村晚 雷震

村晚        雷震(宋)

草滿池塘水滿陂， 山銜落日浸寒漪。  

牧童歸去橫牛背， 短笛無腔信口吹。  

A Village Night Scene            Lei Zhen (Song Poet)

The pond is teeming with grasses while water overflows at the rim,

The setting sun flushes on the mountain with its image on the chilly ripples gleams,
Homecoming cowherds on cows’ backs askew lean,
Playing their pipes out of tune but just whatever they whim.

 

和晉陵陸承相 杜審言

和晉陵陸承相          杜審言 (648-708)

獨有宦遊人，偏驚物候新；     

雲霞出海曙，梅柳渡江春。      
淑氣催黃鳥，晴光轉綠蘋；      
忽聞歌古調，歸思欲沾巾。  

Echoing a Poem of Chancellor Lu of Jinling         

Du Shenyan (648-708)

Only touring officials dispatched to all country quarters,

Are particularly sensitive to changing weathers and vistas,
Twilight dawns with the morning glows and glazes the oceans with splendour,
Plums and willows bring spring up across the River,
Orioles sing cheerfully in the warm vernal zephyr,
Bright sunlight on duckweed glitters,
Presently comes a classical music aria,
That simmers my eyes with nostalgic tears.

 

 

 

 

秋月 程顥

秋月         程顥 (1032 - 1085)

清溪流過碧山頭，   空水澄鮮一色秋。

隔斷紅塵三十里，   白雲紅葉兩悠悠。  

The Autumnal Moon        Cheng Hao (1032 - 1085)

Across the green hills the limpid spring water flows,

The hyaline autumnal tint the pouring water against the clear sky paints a perfect autumnal portrayal,
Thirty miles far away is this place from the madding world,
Here the white clouds and the red leaves I can insouciantly savour both.

 

 

立秋 劉武子

立秋     劉武子(宋)

乳鴉啼散玉屏空，   一枕新涼一扇風。  

睡起秋聲無覓處，   滿階梧葉月明中。  

The Beginning of Autumn        Liu Wuzi (Song Poet) 

After a few caws the young crows scattered leaving an empty jade panel,

At night drafts of chills come through my pillow,
Getting out of bed, the whereabouts of the autumnal whiffles there is not a clue,
Leaving paulownia leaves all over the courtyard basking in moonlight glow.

 

冬景 杜甫

冬景           杜甫 (712-770)

天時人事日相催，冬至陽生春又來。  

刺繡五紋添弱線，吹葭六管動飛灰。   
岸容待臘將舒柳，山意衝寒欲放梅。   
雲物不殊鄉國異，教兒且覆掌中杯。   

A Winter Scene         Du Fu (712-770)

Under heavenly and earthly hustle and bustle,

Ushered in is the winter solstice over the threshold,
Crashing in are the emerging yang forces with the reigning vernal forces in holds,
Imperial embroiderers have already an extra fine thread added onto the five colour silk dapple,
Reed ash from the flute in the air floats,
Waiting to bust out along the shores are the new willows,
Plum blossoms are patiently lurking in the hills to burst out amidst the scathing chills,
Seasonal changes of the scenery are more or less the same all over the world,
Being on a barrel, I could only guzzle the wine my son offers me to quell my dismals.

 

 

宮詞(其二) 林洪

宮詞(其二)     林洪 (宋)

殿上袞衣明日月， 硯中旗影動龍蛇。  

縱橫禮樂三千字， 獨對丹墀日未斜。  

A Palatial Verse (No. 2)       Lin Hong (Song Poet)

In the palace the heavenly bodies of the sun and the moon on the Emperor’s robe glitter,

On the ink stone images of the imperial banners flutter,
Consolidated in three thousand words candidates have to cover all codes of rites and musical metres,
All to be finished beneath the vermillion steps of the palace before the sun retires.

 

宮詞(其一) 林洪

宮詞(其一)     林洪(宋)

金殿當頭紫閣重， 仙人掌上玉芙蓉。  

太平天子朝元日， 五色雲車駕六龍。

A Palatial Verse (No. 1)       Lin Hong (Song Poet)

The Golden Palace is flanked by a multitude of regal purple pavilions,

The jade lotus leaf on the cactus stem rises up to the heavens,
On the first day of the new year the Emperor of the Peaceful Era holds his majesty’s audience,
The five-coloured cloud shrouded carriage arrives riding on six dragons.