琵琶行(四之四) 白居易

琵琶行(四之四)　   白居易(772-846)

我聞琵琶已嘆息，又聞此語重唧唧。
同是天涯淪落人，相逢何必曾相識！
我從去年辭帝京，謫居臥病潯陽城。
潯陽地僻無音樂，終歲不聞絲竹聲。
住近湓城地低濕，黃蘆苦竹繞宅生。
其間日暮聞何物？杜鵑啼血猿哀鳴。
春江花朝秋月夜，往往取酒還獨傾。
豈無山歌與村笛，嘔啞嘲晰難為聽。
今夜聞君琵琶語，如聽仙樂耳暫明。
莫辭更坐彈一曲，為君翻作琵琶行。
感我此言良久立，卻坐促弦弦轉急。
凄凄不似向前聲，滿座重聞皆掩泣。
座中泣下誰最多？江州司馬青衫濕。(全文完)

 

Ballad of the Pipa (pt 4 of 4)          Bai Juyi (772-846)

When I first heard the pipa I’d already sighed with sorrow,

On hearing all these I doubly aggrieved in echo,

We are both wretched people struggling at end of the world,

What matters if each other we already know,

Since last year I left the Capital,

Demoted and ailing in the City of Xunyang I dwell,

This place is far flung and remote,

No music here is available,

A year goes by without any music palatable,

Drenched and low, there are only reeds and bamboos around my household,

All I hear is the whimpers of cuckoos and ape wails,

In flowering spring and the autumnal full moon I avail,

The time to bring a bottle and drink alone out in the cold,

The folk songs and native flutes are all unpalatable,

To me they are just baby snarls,

Tonight your pipa has me greatly enthralled,

It is simply celestial,

Please sit and play us one more song before you go,

I’ll write you a Pipa Ballad on this scenario,

On this she stood quite a while,

Again she straddled,

Tightly she turned her pegs and ready to buckle,

Rapidly she stroke the strings as in an allegro,

Sobbing grievously in a completely different tempo,

Everybody present wept with their face hand shielded,

Who do you think wept the most,

This official of Jiangzhou had his blue gown soaked with tears thorough.

 (End)