Translation of Chinese Poems (1)

Candi's English Translation 
of Chinese Poems

Table

4. 尋隱者不遇

賈島

Translated by Candi C. P. Liu (劉振蘋)

尋隱者不遇

A Failed Endeavor in Seeking a Hermit

Jia Dao*

松下問童子，言師採藥去；

Under a pine tree, I asked a young boy 

for his master’s whereabouts,
 to which the boy replied, 
"My master's gone to gather some herbs.”

只在此山中，雲深不知處。

“I’m certain he’s in the mountains, 

but the clouds are so thick 

that there is no way to know where he is.”

3. 渡漢江

 李頻

Translated by Candi C. P. Liu (劉振蘋)

渡漢江
 Crossing the *Han River

Li Pin*

嶺外音書絕， 經冬復立春。

Many months of solitary confinement
at *Lingnan have barred me from

any contact with the folks in my hometown.

Now winter is gone and spring has come.

近鄉情更怯，不敢問來人。
The more I am close to my hometown,
the more I feel timid in my heart.
So I dare not ask the villager 

for news about my family.

2. 雜詩

王維

Translated by Candi C. P. Liu (劉振蘋)

雜詩

Incidental Poem

Wang Wei*

君自故鄉來，應知故鄉事。

You just came from my hometown,
so you must know what was happening there.

來日綺窗前，寒梅著花未？
On the day when you departed,
was the plum tree in front of my ornate window
beginning to bud for the winter?

1. 望月懷遠

張九齡

Translated by Candi C. P. Liu (劉振蘋)

望月懷遠  

Gazing at the Moon, 

Missing One Far Away

Zhang Jiuling*

海上生明月，天涯共此時。

The moon rises above the sea.

We can share this together 

even though we are far apart,

情人怨遙夜，竟夕起相思。

Just like most lovers 
that hate to spend the long night alone,

I’m missing you throughout the whole night.

滅燭憐光滿，披衣覺露滋。

Then, as I put out the candle, 
I see the moonlight pouring into the room 

so bright and charming

that I go out to appreciate the moon 

with a coat on, which becomes wet with dew.

不堪盈手贈，還寢夢佳期。

Since I cannot give you 

a handful of moonlight,

I’d better go to sleep 

so that I may dream of the date 
when we can meet.

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