出塞 王昌齡

出塞      王昌齡 (698-756)

秦時明月漢時關，萬里長征人未還。

但使龍城飛將在，不教胡馬度陰山。

Outside the Borders      Wang Changling (698-756)

It’s the same bright moon of the Qin times that shines on the frontiers passes of Han,

The expeditionary armies fighting thousands of miles from home have yet to come round,
If only the Flying General Li Guang of the Dragon City were still alive and here in command,
Never would he have let the barbarian horses across the frontiers at Mt Yin advance.

竹里館 王維

竹里館    王維 (701-761)

獨坐幽篁裡，彈琴復長嘯，
深林人不知，明月來相照。

Bower amid bamboos        Wang Wei (701-761)

Solitarily I sit amid the bamboos in serenity,

Singing aloud while playing my qin,
Relishing my secludedness deep in the woods without being seen,
Only the bright moon to smile on me out of the welkin.

 

如夢令 蔣捷

如夢令      蔣捷 (宋)

夜月溪篁鸞影，曉露岩花鶴頂。
半世踏紅塵，到底輸他村景。
村景。村景。樵斧耕蓑漁艇。

Ru Meng Ling      Jiang Jie (Song Poet)

The bright moon shines on the limpid brook beside which bamboos flutter,

On the water a phoenix is mirrored,
Morning dew on wild flowers over the rocks glitters,
So are the crimson crests of white herons dew smeared,
Half my life I’ve gone seeing the world everywhere;
But nothing can be compared to this hamlet vista,
What a hamlet vista! A hamlet vista!
Wielding axes in the woods are the firewood cutters,
And tilling their fields in straw capes are the farmers,
While fishermen in their boats toil over the water.

 

 

 

秋浦歌 李白

秋浦歌       李白(701- 762)

白髮三千丈，離愁似箇長。
不知明鏡裡，何處得秋霜。

A song written in my exile in Qiupu        Li Bai (701- 762)

Three thousand zhangs measure my white hair,
To the grief over my exile it hardly compares,
I keep asking the mirror,
Where comes the white frost on my head I wear.

 

天末懷李白 杜甫

天末懷李白    杜甫(712-770)

涼風起天末，君子意如何？

鴻雁幾時到，江湖秋水多。
文章憎命達，魑魅喜人過。
應共冤魂語，投詩贈汨羅。

Thinking of Li Bai from world’s end        Du Fu (712-770)

Cold winds rise at world’s end,

Sir, how am I to read into your intent?
When will the faraway messenger goose ever land?
In the rivers and lakes autumnal waters begin to expand;
Literary fame loathes those kismet heaves up the ranks,
Ravening demons pounce on anyone who offers them the chance,
Do have a word with the soul of the poet who was also wrongly apprehended,
Drop some verses into River Miluo entreating his helping hand.

 

 

蘇幕遮 范仲淹

蘇幕遮     范仲淹 (989-1052)

碧雲天，黃葉地。秋色連波，波上寒煙翠。

山映斜陽天接水。芳草無情，更在斜陽外。
黯鄉魂，追旅思。夜夜除非，好夢留人睡。
明月樓高休獨倚。酒入愁腸，化作相思淚。

 
Su Mu Zhe       Fan Zhongyan (989-1052)

The sky is blue and clear,
The land yellow leaves cover,
Boundless are the autumnal hues that merge with the chilly azure mists over the river,
As the autumnal waters the far mountains in the setting sun put on the same tincture,
Beyond the setting sun, the insentient grasses spread rankly afar,
My soul rankles with nostalgia,
I can sleep only with good dreams therein to linger,
When the moon is bright don’t mount alone the high tower,
Drinking will only make one’s grief deeper,
And bring more solicitous tears.

 

 

 

楓橋夜泊 張繼

楓橋夜泊      張繼 (唐)

月落烏啼霜滿天，江楓漁火對愁眠。

 

姑蘇城外寒山寺，夜半鐘聲到客船。

 

Taking berth by the Maple Bridge at night        Zhang Ji (Tang Poet)

The moon retires from a sky thick with frost amid crow caws,
Only lights from fishing boats and maples by the river keep company of the restless passenger vexed by sores,
Presently from the Chilly Hill Temple outside the Gusu City Wall,
Midnight bells reach this sleepless wayfarer in his boat by the shore.