曹丕·《短歌行》英译

仰瞻帷幕，俯察几筵。

其物如故，其人不存。

神灵倐忽，弃我遐迁。

靡瞻靡恃，泣涕连连。

呦呦游鹿，衔草鸣麑。

翩翩飞鸟，挟子巢栖。

我独孤茕，怀此百离。

忧心孔疚，莫我能知。

人亦有言，忧令人老。

嗟我白发，生一何早。

长吟永叹，怀我圣考。

曰仁者寿，胡不是保？

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On the Death of His Father

Ts’ao P’i

 

I look up, the curtains are there as of yore;

I look down, and there is the mat on the floor;

These things I behold, but the man is no more.

 

To the infinite azure his spirit has flown,

And I am left friendless, uncared-for, alone,

Of solace bereft, save to weep and to moan.

 

The deer on the hillside caressingly bleat,

And offer the grass for their young ones to eat,

While birds of the air to their nestlings bring meat.

 

But I a poor orphan must ever remain,

My heart, still so young, overburdened with pain

For him I shall never set eyes on again.

 

‘Tis a well-worn old saying, which all men allow,

That grief stamps the deepest of lines on the brow:

Alas for my hair, it is silvery now!

 

Alas for nay father, cut off in his pride!

Alas that no more I may stand by his side!

Oh where were the gods when that great hero died?

 

（Herbert A. Giles 译）

 

On the Death of His Father

 

I look up and see/his curtains and bed:

I look down and examine/his table and mat.

The things are there/just as before.

But the man they belonged to/is not there.

His spirit suddenly/has taken flight

And left me behind/far away.

To whom shall I look/on whom rely?

My tears flow in an endless stream.

“Yu, yu”/cry the wandering deer

As they carry fodder/to their young in the wood.

Flap, flap/fly the birds

As they carry their little ones/back to the nest.

I alone/am desolate

Dreading the days/of our long parting:

My grieving heart’s/settled pain

No one else/can understand.

There is a saying/among people

“Sorrow makes us/grow old.”

Alas, alas/for my white hairs!

All too early/they have come!

Long wailing, /long sighing

My thoughts are fixed on my sage parent.

They say the good/live long:

Then why was he/not spared?

 

（Arthur Waley 译）