揚 州 慢 姜夔

揚 州 慢      姜夔 (1155-1221)

淮左名都，竹西佳處，解鞍少駐初程。

過春風十里，盡薺麥青青。
自胡馬窺江去後，廢池喬木，猶厭言兵。
漸黃昏，清角吹寒，都在空城。
杜郎俊賞，算而今、重到須驚。
縱豆蔻詞工，青樓夢好，難賦深情。
二十四橋仍在，波心蕩、冷月無聲。
念橋邊紅藥，年年知為誰生？

Yang Zhou Man          Jiang Kui (1155-1221)

Yangzhou the most prestigious metropolis east of River Huai,
Amidst a night of snow I come to revisit this place,
By the Bamboo West Pavilion the scenic spot most famous,
Dismounting and lull in the early part of my journey for the day,
Crossing the ten golden vernal miles of Yangzhou on my way,
Fields teeming with green green oats are all over the place,  
After the Jin armies crossed the River to invade,
Everything devastated by their savagery rage,
Only deserted ponds and overgrown trees left to testify their ravages,
All these are too sad to mention even today,
Dusk falls, chilly winds bring from the empty city mournful bugle wails,
However great a poet Du Mu is if he were still here today should be greatly dismayed,
In his beautiful poetic phrases:
Yangzhou, what a fascinating place,
Teeming with tempting belles frail and delicate at their teenage;
By all these his ten-year Yangzhou dream should well be prostrated,
And awakened from his intoxicated days,
The twenty-four bridges still stand to vindicate Yangzhou’s ravishing taste,
The water here still silently tosses the apathetic moon on its waves,
Oh, lovely peonies, for whom are you still flushing here to date?