元日 王安石

元日      王安石(1021-1086)

爆竹聲中一歲除，春風送暖入屠蘇。
千門萬戶曈曈日，總把新桃換舊符。

 

New Year Day              Wang Anshi (1021-1086)

A year went by amidst the crackling of firecrackers,
Embraced by soothing vernal breeze, people quaff tusu wine as an enhancer,
Myriad househoulds bask in the rising sun that shines bright over,
New peach wood charms are put up to replace old ones for a felicitous new year.

除夜作 高適

除夜作      高適(700-765)

旅館寒燈獨不眠，客心何事轉淒然？

故鄉今夜思千里，霜鬢明朝又一年。

 

On New Year's Eve       Gao Shi (700-765)

 

Solitarily under the cold lamp, I can't fall asleep in the hostel,

For what I suddenly feel so low?

My homeland is yet a thousand miles to go,

A year whiter my frosty temples will turn just tomorrow.






 

 

渡荊門送別 李白

渡荊門送別    李白(701-762)

渡遠荊門外，來從楚國遊。

山隨平野盡，江入大荒流。
月下飛天鏡，雲生結海樓。
仍憐故鄉水，萬里送行舟。

Crossing Mt Jingmen to bid my friend farewell        Li Bai (701-762)

Coming to the land of the State of Chu,

I’ve gone a long way crossing the borders of Mt Jingmen through,
Into the champaign open country the mountain throws,
Across the wide wilderness the river flows;
At night, a mirror in the sky the moon glows,
At dawn over the ocean, into mirage the clouds mold,
The rivers of my homeland are by what I am really enthralled,
Nevertheless I travel a thousand miles to see off your boat.

即景 朱淑真

即景         朱淑真(宋)

竹搖清影罩幽窗，兩兩時禽噪夕陽。   
謝卻海棠飛盡絮，困人天氣日初長。

A snapshot of the scene        Zhu Shuzhen (Song Poet)

Fluttering bamboos cast their shadows on my serene window case,

Couples of seasonal birds twitter in the sunset rays,
Crab apple blossoms and willow down have long shied away,
Here come the gruelling long hot days.

 

隴西行 陳陶

隴西行      陳陶 (812-888)

誓掃匈奴不顧身，五千貂錦喪胡塵。

可憐無定河邊骨，猶是春閨夢裡人。

A Journey to Longxi      Chen Tao (812-888)

Sworn to sacrifice themselves to wipe out the Hun invaders,
Five thousand sable-clad warriors bit the barbarian dust,
Deplorable are the bones beside the Wuding River,
They are still living in the dreams of their lovers in solitary boudoirs.

惠崇春江晚景二首之一 蘇軾

惠崇春江晚景二首之一     蘇軾 (1037-1101)

竹外桃花三兩枝，春江水暖鴨先知。
蔞蒿滿地蘆芽短，正是河豚欲上時。

On Hui Chong’s painting ‘Night Scene of A Spring River ’(1)   

                                                                                      Su Shi (1037-1101)

Beside the bamboos strut a few sprays of peach blossoms,
When the river water turns warm ducks will be the first to know at the instant,
Mugworts run rampant while busting of fresh reeds has just begun,
It’s time puffers coming to the surface will easily be reckoned.

 

金谷園 杜牧

金谷園      杜牧(803-852)

繁華事散逐香塵，流水無情草自春。

日暮東風怨啼鳥，落花猶似墜樓人。

Garden of the Golden Valley           Du Mu (803-852)

Gone is the sumptuous fanfare with the scented dust,

On flow the relentless waters, so the flush of the grasses,
The east wind is heavily imbued with mournful cries of birds in the dusk,
Falling flowers conjure up image of the beauty jumped from the pavilion to her last.

 

無題(二) 李商隱

無題(二)      李商隱 (813-858)

相見時難別亦難，東風無力百花殘。
春蠶到死絲方盡，蠟炬成灰淚始乾。
曉鏡但愁雲鬢改，夜吟應覺月光寒。
蓬萊此去無多路，青鳥殷勤為探看。

Untitled (2)           Li Shangyin  (813-858)

Difficult it is for us to meet, yet it’s even more difficult to sunder,
So impotent is the east wind that all flowers have withered,
The silk-worm stops spinning only when it expires,
The candle turns into ashes before it stops shedding tears,
My hair turns grievously white in the morning as reveals the mirror,
I feel chills of the night while intoning poems the moon under,
No way I can reach you now in Penglai,
Only by sending green birds to look in on you obligingly can I be assured.

 

一剪梅 蔣捷

一剪梅    舟過吳江      蔣捷 (宋)

一片春愁待酒澆，江上舟搖，樓上簾招。
秋娘渡與泰娘橋，風又飄飄，雨又蕭蕭。
何日歸家洗客袍？銀字笙調，心字香燒。
流光容易把人拋，紅了櫻桃，綠了芭蕉。

Yi Jian Mei  My boat passing River Wu Jiang      Jiang Jie (Song Poet)

Looking for wine to quench my spring glum,
Boats on the river rock in concerted rhythm,
Inn-signs up on buildings touting for taverns,
The Autumn Maid Pass and the Mother Tai Bridge are soon left in the distance,
Gusty winds and rains are cutting in all at once;
When can I make it home to wash my travelling garments,
And play my flute on which silver characters are written,
Burning incense shaped in the heart character I’d make wishes solemn,
Fleeting time leaves people stricken,
It’s just time to usher in again the reddening cherry and greening plantain.

踏莎行 歐陽修

踏莎行     歐陽修 (1007-1072)

候館梅殘，溪橋柳細。草薰風暖搖征轡。

離愁漸遠漸無窮，迢迢不斷如春水。
寸寸柔腸，盈盈粉淚。樓高莫近危闌倚。
平蕪盡處是春山，行人更在春山外。

Ta Sha Xing            Ouyang Xiu (1007-1072)

By the inn plum blossoms wither,

While willows beside the streamlet bridge flush,
The wayfarer riding slowly amidst warm breeze and scent of fresh grasses,
Sundering sorrows mount as the horse goes farther and farther,
Becoming as incessant as the flow of spring waters;
The one left behind has her heart shattered,
On her pink cheeks are pouring tears,
Do keep clear of the parapet of the high tower,
The verdurous plain ends where her eyes meet the green mountain borders,
Beyond there goes her affectionate wayfaring lover.

出塞 王昌齡

出塞      王昌齡 (698-756)

秦時明月漢時關，萬里長征人未還。

但使龍城飛將在，不教胡馬度陰山。

Outside the Borders      Wang Changling (698-756)

It’s the same bright moon of the Qin times that shines on the frontiers passes of Han,

The expeditionary armies fighting thousands of miles from home have yet to come round,
If only the Flying General Li Guang of the Dragon City were still alive and here in command,
Never would he have let the barbarian horses across the frontiers at Mt Yin advance.

竹里館 王維

竹里館    王維 (701-761)

獨坐幽篁裡，彈琴復長嘯，
深林人不知，明月來相照。

Bower amid bamboos        Wang Wei (701-761)

Solitarily I sit amid the bamboos in serenity,

Singing aloud while playing my qin,
Relishing my secludedness deep in the woods without being seen,
Only the bright moon to smile on me out of the welkin.

 

如夢令 蔣捷

如夢令      蔣捷 (宋)

夜月溪篁鸞影，曉露岩花鶴頂。
半世踏紅塵，到底輸他村景。
村景。村景。樵斧耕蓑漁艇。

Ru Meng Ling      Jiang Jie (Song Poet)

The bright moon shines on the limpid brook beside which bamboos flutter,

On the water a phoenix is mirrored,
Morning dew on wild flowers over the rocks glitters,
So are the crimson crests of white herons dew smeared,
Half my life I’ve gone seeing the world everywhere;
But nothing can be compared to this hamlet vista,
What a hamlet vista! A hamlet vista!
Wielding axes in the woods are the firewood cutters,
And tilling their fields in straw capes are the farmers,
While fishermen in their boats toil over the water.

 

 

 

秋浦歌 李白

秋浦歌       李白(701- 762)

白髮三千丈，離愁似箇長。
不知明鏡裡，何處得秋霜。

A song written in my exile in Qiupu        Li Bai (701- 762)

Three thousand zhangs measure my white hair,
To the grief over my exile it hardly compares,
I keep asking the mirror,
Where comes the white frost on my head I wear.

 

天末懷李白 杜甫

天末懷李白    杜甫(712-770)

涼風起天末，君子意如何？

鴻雁幾時到，江湖秋水多。
文章憎命達，魑魅喜人過。
應共冤魂語，投詩贈汨羅。

Thinking of Li Bai from world’s end        Du Fu (712-770)

Cold winds rise at world’s end,

Sir, how am I to read into your intent?
When will the faraway messenger goose ever land?
In the rivers and lakes autumnal waters begin to expand;
Literary fame loathes those kismet heaves up the ranks,
Ravening demons pounce on anyone who offers them the chance,
Do have a word with the soul of the poet who was also wrongly apprehended,
Drop some verses into River Miluo entreating his helping hand.

 

 

蘇幕遮 范仲淹

蘇幕遮     范仲淹 (989-1052)

碧雲天，黃葉地。秋色連波，波上寒煙翠。

山映斜陽天接水。芳草無情，更在斜陽外。
黯鄉魂，追旅思。夜夜除非，好夢留人睡。
明月樓高休獨倚。酒入愁腸，化作相思淚。

 
Su Mu Zhe       Fan Zhongyan (989-1052)

The sky is blue and clear,
The land yellow leaves cover,
Boundless are the autumnal hues that merge with the chilly azure mists over the river,
As the autumnal waters the far mountains in the setting sun put on the same tincture,
Beyond the setting sun, the insentient grasses spread rankly afar,
My soul rankles with nostalgia,
I can sleep only with good dreams therein to linger,
When the moon is bright don’t mount alone the high tower,
Drinking will only make one’s grief deeper,
And bring more solicitous tears.

 

 

 

楓橋夜泊 張繼

楓橋夜泊      張繼 (唐)

月落烏啼霜滿天，江楓漁火對愁眠。

 

姑蘇城外寒山寺，夜半鐘聲到客船。

 

Taking berth by the Maple Bridge at night        Zhang Ji (Tang Poet)

The moon retires from a sky thick with frost amid crow caws,
Only lights from fishing boats and maples by the river keep company of the restless passenger vexed by sores,
Presently from the Chilly Hill Temple outside the Gusu City Wall,
Midnight bells reach this sleepless wayfarer in his boat by the shore.