Translation
Meng Haoran(689-740) | 孟浩然 |
With Several Friends, Climbing Up Steep Mountain | 與諸子登峴山 |
Human affairs wither and grow, | 人事 有代謝 |
Coming and going, from ancient to modern. | 往來 成古今 |
The rivers and mountains are footprints that remain, | 江山 留勝跡 |
And are what my my friends and I return to see, repeatedly. | 我輩 復登臨 |
The river ebbs, gurgling along the Town of Fish Bridge | 水落 魚梁淺 |
While the heavens are cold and Dreaming Pond is dark. | 天寒 夢澤深 |
A gravestone tells of Duke Yang, man of a similar path; | 羊公 碑字在 |
As I finish reading, the tears moisten my collar. | 讀罷 淚沾襟 |
Notes
This poem describes Meng Haoran’s visits to Xian Mountain (literally, Steep Mountain). He is looking at the cycle of nature: the growth and decay of generations of plants, the ebb and flow of the river, and comparing it to human life and affairs.
Implicitly, he is thinking of his own troubles at finding a successful government position and his decision to retire into the woods. The heavens are symbolic of the Emperor and Dreaming Pond, a real place, could be viewed symbolically as representing his dreams. At the end, he sees the tombstone of Duke Yang, a general from the earlier Jin Dynasty (265-420), who was famous for going to Xian Mountain with his friends. This closes the circle of comparing his situation to that of the ancients, bringing him to tears.
Original Chinese
Traditional | Simplified | Pronunciation |
孟浩然 | 孟浩然 | Mèng Hào Rán |
與諸子登峴山 | 与诸子登岘山 | Yǔ zhū zǐ dēng xiàn shān |
人事有代謝， | 人事有代谢， | Rén shì yǒu dài xiè, |
往來成古今。 | 往来成古今。 | Wǎng lái chéng gǔ jīn. |
江山留勝跡， | 江山留胜迹， | Jiāng shān liú shèng jì, |
我輩復登臨。 | 我辈复登临。 | Wǒ bèi fù dēng lín. |
水落魚梁淺， | 水落鱼梁浅， | Shuǐ luò yú liáng qiǎn, |
天寒夢澤深。 | 天寒梦泽深。 | Tiān hán mèng zé shēn. |
羊公碑字在， | 羊公碑字在， | Yáng gōng bēi zì zài, |
讀罷淚沾襟。 | 读罢泪沾襟。 | Dú bà lèi zhān jīn. |
Literal Notes
孟浩然 | Elder-brother/first Grand/great Shape/pledge=Meng Haoran(689-740) |
與諸子登峴山 | Together-with/with various/all/several friend/son/child ascend/scale(a height)/climb Xian/steep-hill Mountain [various friend = various sages], [Xian Mountain= Mt. Xian, also called Mt. Xianshou in Hubei Province] |
人事有代謝， | People/man/mankind matter/thing/work/affair have/there-is/to-be to-substitute/act-on-behalf-of others/replace decline/wither(of flowers, leaves) [People matter = ways of the world, the facts of life, human affairs], [to-substitute decline = replacement/substitution] |
往來成古今。 | Go/to/towards/bound-for/depart/past/previous come/ arrive/since/return become/turn-into/succeed/finish/ complete ancient/old today/modern/present/now [Go come = go back and forth, contacts, dealings] [ancient today = then and now, ancient and modern] |
江山留勝跡， | River mountain keep/preserve/stay/remain/stop/halt superb(of vista)/beautiful(scenery)/wonderful(view) footprint/trace/mark/track [River mountain=the country, landscape] |
我輩復登臨。 | I/my/we/us generation/contemporaries/lifetime/class repeat/again/go-and-return/resume climb/ascend to-face/overlook/arrive [climb to-face = visit place famous for its scenery] |
水落魚梁淺， | Water/river (tide)go-out/fall/drop/sink Fish Bridge/beam-of-roof shallow/light(color)/sound-of-moving-water [Fish Bridge/beam-of-roof=Yuliang town] |
天寒夢澤深。 | Day/heaven/sky cold/wintry/chilly Dream/visionary Pond/damp/moist/marsh dark(of water)/deep/profound [Dream Pond = Yunmeng Lake Area, now it is a county in Hubei. In the ancient, it included a much broader area from South Hubei to North Hunan, mainly low lying areas. Lake Dongting was also in that area.] |
羊公碑字在， | Yang/sheep/goat Duke/gentleman monument/an-upright-stone-tablet/gravestone letter/symbol/character/word exist/(located)at/(to be)in [Yang Duke = General Yang Hu was stationed in Xiangyang in Jin Dynasty. He often got together with his friends at Mt. Xian. He made the comment that people and time change, and only the green hill remains.] |
讀罷淚沾襟。 | Read/study finish/stop/cease/suspend tears/weep/cry moisten/wet/soak/touch lapel/collar/overlap-of-Chinese-gown/(fig. bosom/seat-of-emotions) |
Year:
2012
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