沁園春 辛棄疾

沁園春 將止酒、戒酒杯使勿近     辛棄疾(1140-1207)

杯汝來前，老子今朝，點檢形骸。
甚長年抱渴，咽如焦釜，於今喜睡，氣似奔雷。
汝說劉伶，古今達者，醉後何妨死便埋。
渾如此，歎汝於知已，真少恩哉。

更憑歌舞爲媒。算合作平居鴆毒猜。
況怨無大小，生於所愛，物無美惡，過則爲災。
與汝成言，勿留亟退，吾力猶能肆汝杯。
杯再拜，道麾之即去，招則須來。

Qin Yuan Chun            Xin Qiji (1140-1207)
Abstaining from wine I warn my wine cup to stay away from me

Cup, you come forward, that’s my order,

Having had my body checked today this gaffer,
Been thirsty for drinking all these years,
My throat is as dry as a seared boiler,
Sleeping is what I now most hanker,
And snoring like thunders,
You rebut: from of old great drinkers
Should have been as sanguine as Liu Ling,
They hold “ Never mind. If I’ve got drunk and kick the bucket,
Don’t panic. Just have me sepulchered,”
You are damned right, my bosom dear,
But how relentless you are.

With music and dance you always come near,

Literally killing me with the poisoned liquor,
But obsessive love breeds rancor.
Excessively obsessed with anything will turn into a disaster,
No matter how good they are,
Now I make a deal with you here,
Go and never come near,
I still have the power to have you pilloried and slaughtered,
The cup saluted me over and over,
Promising “come and go all at your beck and call, Sire.”

 

 

尋陸鴻漸不遇 僧皎然

尋陸鴻漸不遇      僧皎然 (730-799)

移家雖帶郭，野徑入桑麻。
近種籬邊菊，秋來未著花。
扣門無犬吠，欲去問西家。
報道山中去，歸來每日斜。

Calling On Lu Hongjian In Vain     

Monk Jiao Ran (730-799)

Near to the city wall you have moved your household.

Cutting into mulberries and flaxes heads the wild trail,
Within your fences chrysanthemums you grow,
Autumn falls but they are yet to blow,
I knock at your door but not even a dog barks to answer my call,
I ask your west neighbouring household,
Into the mountains they say you go,
When you come back dusk is already to fall.

 

 

送李端 盧綸

送李端    盧綸 (748-800)
故關衰草遍，離別正堪悲。
路出寒雲外，人歸暮雪時。
少孤為客早，多難識君遲。
掩泣空相向，風塵何所期。

Bidding Li Duan Farewell           Lu Lun (748-800)

Grasses in my homeland have shriveled,

This parting brings me great sorrow,
The road on which I bid you farewell spreads beyond the chilly clouds,
I’d return amidst the evening snows,
Forlornly on the tramp as I was bereaved of my father since early juvenile,
Plagued by misfortunes we came across each other really slow,
Now we are going to part I cover my face to let my tears pour,
In these tumultuous times will we ever see each other again at all?

 

喜見外弟又言別 李益

喜見外弟又言別    李益 (748-827)

十年離亂後，長大一相逢，
問姓驚初見，稱名憶舊容。
別來滄海事，語罷暮天鐘。
明日巴陵道，秋山又幾重。

Running Across My Cousin In Delight But

Seeing Him Off Again                Li Yi (748-827)

After ten years of sunder in times of turmoil,

This is the first time since we’ve grown up across we fall,
Asking your name I’m quailed,
With your name eventually your old look I recall,
These years everything in the world has shuffled,
After cozing with you the evening bells are ready to toll,
Tomorrow to Baling you’ll hit the road,
Hereafter by how many autumnal mountains will we be cut off?

 

雲陽館與韓紳宿別 司空曙

雲陽館與韓紳宿別    司空曙 (720-790)

故人江海別，幾度隔山川。
乍見翻疑夢，相悲各問年。
孤燈寒照雨，深竹暗浮煙。
更有明朝恨，離杯惜共傳。

Coming Across Han Shen While Putting Up at the
Yunyang Guest House and Bid Him Farewell the
Next Day                             Sikong Shu (720-790)

Since beyond the rivers and oceans I parted with my old pal.

Rivers and mountains have us many times far far apart pulled,
Presently coming across you I suspect it is only a dream cameo,
Enquiring each other’s age we are saddened by sorrows,
The solitary lamp lights up the chilly drizzles,
Gloomy mists shroud the deep dark bamboos,
Tomorrow we will be plagued by sundering dismals,
With this wine of farewell we must hit the booze.

 

北青蘿 李商隱

北青蘿   李商隱 (813-858)

殘陽西入崦，茅屋訪孤僧。
落葉人何在，寒雲路幾層。
獨敲初夜磬，閑倚一枝藤。
世界微塵裏，吾寧愛與憎。

The North Mt Qing Luo Temple      Li Shangyin (813-858)

To the west behind the mountains the sun goes,

At the solitary monk’s bower I call,
Seeing not the man but just find leaves fall,
Through how many layers of chilly clouds have I scrambled,
Solitarily he beats the stone chime as night falls,
On a rattan he leisurely lolls,
In this a minute dust particle of a world,
Love and hatred are nothing but only vile.

 

 

 

旅宿 杜牧

旅宿    杜牧 (803-852)

旅館無良伴，凝情自悄然。
寒燈思舊事，斷雁驚愁眠。
遠夢歸侵曉，家書到隔年。
滄江好煙月，門繫釣魚船。

Putting Up at a Hostel in My Sojourn       

Du Mu (803-852)

Without a companion I put up in a hostel,

Brooding over my life amidst dismals,
Under the chilly lamp things past I recall,
Sleeping in glum I am unsettled by the lone wild goose’s warble,
Returning from my long dream trip back to my homeland as twilight befalls,
Letters from home take more than a year to reach me in my hostel,
Mists and moonlight over the roving river are relishable,
What’s more delightful is a fishing boat is tied at my threshold.

夜宿山寺 李白

夜宿山寺       李白 (701- 762)

危樓高百尺，手可摘星辰。
不敢高聲語，恐驚天上人。

Putting Up at the Mountain Temple For the Night       

Li Bai (701- 762)

A Hundred feet tall is the high chamber,

Up there one could almost pick the stars,
But you must speak quietly or just whisper,
Lest you should disturb the gods up there.

 

涼思 李商隱

涼思        李商隱 (813-858)

客去波平檻，蟬休露滿枝。
永懷當此節，倚立自移時。
北斗兼春遠，南陵寓使遲。
天涯占夢數，疑誤有新知。

Muse Amidst the Cool        Li Shangyin (813-858)

After my guest left pond water flush with the balustrade swell,
Cicadas gone leaving dews from the tree branches dangle,
This is the moment I always dearly hold,
By the casement I idly loll,
Far remote are spring and the Star of the North Pole,
My friend in Nanling takes too long on his well being to have me posted,
At end of world only by divining my dreams could I have his situation foretold,
I suspect he has already made a new confidant pal.

 

 

望薊門 祖詠 (唐)

望薊門     祖詠 (唐)
燕臺一去客心驚，笳鼓喧喧漢將營。
萬里寒光生積雪，三邊曙色動危旌，
沙場烽火侵胡月，海畔雲山擁薊城。
少小雖非投筆吏，論功還欲請長纓。

Brooding Over Jimen Gate Pass        

Zu Yong (Tang poet)

Arriving at the Yan Terrace I am appalled,

Pipes and drums in the Han Camps clamorously bellow,
Ten thousand miles of long frozen snow emits gelid glow,
Amidst the twilight banners over the three vicinal city walls flutter and unfurl,
Beacon fires flare under the moon over the barbarian purlieu,
Clouds shrouding mountains and oceans on three sides have the Jimen City Wall encircled,
I’ve never been a man as valorous as Ban Chao the great Han general,
But I still strive to have the borders quelled.

除夜有懷 崔塗

除夜有懷    崔塗(唐)
迢遞三巴路，羈危萬里身。
亂山殘雪夜，孤燭异鄉人。
漸與骨肉遠，轉于僮僕親。
那堪正漂泊，明日歲華新。

Brooding On New Year’s Eve       Cui Tu (Tang poet)

It’s a long long way to the three Ba regions purlieu,

Traveling thousands of miles at all hazards I’ve been through,
Amid the random mountains remaining snows glitter as the night falls,
Up here I’m a solitary outlander piled,
My kinfolks become more and more remote and unapproachable,
But my male servants become more faithful and close,
A drifting forlorn tramp on I struggle,
Hopefully tomorrow’s new year will bring me a new episode.

 

行經華陰 崔顥

行經華陰     崔顥 (704-754)
岧嶢太華俯咸京，天外三峰削不成。
武帝祠前雲欲散，仙人掌上雨初晴。
河山北枕秦關險，驛路西連漢畤平。
借問路旁名利客，何如此處學長生。

Passing Hua Yin         Cui Hao (704-754)

The forbiddingly high Mt. Tai Hua overlooks the Hanyang Palace,

Beyond manual craftsmanship are its three precipitous heaven reaching pinnacles,
Clouds over Emperor Wu Temple dissolve,
Rain over the Cactus Peak just lulls,
The Yellow River and the Mt. Hua to its north over the Hangu Gate Pass strategically straddle,
Its thoroughfare to the west links Emperor Wu of Han’s heaven and earth temples,
I wish to ask the wealth and fame seekers by the road,
How about staying over here to cultivate the life of the supernal.

 

孤雁 崔塗

孤雁     崔塗(唐)
幾行歸塞盡，念爾獨何之。
暮雨相呼失，寒塘欲下遲。
渚雲低暗度，關月冷相隨。
未必逢矰繳，孤飛自可疑。

A Solitary Wild Goose      Cui Tu (Tang poet)

To the borders flew all wild geese files,

Where are you heading by your own self,
Amidst the night rain you’ve lost all your affinals,
You could have lighted on the chilly pond but balked,
Across the clouds over the ait you stealthily sail,
Wherever you go the chilly moon over the border gate follows,
With luck you may not come across the bird hunter’s bow and arrow,
But flying alone you must be highly agile.

楚江懷古 馬戴

楚江懷古        馬戴 (775-869)

露氣寒光集，微陽下楚丘。
猿啼洞庭樹，人在木蘭舟。
廣澤生明月，蒼山夾亂流。
雲中君不見，竟夕自悲秋。

Reminiscence Over the River Chu       

Ma Dai (775-869)

Dewy vapours and chilly light shroud in holds,

Over the mountains of Chu dim sunlight veils,
Amidst the trees of Lake Dong Ting apes wail,
Riding my nostalgia orchid boat,
Bright moonlight over the vast lake grows,
Amid the green hills raving torrents roll,
The god of the clouds is nowhere to behold,
Through the night I am plagued by autumnal dismals.