After Ouyang Xiu’s West Lake Beautiful Sounds
次欧公西湖韵
霜 余 已 失 长 淮 阔
空 听 潺 潺 清 颖 咽。
佳 人 犹 唱 醉 翁 词
四 十 三 年 如 电 抹。
草 头 秋 露 流 珠 滑
三 五 盈 盈 还 二 八。
与 余 同 是 识 翁 人
惟 有 西 湖 波 底 月。
Ci Ou Gong Xi Hu Yun
Shuang yu yi shi chang huai kuo
Kong ting chan chan qing ying ye.
Jia ren you chang zui weng ci
Si shi san nian ru dian mo.
Cao tou qiu lu liu zhu hua
San wu ying ying huan er ba
Yu yu tong shi shi weng ren
Wei you xi hu bo di yue.
After Ou Yangxiu’s West Lake Beautiful Sounds
After the frost, the Huai River has already lost some of its’ width and breadth
As a tributary, the Ying River water sounds clear, yet soft and muffled
Excellent people still sing the drunk old man’s words
That poem forty-three years old, and how fast the time has passed.
At the tops of autumn grass, pearls of dew smoothly slip away
After today, the translucent moon will begin to wane
Only you and I remember and praise old men like Ou Yangxiu
And the moonlight on the waves of West Lake.
Notes:
Ou Yangxiu: He was Su’s imperial examiner, mentor, court sponsor, as well as a famous poet and calligrapher in his own right. He became know as the drunk old man. His life and work can also be found on this website.
West Lake: Also known as Xi Hu . Located inside the ancient capital city of Hangzhou. Now a national park.
Huai River: Located between the Yellow River and the Changjiang (Yangzi River), it is a major tributary to the Changjiang. It flows through the Henan, Anhui and Jiangsu provinces.
Ying River: The largest tributary to the Huai River and also located in the province Henan.
