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 I find the way to my lost road?
（吴伏生、Graham Hartill 译）
