絕句 釋志安

絕句      釋志安 (唐)

古木陰中繫短篷，   杖藜扶我過橋東。  

沾衣欲濕杏花雨，   吹面不寒楊柳風。  

A Jueju Poem       Shi Zhi’an (Tang Poet)  

To an ancient tree I tie my boat in the shades,

Crossing the bridge I come to the east with my cane’s aid,
Lovely apricot blossom mizzles on my clothes slightly moisten but not lave,
Soothing willow zephyr on my face only caresses but not scathes.

 

 

秋風引 劉禹錫

秋風引         劉禹錫 (772-842)

何處秋風至， 蕭蕭送雁群。    

朝來入庭樹， 孤客最先聞。

A Verse to the Autumnal Gale     Liu Yuxi (772-842)

Where comes this autumnal gale,

Rattling it ushers in wild geese in files,
In the morning amid the trees in the court it rustles,
Who else would notice this scenario other than the solitary wayfarer stranded idle.

答李澣 韋應物

答李澣        韋應物 (737-792)     

林中觀易罷， 溪上對鷗閒。

楚俗饒詞客， 何人最往還。

In Reply to Li Huan       Wei Yingwu (737-792)

After reading the Book of Change deep in the wooded area,

The seagulls on the stream I leisurely admire,
The land of Chu is traditionally an area where bards mushroom in numbers,
Amid them with whom do you frequent each other’s door.

千秋歲 張先

千秋歲       張先(990-1078)

數聲鵜鴂，又報芳菲歇。
惜春更選殘紅折，雨輕風色暴，梅子青時節。
永豐柳，無人盡日花飛雪。
莫把麽弦撥，怨極弦能說。
天不老，情難絕。
心似雙絲網，中有千千結。
夜過也，東窗未白凝殘月。

Qian Qiao Sui           Zhang Xian (990-1078)

Flowers fade away amid cuckoo warbles,

Jealousy of spring, unwittingly I pick a remaining red blow,
Amid rough wind and rain blows how can the green green plum fruits stay safe and stable,
Desolate willows with willow down flittering all day like drifts of snow,
Please leave the zither to idle,
Don’t let go its grievous warbles,
The Heaven never grows old,
Nor is my love for you stoppable,
An intertwined double silk web my heart resembles
Knitted together by thousands and thousands of nubbles
As the night dwindles,
With dawn on the threshold,
A setting moon in the heavens frozen dazzled.

       

罷相作 李適之

罷相作      李適之(唐)

避賢初罷相，樂聖且銜杯。    
為問門前客，今朝幾個來。    

Resigning From the Office of Chancellor          Li Shizhi (Tang Poet)

Abdicating myself from my office for the more capable,

Drinking is the only way I placate my days inconsolable,
My house used to be jammed with guests honourable,
Who else will come visit this man in the dumps again today when he is over a barrel.

 

 

贈喬侍郎 陳子昂

贈喬侍郎    陳子昂(656-695)

漢廷榮巧宦，雲閣薄邊功。    

可憐驄馬使，白首為誰雄。    

To Deputy Chancellor Qiao      Chen Zi’ang (656-695)

In our court only schemers rise to the top,

Even those with great military feats are dropped,
Imperial censors like you, no matter how righteously you do your job,
Whoever will accord you the acclaim you ought’ve got.

 

 

江行望匡廬 錢起

江行望匡廬       錢起 (710-782)

咫尺愁風雨，匡廬不可登。    

祇疑雲霧窟，猶有六朝僧。 

Espying Mountain Lu While Sailing on the Great River     

Qian Qi (710-782)

Mt. Lu, where Kuang Heng of Han built his seclusive bower, is within reach looking from the Great River,
But wind and rain have my hope of mounting it shattered,
I suspect under the misty and hazy clouds that have it covered,
In its numerous grottos monks of the Six Dynasties still linger.

 

 

汾上驚秋 蘇頲

汾上驚秋    蘇頲  (670-727)

北風吹白雲，萬里渡河汾。    

心緒逢搖落，秋聲不可聞。    

Sudden Arrival of Autumn on River Fen      Su Ting (670-727)

White clouds driven along by the northern gales,

After crossing River Fen I still have thousands of miles to trail,
Tribulating feelings on my mind  rankle,
With divesting leaves amid the autumnal gale they chime in the rattles.

尋隱者不遇 賈島

尋隱者不遇     賈島(779-843)

松下問童子，言師採藥去。    

只在此山中，雲深不知處。 

Visiting My Recluse Friend In Vain    Jia Dao (779-843)

Under the pine tree I ask a boy the whereabouts of his mentor,

Gathering medicinal herbs he has repaired,
Somehow in this mountain wheresoever,
Enshrouded deep in the clouds thither.

逢俠者 錢起

逢俠者      錢起 (710-782)

燕趙悲歌士，相逢劇孟家。    

寸心言不盡，前路日將斜。

Running Into a Bravo               Qian Qi (710-782)

In the lands of Yan and Zhao,

There are many a bravo,
This is the place of the great bravo Ju Meng of Han’s homeland abode,
Running across you here in the middle of the Luoyang road,
There is so much in my heart I can’t possibly tell you presently in detail,
But what a shame the sun is hurrying to go.

 

  

歸雁 錢起

歸雁        錢起(710-782)

瀟湘何事等閒回，水碧沙明兩岸苔。  

二十五絃彈夜月，不勝清怨卻飛來。  

Departure of the Returned Wild Geese     Qian Qi (710-782)

Having already returned to the southern rivers,

For what back to the north have they suddenly repaired,
Aren’t they happy with the dazzling sands and mosses on the banks of the azure waters,
Or they can’t tolerate the sorrowful whimpers of the zither deep in the moonlit vesper.

 

 

答鍾弱翁 牧童

答鍾弱翁     牧童(宋)

草鋪橫野六七里，笛弄晚風三四聲。  

歸來飽飯黃昏後，不脫簑衣臥月明。  

Replying Zhong Ruoweng      Cowherb (Song)

Across the wild green grass rankly spreads six to seven miles,

Amidst evening breeze on the back of my cow I play my fife for a while,
After supper, as the night dwindles,
Still in my straw cape lying down to savour the moon I idle.

 

夜半樂 柳永

夜半樂         柳永 (宋)  

凍雲黯淡天氣，扁舟一葉，乘興離江渚。

渡萬壑千岩，越溪深處。
怒濤漸息，樵風乍起，更聞商旅相呼。
片帆高舉，泛畫鷁、翩翩過南浦。
望中酒旆閃閃，一簇煙村，數行霜樹。
殘日下，漁人鳴榔歸去。
敗荷零落，衰楊掩映，岸邊兩兩三三，浣沙遊女。
避行客、含羞笑相語。
到此因念，繡閣輕拋，浪萍難阻。
歎後約，丁甯竟何據。
慘離懷，空恨歲晚歸期阻。
凝淚眼、杳杳神京路。斷鴻聲遠長天暮。

Ye Ban Le          Liu Yong (Song Poet)

The gloomy sky is laden with chilly cloud layers,

Taking a whim I board a boat and sail off the shore,
Passing thousands of enchanting mountain ravines and rivers,
Deep into a stream fading away are the billow roars,
Presently winds from the hills come with travelling tradessmen’s palavers,
Under the bright sun with sail fully reared,
The boat like a bird towards the south soars,
There inn signs in the air gleamily flutter,
Over the hamlets mists hover,
A dozen rimy trees strut prominently in the flush of the sun as it respires,
Fishermen beating on the bows calling it a day and retire,
Lotus in the pond has nearly withered,
Willows by the roadside hang in clutters,
Laundry girls come in a cluster,
They shy away from other travelers,
And more shy with their laughters,
Their naivety and insouciance make me deeply chagrined at leaving behind the one I care at her bower,
Like duckweed I drift everywhere,
When can I see her again hereafter?
Will my pledge to her be honoured?
I can’t say for sure either,
How sorrowful are the griefs of sunder,
Fleeting time has me utterly shattered,
Amidst the fading whimpers of the wayfaring lone wild goose in the vesper,
I can only gaze at the Capital with eyes simmering with tears.

秋懷 陸游

秋懷         陸游(1125-1210)

園丁傍架摘黃瓜，村女沿籬采碧花。
城市尚餘三伏熱，秋光先到野人家。

Autumnal Sensibilities      Lu You (1125-1210)

Gardeners plucking cucumbers under the trellis,
Picking colourful flowers along the fences are the village lassies,
The residual heat of summer is still harassing people living in the cities,
Autumn first comes to people living in the wilderness.

夏夜追涼 楊萬里

夏夜追涼      楊萬里(1127-1206)

夜熱依然午熱同，開門小立月明中。
竹深樹密蟲鳴處，時有微涼不是風。

Trailing the Cool in Summer Nights      Yang Wanli (1127-1206)

Summer nights are as hot as at noon,

Going outdoors, I stand right in the moon,
Amidst insect chirps deep in the dense bamboo woods,
Drafts of cool that come instead of wind really soothe.

玉樓春 戲林推 劉克莊

玉樓春 戲林推     劉克莊 (1187-1269)

年年躍馬長安巿，客舍似家家似寄。

青錢換酒日無何，紅燭呼盧宵不寐。
易挑錦婦機中字，難得玉人心下事。
男兒西北有神州，莫滴水西橋畔淚。

Yu Lou Chun  Chaffing Deputy Governor Lin   Liu Kezhuang (1187-1269) 

Roaming Chang’an on horseback year after year,

Making home a hostel and the hostel the living quarters,
Idling away the days with green coins for liquor,
And gamble away night after night through the vesper,
You could easily sort out your wife’s embroidered poem letters,
But could never make out what the charming courtesans are after,
As man the lost territories on the north-west of our motherland you should always remember,
Never for the courtesans of the Water-west Bridge shed your tears.

 

 

 

 

 

 

鳥鳴澗 王維

鳥鳴澗    王維(701-761)

人間桂花落，夜靜春山空，
月出驚山鳥，時鳴春澗中。

Bird Twittering Rill       Wang Wei (701-761)

Osmanthus blossoms wilt,

Deep in the night, spring mountains stand still in solitude,
As the moon emerges, birds in the mountains are thrilled,
Twittering amid the spring rill.

贈別（其一） 杜牧

贈別（其一）      杜牧(803-852)

娉娉嫋嫋十三餘，豆蔻梢頭二月初。
春風十里揚州路，卷上珠簾總不如。

Saying Goodbye (No. 1)     Du Mu (803-852)

Only thirteen, gracile and lithe, she is beaming with splendor,

A glowing bud in the beginning of the second month coming to flower,
Along the ten golden vernal miles of Yangzhou,
She outshines all girls behind the pearl portieres.