讀李斯故事
上蔡布衣術有長
天遣逐客佐秦強
治世難能不泥古
諫君萬代不封王
惜哉才高識非遠
老來自甘作虎倀
早知終落黃犬嘆
悔叫當初負始皇
童心
處世何必入戲深
各了因緣各歸根
但存一點童心在
野鳥閒花處處春
夜來偶題
碧海茫茫夜氣深
故園小別又千春
迴風花翻瓊枝雪
沖煙鶴唳雲吐吞
俯看世事幾陵谷
中有宛爾一幻身
天心人境兩蕭瑟
月照足下步生塵
夜讀
乾坤有大道
天下歌至公
及至小康世
不復見大同
子嘆大道隱
長嗟形影煢
天公獨不言
幾人會其衷
萬世有定數
陰陽道在中
夜察天象變
取讀白虎通
詠黃山雪霽
放眼江山雪初晴
乾坤蒼茫浩氣凝
凌雲列陣千鋒戟
憑空倒懸九天冰
風生凜冽玉龍戰
摧鱗敗甲卷飄零
萬古元氣磨不去
神州處處是蓬瀛
秋風 Autumn Wind、秋夜 An Autumn Night
秋風 Autumn Wind
遼天之末起秋風
千里長驅浮雲空
穿林初疑銜枚走
過崖猶響萬壑松
From far off, Autumn wind runs at us in a rush!
Across a thousand miles, displacing clouds with sky,
(And crowding through the dark, tense soldiers in a hush*),
Then past the cliff, through countless pines, like echoes fly.
* "銜枚走" (hold in mouth/bear, trunk, walk) is hard to translate or make much sense in English. It has no overt reference to soldiers, battle, or night attack. The author,Yuan Xi, said that in old times when soldiers were launching an attack secretly, they usually held something in their mouth - and put something like a tree branch inside their horses' mouths - so that there would be no "unexpected" sound to betray their suprise attack. Xi said when the wind passed through the woods, it gave her a feeling of tension, secrecy, just like that of a secret attack in the night. "銜枚走" is easy to understand in Chinese, as in movies these scenes are often shown; but in English, people could find it hard to understand. So Xi agreed with the statement of a soldiers' secret attack.
Translated by Jennifer Zeng and Damian Robin
秋夜 An Autumn Night
漏轉更長筆意遲
漫煮茶湯病題詩
誰共秋光消磨盡
憔悴黃花未死時
The timer measures; night moves on; pen; thought; late.
Through sickness haze I badly brew some tea; some verses write.
Who, linked tight to Autumn, wears away and finishes,
O withered, yellow flower not yet dead up to this date ?
Translated by Jennifer Zeng and Damian Robin
夜來偶題 A Casual Poem in the Night
紅塵有盡夢已稀
月下征人夜聽笛
兩鬢風蕭身萬里
一襲冷照霜滿衣
想來青山依舊在
歸去著我謝公屐
Lost within the confines of the secular world
My dreams are few and far between
Listening to the flute under the moon
Like a soldier on expedition
Accompanied by the desolate wind
Ten thousand miles away
Shrouded in the cold moonlight
My clothing white as snow
The green mountains must remain the same
When upon my return, I shall go hiking
Wearing pegged clogs like Master Xie*
* Master Xie refers to Xie Lingyun (385-433), one of the foremost Chinese poets of the Southern and Northern Dynasties and a famous practitioner of the Six Dynasties era poetry. Xie’s landscape poems are based on physical and intimate contact with the subject at hand. He toured the magnificent landscapes of Zhejiang with admirable enthusiasm, even designing a type of wooden clog with removable pegs for hiking up and down the mountains. When hiking upward, the pegs were placed underneath the rear part of the clog; when coming downward, the pegs were removed to the front to balance the height difference. People later called this type of clog "Master Xie's Clog".
Translated by Jennifer Zeng
憶文忠烈公天祥
美酒金樽舊相知
吳歌楚舞管參差
書生當年豪華甚
悠遊每嘆行樂遲
飛來兵禍山河劫
驚見馬革來裹尸
推案投筆一朝去
竟成忠臣報死時
零丁洋裡零丁嘆
血海孤心作磁石
宋世無復崖山後
萬古慷慨誦君詩
記一夢、子夜偶題
記一夢
秋氣漸深夢也寒
月波萬頃可憑欄
天心水底俱澄澈
四顧無人意茫然
子夜偶題
翰海雲山山萬重
碧雞啼日日彤彤
無盡紅塵皆下土
一顧乾坤大道中
讀昭君故事
九重漢宮第一人
萬里胡天逸絶塵
不書紈扇題秋恨
無錢買賦怨長門
馬上琵琶聲斷續
山高道遠月滿輪
駛彈風響蛾眉蹙
未識別有天意深
黃沙多情吹人老
隴水傷心漸不聞
白草不沒青青塚
年年點化北地春
讀江淹賦
讀江淹賦
六朝歌已歇
展卷氣猶清
雖雲繁華後
對此可忘形
落日離亭柳
芳草渭水濱
江郎曾有賦
千古唱別情
歷劫、抄經
歷劫
生來只為任自由
十年囹圄不白頭
千淘萬漉塵劫盡
便是人間浩蕩秋
抄經
雲遮天路月色昏
風呺檐下萬鬼嗔
半紙殘經抄未盡
一豆青燈入夜深
——記於共匪獄中抄写法輪大法經文
賦得春江花月夜 Listening to "A Moonlit Night on the Spring River"
江天渺渺江月霽 江上波光乍合離
一引洞簫春江夜 萬頃滉漾碧琉璃
明月遍照千江水 千江瀲灧月東西
雲邊鶴影誰化去 道人丹成著羽衣
江流千古月千古 月色江聲兩依依
江花渚中別樣紅 江畔高岸芳草萋
濤聲汩汩遠還近 江邊人立白石磯
天外清風如有意 隔水吹來拂面低
望中江波增浩淼 遠接銀漢星斗移
清江一棹風煙外 月落江心生漣漪
"Inspired by ancient Chinese music "春江花月夜" - "A Moonlit Night on the Spring River" (Played with Vertical Bamboo flute/Chinese Bamboo Xiao)
The river scatters moon and sky, congeals them, light and wavering.
A bamboo flute brings spring by night, rolling miles of blue-green glaze.
Bright moon, a thousand rivers, thousands flowing, east-west, overflowing.
A cloud, a shadow crane* — a Taoist, freed to feathers, leaves the maze.
Both river, moon, forever rhythmed; sound and colour bind each other.
Clear river’s flowers skirt an islet; high sides’ grass, a luscious place.
The clasps of waves sound far, then close; at river’s edge, white rock, a stranger.
Clear breeze beyond the heavens, come and cross the river, stroke my face.
Far off, the river’s glints expand, becoming stars and cosmic stipples.
Clear river: boat, through wind and smoke. Moon sinks to river’s heart, ripples.
* a shadow crane: In Chinese history, legend has it that when Taoists succeeded in their cultivation, they could become immortals. Sometimes they transformed themselves into a beautiful crane and flew into the heavens, or rode upon a crane and flew away.
Translated by Jennifer Zeng and Damian Robin
秋雁、秋興、秋望
秋雁
遙望雲山闊
秋空雁陣低
寒潭不留影
只因歸飛急
秋興
清角野戍殘秋
荒江落日渡頭
天涯雲路望斷
白鳥一片悠悠
秋望
夕陽古木秋煙
青山野渚相連
風裡襟懷何寄
晚鴉暮色江天
再詠黃山雪霽 Huangshan(1) after Snow
七十二峰雪滿山
危乎高哉列千關
鐵馬重裘難為進
到此仰呼行路難
何代仙人開鳥道
往來天都一日還
上有奇松出雲海
下有九龍探百川
墨花點破太白筆
道場曾煉軒轅丹
梵天擲下青蓮座
光明之頂不可攀
半空俯仰壯心目
上下泱漭若渾涵
元氣磅礴萬萬古
始知乾坤有大觀
注釋:
①七十二峰雪滿山:黃山七十二峰
②往來天都一日還:三大主峰之天都峰
③上有奇松出雲海:黃山四絶之一奇松
④下有九龍探百川:黃山三大名瀑之「九龍瀑」
⑤墨花點破太白筆:黃山奇峰「夢筆生花」傳為太白之筆化成
⑥道場曾煉軒轅丹:黃山傳為軒轅黃帝煉丹處,故稱黃山
⑦梵天擲下青蓮座:三大主峰之蓮花峰
⑧光明之頂不可攀:三大主峰之光明頂
Over seventy summits, mapped and named, obscured by snow.
Vastly high, to rising sky, lined up, a thousand passes!
Weaponed suits, in furs, on armoured horse—no easy passes—
Battled armies halt: So huge their ride! How far to go!?
Which immortals built those paths where only birds can fly?
So high, so far away, yet reachable in just a day.
Life-affirming, miracle pines peak over clouds’ seas’ sway.
Nine Dragon Waterfall(2) dashed to a hundred rivers—Li Bai(3):
Brush pen flourished into Dream Flower Pen(4), a tree-soft point.
Yellow Emperor(5) made dan inside this Taoist sphere.
Full of beauty—is this Buddha’s lotus seat(6) spread here?
Brightness Apex(7), it’s impossible to get to the point.
Half way to heaven, heart-vast, up-down, majestic, vision not finite,
No limit, far, inside, vast, unseen but known, profound—
Base Earth energy running millions of years unbound,
Only being here I now know the universe’s light.
Translated by Jennifer Zeng and Damian Robin
Footnotes:
1. Huangshan: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huangshan(Chinese: 黄山, literal meaning: Yellow Mountain) is a mountain range in southern Anhui Province in eastern China. Vegetation on the range is thickest below 1,100 meters (3,600 ft), with trees growing up to the tree line at 1,800 meters (5,900 ft). The area is well known for its scenery, sunsets, peculiarly-shaped granite peaks, Huangshan pine trees, hot springs, winter snow, and views of the clouds from above. Huangshan is a frequent subject of traditional Chinese paintings and literature, as well as modern photography. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and one of China's major tourist destinations.
2. The Nine Dragon Waterfall is one of the three most famous waterfalls in Huangshan.
3. Li Bai (701–762) was a Chinese poet acclaimed from his own day to the present as a genius and romantic figure who took traditional poetic forms to new heights. He is regarded by many as the greatest poet in Chinese history.
4. Dream Flower Pen (Meng Bi Sheng Hua) is located within northeast of Yellow Mountain and close to the Bijia Peak. The elevation is 1,640 meters. A stone stands elevated with a round bottom cuspate top, like a brush pen used for calligraphy. Legend has it that once Li Bai dreamed that flowers blossomed on top of his brush. There is also another story that when Li Bai once visited Mount Huangshan, he was invited by a monk to write a poem. After he finished writing, everyone was so amazed by his calligraphy and poem. In his excitement (not without drinking some rice wine produced and provided by the monks), Li Bai threw away his brush which turned into a peak of Huangshan which is now called "夢筆生花Meng Bi Sheng Hua", or "Dream Flower Pen", meaning the brush blossomed in a dream. "Meng Bi Sheng Hua" also evolved into a Chinese idiom referring to very talented writers or writings.
5. Legend has it that once the Yellow Emperor made his elixir, or dan, on Mount Huangshan. Huang means yellow, Shan means mountain. That's how Mount Huangshan (Yellow Mountain) gained its name: It was named after the Yellow Emperor (Huang Di). The Yellow Emperor was
one of Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors in ancient China, living some 5000 years ago. He was believed to have succeeded in cultivation, become an immortal and rose to heaven on a dragon. Chinese people now call themselves "descendants of the Yellow Emperor".
6. Lotus Peak is one of the three main peaks of Huangshan. Buddhas are believed to sit on lotus petals (like a seat).
7. The Bright Peak is one of the three main peaks of Huangshan.
《北征集》二首
序:靖康之難後,二帝北狩,趙構南逃。老將宗澤留守東京,聯結諸路義兵,痛擊金人。河北人心大震,唯宗爺爺馬首是瞻。宗澤遂請趙構迴鑾,章二十餘上,皆石沉大海。宗澤心急如焚,疽發於背,兩月竟亡。彌留之際,諸將前來問疾,唯勉諸公殲敵。又嘆曰:「出師未捷身先死,長使英雄淚滿襟」,連呼「過河」三聲而亡,未有一語言及家事。宗澤死後,戰勢急轉直下,南渡遂成定局,趙構為金人所追,逃亡海上。讀史至此,感而愤之,悲而壮之,泣而歌之,遂为之志。
憶南渡
車馬囂囂北來塵
衣冠南渡負忠魂
身後人與事俱去
中原何處不傷神
憶宗澤
戎馬亂世是生涯
英雄彌留志未達
三聲大叫渡河去
半語遺言未及家
題白雲詩社 In Appreciation of The White Cloud Poetry Society
白茫茫神遊太古
雲蒼蒼浩歌九天
詩成兮清風朗月
社結兮高會諸仙
White realms vast, our hearts traversing back to the origins of time
Cloud to oceans surrounding us, our poetic endeavors reaching to the heavens
Poetry now completed, we find a cool breeze with the moon so bright
Society of poets, we aspire to catch a glimpse of life upon the highest of mountains.
Translated by Jennifer Zeng.
梨花詩 Pear Blossom
寂歷三春誰家院 浩蕩東風吹過牆
玉樹千枝燃白雪 曲徑深巷梨花香
夜半溶溶光浸月 晝永脈脈煙生涼
時逢清明得氣早 開得冷艷天一方
仙子瑤台名有籍 謫來立盡小劫長
夢裡輕寒尤料峭 認取雲山是故鄉
Standing alone in Spring, whose courtyard is this?
Briskly, east wind overspills the wall,
A thousand trees of sudden burning snow,
pear blossom’s fragrance scorching lane and trail.
Night descends, they beacon back the moon.
At daybreak, they’re caressed by misty cool.
While Qingming*’s coming, they’re first to grasp Spring’s soul,
making this far-off place beautiful.
I’m wondering: were they beings cast down
to earth, to experience, whole, life’s jail?
In cold night dreams they still remember lightness,
home beyond the cloudy mountains’ rail.
* The Qingming or Ching Ming Festival, also known as Tomb-Sweeping Day in English, is a traditional Chinese festival on the first day of the fifth solar term of the traditional Chinese lunisolar calendar. This makes it the 15th day after the Spring Equinox, either 4 or 5 April in a given year. Other common translations include Chinese Memorial Day and Ancestors' Day.
Translated by Jennifer Zeng and Damian Robin