Wandering to a New Town

Li Shunxian (~ 910)
 
 
Life’s carriage takes me quick to heaven’s light,
But here I pause to part this world of dust;
Alone, afraid, pursuing dreams of flight,
Yet here I’m old with dread, and leave I must.
 
 

Chinese   隨駕遊青城 李舜弦   因隨八馬上仙山 頓隔塵埃物象閑 隻恐西追王母宴 卻憂難得到人間

Pronunciation

 
My dear old friend who’s parting West
Beneath the Yellow Towers;
While falling on the Yangzhou lands
Are mists and springtime flowers.
 
Your orphan boat’s a distant shade,
That sails where blue skies go;
I look upon the water tides—
Until the end they flow.
 
 
By Li Bai, tr. from the Chinese by Frank Watson
 

 
送孟浩然之廣陵 


故人西辭黃鶴樓，
煙花三月下揚州。 
孤帆遠影碧空盡，
惟見長江天際流。 
 
李 白

Above the mountain dark and deep
The snow clouds form a floating quill;
But though these woods are clear and bright,
Inside the town I feel it chill.
 
 

229. Farewell to Cui

 
Pei Di
 
Traversing mountains thin and deep
And on through hills and dales revered;
For just a day you’ll be a man
Of Eden, land of love and cheer.
 
 

You who’ve come and seen my hometown hue
Would know the news from there, I must presume:
That day you left, outside the window view,
Had winter’s plums begun to wear their bloom?
 
 
 

Away in southern lands the red beans lay
As spring returns to send its blooms above;
Desiring you I pluck a big bouquet,
To hold a thing that marks our tender love.
 
 
 
Chinese
 
相思
 
紅豆生南國，
春來發幾枝。
願君多采擷，
此物最相思。
 
 
Pronunciation
 
Xiāng Sī
 
Hóng dòu shēng nán guó，
Chūn lái fā jī zhī。
Yuàn jūn duō cǎi xié，
Cǐ wù zuì xiāng sī。
 
 
Literal Character Translation
 

Within the mountain midst, a farewell scene:
I shut my door, the sun begins to set.
In spring next year the grass will turn to green,
But if you’ll come back here, I know not yet.
 
 
 
Chinese
 
送別
 
山中相送罷，
日暮掩柴扉。
春草明年綠，
王孫歸不歸。
 
 
Pronunciation
 
Sòng Bié
 
Shān zhōng xiāng sòng bà，
Rì mù yǎn chái fēi。
Chūn cǎo nián nián lǜ，
Wáng sūn guī bù guī。
 
 
Literal Character Translation

Alone, I sit serene within a bamboo grove,
At ease, I strum the lute and hum a song.
Unknown into the forest deep I’ll rove
Until the shining moon has sung along.
 
 
 
Chinese
 
竹里館
 
獨坐幽篁裡，
彈琴復長嘯。
深林人不知，
明月來相照。
 
 
Pronunciation
 
Zhú Lǐ Guǎn
 
Dú zuò yōu huáng lǐ，
Dàn qín fù cháng xiào。
Shēn lín rén bù zhī，
Míng yuè lái xiāng zhào。
 
 
Literal Character Translation