenly fallen from the sky all we know of each other are a thousand streams of tears （Red Pine 译）...

Wei Yingwu 子规啼 韦应物 高林滴露夏夜清，南山子规啼一声。 邻家孀妇抱儿泣，我独展转何时明。 The Call of the Cuckoo Wei Ying-wu Dew drips from tall trees on a clear summer night in the hills to the south a cuckoo calls the window next door comforts her child I turn in bed and wait for first light （Red Pine 译）...

Jia Dao 宿山寺 贾岛 众岫耸寒色，精庐向此分。 流星透疏木，走月逆行云。 绝顶人来少，高松鹤不群。 一僧年八十，世事未曾闻。 Overnight at a Mountain Temple Chia Tao Flock of peaks hunched up and colored cold. The path forks here, toward the temple. A falling star flares behind bare trees, and the moon breasts the current of the clouds. Few men come to the very top… One tall pine won’t hold a flock of cranes. One monk here, at eighty, has never heard tell of the “world” down below. （J.P. Seaton 译）...

兰亭集序 王羲之 永和九年，岁在癸丑，暮春之初，会于会稽山阴之兰亭，修禊事也。群贤毕至，少长咸集。此地有崇山峻岭，茂林修竹，又有清流激湍，映带左右。引以为流觞曲水，列坐其次。虽无丝竹管弦之盛，一觞一咏，亦足以畅叙幽情。是日也，天朗气清，惠风和畅。仰观宇宙之大，俯察品类之盛，所以游目骋怀，足以极视听之娱，信可乐也。 夫人之相与，俯仰一世。或取诸怀抱，晤言一室之内；或因寄所托，放浪形骸之外。虽趣舍万殊，静躁不同，当其欣于所遇，暂得于己，快然自足，曾不知老之将至。及其所之既倦，情随事迁，感慨系之矣。向之所欣，俯仰之间，已为陈迹，犹不能不以之兴怀。况修短随化，终期于尽。古人云，“死生亦大矣。”岂不痛哉！ 每览昔人兴感之由，若合一契，未尝不临文嗟悼，不能喻之于怀。固知一死生为虚诞，齐彭殇为妄作。后之视今，亦犹今之视昔。悲夫！故列叙时人，录其所述。虽世殊事异，所以兴怀，其致一也。后之览者，亦将有感于斯文。 Prologue to the Collection of Poems Composed at the Orchid Pavilion Wang Xizhi At the beginning of the late spring in the ninth year of Yonghe1, that is, the year of Guichou according to the lunar calendar, a group of learned scholars, old and young, are gathered at the Orchid Pavilion in the Shanyin County of Kuaiji Prefecture2 to celebrate the festival of Xi3. Here are high mountains and lofty ridges which are overgrown with tall bamboo groves and dense forests. A clear stream with a rapidly running current that winds like a belt, shining in the bright sun, is ideal for floating wine vessels4. We sit by the water in proper order, sipping wine and composing poems. Though lacking musical accompaniment, each of us is inclined to pour forth his innermost feelings. It is a fine day. The sky is clear and the breeze is gentle. Looking upward, we see the great expanse of the universe. Looking downward, we see the great variety of living things. Then we look around as far as the eyes can see and feel elated, enjoying ourselves to the utmost both visually and aurally. What a delightful experience it is!…...

玫瑰 唐彦谦 麝炷腾清燎，鲛纱覆绿蒙。 宫妆临晓日，锦段落东风。 无力春烟里，多愁暮雨中。 不知何事意，深浅两般红。 Rugosa Rose Tang Yanqian Scenting of musk incense in combustion, And garnished with shark gauze1 to veil the green cluster as a decoration, She in the morrow Sol beams, pranks herself after the palatial style for adornment. Alas! With the waft of eastern breeze fall the silk-brocade ornament. Amidst the vernal mist she is flaccid without vitality and vigor. And vexatious with dole and grief in the rainy vesper. Beyond comprehension is her intention To be dressed in rubicundity of deep-delicate coloration. 1. “shark gauze” was a weft of the ancient shark fisherman. Nowadays, it generally refers to thin gauze. （黄龙 译）...

古剑 高鹗 一条秋水万黄金，千载谁明烈士心。 夜半虚堂雷雨入，壁间惊起老龙吟。 An Ancient Double-Edged Sword Gao E Most precious is the glittering double-edged sword; For a long, long time its aspiration has remained obscure. At midnight, when thunderstorm enters the empty hall, Like an ancient dragon it will start and groan on the wall. 1 1. It was believed that a sword would start and groan when it was ready for action. （王晋熙、文殊 译）...

夜小雨 蒲松龄 短更长更愁絮絮，三点两点雨星星。 雨声不似愁难断，颠倒匡床月入棂。 A Little Rainfall in the Night Pu Songling The endless night, like my sorrow, drags on and on; Raindrops fall in threes and twos to the ground. The pattering of rain, unlike my sorrow, may be spent; Moonlight creeps in while I toss and turn in bed. （王晋熙、文殊 译）...

采桑子·其二 冯延巳 马嘶人语春风岸， 芳草绵绵。 杨柳桥边， 落日高楼酒旆悬。 旧愁新恨知多少， 目断遥天。 独立花前， 更听笙歌满画船。 To “Ts’ai Sang-tzu” (II) Feng Yen-ssu A horse’s neigh and the sound of voices on a shore where the spring breeze blows; Fragrant herbs stretch on and on, There are weeping willows beside the bridge, And a wineshop banner hanging from a tall pavilion in the setting sun. Who can reckon the sum of old sorrow and new heart-ache? The distant heavens lost to sight… I stand alone beside the blossoms, And hear pipes and singing fill the painted barges once again. （Daniel Bryant 译）...

采桑子·其一 冯延巳 小庭雨过春将尽， 片片花飞， 独折残枝， 无语凭阑只自知。 玉堂香暖珠帘卷， 双燕来归。 君约佳期， 肯信韶华得几时。 To “Ts’ai Sang-tzu” (I) Feng Yen-ssu In a tiny garden the rain is over, and spring is almost gone; Petal by petal the blossoms fly; Alone I break off a tattered spray And lean against a railing, silent, communing with myself. Incense is warm in the jade hall as beaded blinds are raised; A pair of swallows coming home… Old promises are hard to keep: How well I know the bloom of youth lasts but a little while. （Daniel Bryant 译）...

亭林遗书·与人书 顾炎武 君诗之病在于有杜，君文之病在于有韩、欧。有此蹊径于胸中，便终身不脱“依傍”二字，断不能登峰造极。 《亭林遗书》 A Letter to My Friend Gu Yanwu The defects in your poems and in your essays consist in the fact that one may detect an element of the influence of Du Fu in the former and of Han Yu and Ouyang Xiu in the latter. With such influence in your mind, you can hardly be free of certain dependence upon these authors, and can never expect to make the summit in your literary creation. Posthumous Letters of Gu Yanwu （谢百魁、陈启达 译）...

上书谏猎 司马相如 相如从上至长杨猎。是时天子方好自击熊豕，驰逐野兽。相如因上疏谏曰： 臣闻物有同类而殊能者，故力称乌获，捷言庆忌，勇期贲、育。臣之愚，窃以为人诚有之，兽亦宜然。今陛下好陵阻险，射猛兽，卒然遇逸材之兽，骇不存之地，犯属车之清尘，舆不及还辕，人不暇施巧，虽有乌获、逢蒙之技不能用，枯木朽枝尽为难矣。是胡越起于毂下，而羌夷接轸也，岂不殆哉！虽万全而无患，然本非天子之所宜近也。 且夫清道而后行，中路而驰，犹时有衔橛之变。况乎涉丰草，骋丘墟，前有利兽之乐，而内无存变之意，其为害也不难矣。夫轻万乘之重不以为安，乐出万有一危之途以为娱，臣窃为陛下不取。盖明者远见于未萌，而知者避危于无形，祸固多藏于隐微而发于人之所忽者也。故鄙谚曰：“家累千金，坐不垂堂。”此言虽小，可以喻大。臣愿陛下留意幸察！ Against Hunting I had accompanied the Imperial hunt to Ch’ang-yang. At that time His Majesty (Wu Ti, 2nd century BC) was an ardent follower of the chase, and loved to slaughter bears and wild boars with his own hands. Therefore I handed in the following Memorial: May it please your Majesty. I have heard that although the human race is comprised under one class, the capabilities of each individual are widely different. Thus we praise the strength of this man, the swiftness of that, and the courage of a third. And I venture to believe that what is true of us in this respect is equally true of the brute creation. Now your Majesty enjoys laying low the fierce quarry in some close mountain pass. But one day there will come a beast, more terrible than the rest, driven from its lair; and then disaster will overtake the Imperial equipage. There will be no means of escape, no time to do anything, no scope for the utmost skills or strength, over the rotten branches and decaying trunk which help to complete the disorder. The Huns rising up under your Majesty’s chariot-wheels, the barbarians of the…...

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…...