留別王維 孟浩然

留別王維   孟浩然 (689-740)
寂寂竟何待，朝朝空自歸。
欲尋芳草去，惜與故人違。
當路誰相假，知音世所稀。
衹應守寂寞，還掩故園扉。

An Unwilling Farewell to Wang Wei     

Meng Haoran (689-740)

Silently silently I wait to no avail,

Day in day out with nothing I recoil,
Looking for the green green grass ambrosial,
What a shame I’m still going to lose my old pal,
To offer our services to the court and country who in power could be of avail,
Confidant kindreds are really rare in the world,
Behind my closed wicker door where I lie low,
I’d better guard over my solitude in tranquil.

 

十五夜望月 寄杜郎中 王建

十五夜望月   寄杜郎中        王建  (767-830)

中庭地白樹棲鴉 ，
冷露無聲濕桂花 。

今夜月明人盡望 ，
不知秋思落誰家 ？

Contemplating the Moon in the Night of the Mid Autumn Festival To Chancellery Official Du               Wang Jian (767-830)

The courtyard is moonlight washed and crows amidst the trees quietly nestled,
Amidst the chilly autumnal dews silently drenched are the osmanthus blows,
Tonight the bright moon will be everybody’s point of focal,
Who are the ones in your autumnal pining cameos?

望月懷遠 張九齡

望月懷遠       張九齡 (678 - 740)

海上生明月，天涯共此時。

情人怨遙夜，竟夕起相思。
滅燭憐光滿，披衣覺露滋。
不堪盈手贈，還寢夢佳期。

Thinking of Someone Faraway Under the Bright Full Moon                  Zhang Jiuling (678 - 740)

The bright full moon grows out of the sea,

‘Tis a moment all the world agog to see,
Lovers, chagrined at the length of the eve,
Stay up all night with each other to miss;
I douse the candle as the moonlight suffuses,
Put on my coat feeling the dew increase ;
Failing to give you a handful of the light as gift,
Retiring to bed, I look for a rendezvous in my dream with thee.

八月十五夜玩月 劉禹錫

八月十五夜玩月     劉禹錫 (772-842)
天將今夜月， 一遍洗寰瀛。
暑退九霄淨， 秋澄萬景清。
星辰讓光彩， 風露發晶英。
能變人間世， 攸然是玉京。

Contemplating the Moon in the Night of the Mid Autumn Festival                 Liu Yuxi (772-842)

Tonight the full moon’s effulgent glow,

On heaven’s order has the whole universe flushed and flowed,
Summer heat retreats leaving the empyrean freshly vestal,
Autumnal hyaline renders everything splendently vivid and graceful,
The clear moonlight even beats the stars’ razzle dazzle,
The autumnal gale and jady dews also emit glittering sparkles,
Plagued by vicissitudes is the human world,
Only the moonlight remains permanent and eternal.

 

 

太常引 建康中秋夜為呂叔潛賦 辛棄疾

太常引建康中秋夜為呂叔潛賦    辛棄疾 (1140-1207)
一輪秋影轉金波，飛鏡又重磨。
把酒問姮娥：被白髮、欺人奈何？
乘風好去，長空萬里，直下看山河。
斫去桂婆娑，人道是、清光更多。

Tai Chang Yin (Written for Lu Shuqian in the Mid Autumn Festival of Jian Kang)       Xin Qiji (1140-1207)

A glittering autumnal moon revolves with golden sparkles,
The heavenly mirror reappears with refreshed gloss,
With a cup of wine I ask Chang’e,
What can I do to rid the threat of my hair turning grizzle,
I wish to ride the long gale and soar in the heaven for thousands of miles,
Whence espying the mountains and rivers of our world down below,
And have the osmanthus tree on the moon whittled,
People will say how much more brilliantly the moon glows.

 

秋宵月下有懷 孟浩然

秋宵月下有懷      孟浩然(689-740)

秋空明月懸，光彩露沾濕。
驚鵲棲未定，飛螢捲簾入。
庭槐寒影疏，鄰杵夜聲急。
佳期曠何許！望望空佇立 。

Thinking of Someone under the Mid Autumn Moon   

Meng Haoran (689-740)

High in the autumnal heaven the bright moon dangles,
On the glittering dews her brilliant glamour sparkles,
By its brightness the birds are startled in their nestles,
Through the rolled up portieres fireflies approach,
The divested pagoda tree stands amidst the chills with a checkered shadow,
Laundry hustle and bustle come from the neighborhood as night falls,
When will be our rendezvous?
Vainly vainly I stand and gaze to no avail.

在獄詠蟬 駱賓王

在獄詠蟬     駱賓王(640-684)

西陸蟬聲唱，南冠客思深。
不堪玄鬢影，來對白頭吟。
露重飛難進，風多響易沉。
無人信高潔，誰為表予心。

On Cicadas While Incarcerated     
Luo Binwang (640-684)

The autumnal cicadas chirr,

From the land of Nanguan this convict’s nostalgia is deeply stirred,
I just can’t stand the looks of cicadas,
They come chirring up verses in front of this hoar hair gaffer,
Through heavy dews they can hardly fly their way further,
Amidst wind blasts their chirrs will founder,
Nobody believes how graciously dignified they are,
Who can we rely on to vindicate our true humour.

 

 

送陳章甫 李頎

送陳章甫       李頎(690-751)

四月南風大麥黃，棗花未落桐葉長。
青山朝別暮還見，嘶馬出門思舊鄉。
陳侯立身何坦蕩，虯鬚虎眉仍大顙。
腹中貯書一萬卷，不肯低頭在草莽。
東門沽酒飲我曹，心輕萬事皆鴻毛。
醉臥不知白日暮，有時空望孤雲高。
長河浪頭連天黑，津口停舟渡不得。
鄭國游人未及家，洛陽行子空嘆息。
聞道故林相識多，罷官昨日今如何。

Bidding Chen Zhangfu Farewell     Li Qi (690-751)

Under the south wind of the fourth month the barley turns mellowy yellow,

Long long the paulownia leaves grow while still flushing are the jujube blows,
Turning away from the green mountain in the morning but see it again at nightfall,
Amidst horse neighs wayfarers will be nostalgicly sentimental,
This revered noble friend Chen of mine cuts a graceful figure magnanimously leal and faithful,
Wearing a dragon whiskers and tiger eyebrows under a forehead broad and full,
Stashed in his mind are thousands of book scrolls,
With his multiple talents he just wouldn’t lie low amidst the wilds,
Buying wine outside the east gate for us to regale,
Dismissing everything in the world trivial,
Getting drunk he lies asleep till nightfall,
To contemplate a forlorn piece of drifting cloud he would sometimes raise his head aloft,
Hurling up to the heavens are the blackening raving Yellow River billows,
But he is stranded as jetty men are taking a lull,
This wayfarer from the land of Zheng is here stalled,
Your sojourner friend in Luoyang could only vainly bewail,
I’ve heard you have lots of friends in the wilds,
How would they welcome you today you are no longer a court official.

 

關山月 李白

關山月         李白(701- 762)

明月出天山，蒼茫雲海間。

長風幾萬里，吹度玉門關。
漢下白登道，胡窺青海灣。
由來征戰地，不見有人還。
戍客望邊色，思歸多苦顏。
高樓當此夜，歎息未應閒。

Moon Over the Mountain Pass       Li Bai(701- 762)

Out of Mt. Celestial the moon grows,

Boundlessly diaphanous in an ocean of clouds she floats,

From thousands and thousands of miles comes the long gale,

Through the Jade Gate Pass it blows,

Arriving the Han army at Mt. Baideng ready to battle,

While the barbarians covet after the vast stretch of Kokonor pale,

Soldiers on expeditions from of old,

Few can return alive from the fields of salvoes,

Those guarding the borders are thwarted by unsettling scenarios,

Plunged into dismals they sulk with a nostalgic soul,

The moon over the tower they behold,

Remind them in their sleepless nights of the ones left in their boudoirs.

漢江臨眺 王維

漢江臨眺        王維 (701-761)
楚塞三湘接，荊門九派通。
江流天地外，山色有無中。
郡邑浮前浦，波瀾動遠空。
襄陽好風日，留醉與山翁。

Espying Over the River Han         Wang Wei (701-761)

Adjoining the three prefectures of Xiang are the land of Chu’s peripherals,

The nine waterways flowing from Mt. Jingmen are interlinkable,
Beyond the land the river flows,
Mountains stand amidst diaphanous hazy mizzles,
Towns and prefectures along the river float,
In the distant boundless spread of voidness billows roll,
Over Xiangyang the fine sun and wind is lovable,
The recluse laying up amid the hills should find this relishable.

 

洞 仙 歌 蘇 軾

洞 仙 歌        蘇 軾(1037-1101)
冰肌玉骨，自清涼無汗。水殿風來暗香滿。

綉簾開、一點明月窺人，人未寢，欹枕釵橫鬢亂。
起來攜素手，庭戶無聲，時見疏星渡河漢。
試問夜如何？夜已三更，金波淡、玉繩低轉。
但屈指、西風幾時來，又不道流年暗中偷換。

Ode to the Grotto Fay         Su Shi(1037-1101)

With a body of icy flesh clad skeleton of jade,

She naturally feels pleasantly cool with sweat totally out of the way,
With zephyr shrouding the water palace whiffs of fragrance infuse the place,
A ray of bright moonlight sheds on the devastating belle through a corner of the portiere,
She lies awake, with hairpin still in her velvety hair disheveled and a pillow displaced,
Getting out of bed, with her tender hand in his braced,
In the serene courtyard they pace,
With shooting stars whizzing across the Milky Way,
Caring for her, he asks, how did the night wade?
It’s already the third watch, the moon and stars turn pale,
When will the west wind come? They postulate,
Without one even knowing year after year stealthily whizzes away.

 

 

古意 李頎

古意       李頎(690-751)

男兒事長征，少小幽燕客。
賭勝馬蹄下，由來輕七尺。
殺人莫敢前，鬚如蝟毛磔。
黃雲隴底白雲飛，未得報恩不能歸。
遼東小婦年十五，慣彈琵琶解歌舞。
今為羌笛出塞聲，使我三軍淚如雨。

A Touch of Ancientry    Li Qi (690-751)

Joining the expeditionary army has long been their métier call,

Gallants in the lands of You and Yin ever since they were juveniles,
Riding rough shods over each other they had been vying their bravery and mettle,
Slighting life has all along been their ethics normal,
People avoid them as they look dauntingly fatal,
With a menacing face decorated by hedgehog bristles,
Under the white clouds they fleet across the wide spreading fields of clouds yellow,
Before repaying His Majesty’s grace they’d never recoil,
To the east of River Liao there is a fifteen year old girl,
Playing the pipa, dancing and singing are all her gifted skills,
With a tartar pipe she plays a tune of the borders dole,
Bringing tears from the armies like spluttering rainfall.

 

夜歸鹿門山歌 孟浩然

夜歸鹿門山歌      孟浩然(689-740)

山寺鐘鳴晝已昏，漁梁渡頭爭渡喧。
人隨沙路向江姑，余亦乘舟歸鹿門。
鹿門月照開煙樹，忽到龐公棲隱處。
岩扉松徑長寂寥，惟有幽人自來去。

Returning to Stag Gate Mountain at Night     

Meng Haoran (689-740)

Dusk falls as the temple bells toll,

People vying for boats at the jetties of Yu and Liang arouse clamorous broils,
After getting across along the sandy shore to the river village they stroll,
Back to the Stag Gate Mountain I get on a boat,
There the moon hangs shining on trees mists enshrouded,
Presently I come to where the revered guru Pang dwells,
It can only be reached through a rock gate and a long pine shaded trail,
So it remains placidly tranquil,
Only insouciant people like me find this place a repair diurnal.

 

題大庾嶺北驛 宋之問

題大庾嶺北驛      宋之問 (656-712)

陽月南飛雁，傳聞至此回。
我行殊未已，何日復歸來。
江靜潮初落，林昏瘴不開，
明朝望鄉處，應見隴頭梅。

The North Station at the Daiyu Ridge   
Song Zhiwen (656-712)

Wild geese heading south in the tenth month of the year,

Will return when they reach this ridge here,
My journey goes on and I am not pulling over,
When will I return I just have no idea,
The tide ebbs leaving a serene river,
The woods fall gloomily dark with lurking contained miasma,
Tomorrow when I climb the ridge to look for my homeland quarters,
At the plum blossoms on the field moles I should be able to take a gander.

 

 

 

走馬川行奉送封大夫出師西征 岑參

走馬川行奉送封大夫出師西征      岑參(715-770)
君不見，走馬川行雪海邊，平沙莽莽黃入天。
輪臺九月風夜吼，一川碎石大如斗，隨風滿地石亂走。
匈奴草黃馬正肥，金山西見煙塵飛，漢家大將西出師。
將軍金甲夜不脫，半夜軍行戈相撥，風頭如刀面如割。
馬毛帶雪汗氣蒸，五花連錢旋作冰，幕中草檄硯水凝。
虜騎聞之應膽懾，料知短兵不敢接，軍師西門佇獻捷。

Wading Across the River on My Horse to See General Feng Off to His Western Expeditionary Campaign          
Cen Shen (715-770)

 

Can’t you not see wading the water over to the Snow Sea the horses amble,
Extensively extensive beyond range up to the heavens the level yellow sands sprawl,
Over Luntai howls the ninth month gale,
Rock pieces as big as dippers along the waterway up by the gale hurled,
All over the place they rage and roll,
Within the Hun’s tract grasses are yellow but horses are stout and fodgel,
To the west of the Gold Mountain dust and smog up hurl,
There comes the west campaigning Han general,
Donning his armour at night even as he reposes,
Soldiers wield their spears forward at night when forward they amble,
Cutting on their faces is the scathing gale,
The sweat on the horses soon turns into snow,
Even the five dappled and stained coins coursers have theirs frozen as well,
While drafting the campaign declaration to the Huns in the tent ink in the ink stone freezes in the gelid chills,
On hearing the Han army’s overwhelming power the barbarian troops should have their flesh crawl,
Scared and daunted they would shy from coming head on in the battles,
I’d await your return of victory at the West Park of the Capital.

山石 韓愈

山石        韓愈(768-824)
山石犖确行徑微，黃昏到寺蝙蝠飛。
升堂坐階新雨足，芭蕉葉大梔子肥。
僧言古壁佛畫好，以火來照所見稀。
鋪床拂席置羹飯，疏糲亦足飽我饑。
夜深靜臥百蟲絕，清月出嶺光入扉。
天明獨去無道路，出入高下窮煙霏。
山紅澗碧紛爛漫，時見松櫪皆十圍。
當流赤足踏澗石，水聲激激風生衣。
人生如此自可樂，豈必局促為人鞿。
嗟哉吾黨二三子，安得至老不更歸。

Mountain Rocks          Han Yu (768-824)

Strewn with rugged jagged gnarled rocks there leaves on the mountain a mere wisp of an anfractuous trail,

Welcome by flocks of soaring bats I reach the temple as dusk falls,
Going into the hall and sit on the steps as a deluge of new rain lulls,
Plantain leaves grow huge and cape jasmine fruits ripen and mellow,
The monks say on the walls are some exquisite distinct Buddhistic frescos,
Lit up by torch I find them singularly original,
Laying my bed and mat they offer me a meal,
The coarse food they offer suffices to have my hunger quelled,
Deep in the night I lie amidst all insects fallen asleep leaving a world of tranquil,
Into my portieres come from over the mountain the rising moon’s clear glow,
When I leave alone in the morning I can’t even find the trail,
Up and down the undulating landscape through brumes and mists I go along all,
Coming across pines and oaks with girths measuring ten full spanfuls,
Washing my feet on rocks of the running rills, the spurting splatters of the water splashing with the wind on my lapels,
Here I realize life can be so pleasurable.
Why should one be encumbered by worldly shackles,
Hence I deplore and wail for a couple of my kindred pals,
Why are they still sticking to their official devoirs and not yet retired while getting old.