王禹偁·《鸟啄疮驴诗》英译

商山老鸟何惨酷，喙长于钉利于镞，拾虫啄卵从尔为，安得残我负疮畜。

我从去岁谪商於，行李唯存一蹇驴。来登秦岭又巉岩，为我驮背百卷书。

穿皮露脊痕连腹，半年治疗将平复。老鸟昨日忽下来，啄破旧疮取新肉。

驴號仆叫鸟已飞，劘嘴振毛坐吾屋。我驴我仆奈尔何？悔不挾弹更张罗。

赖是商山多鸷鸟，便问邻家借秋鹞。铁尔拳兮钩尔爪，折鸟颈兮食鸟脑。

岂唯取尔肌肠饱，亦与疮驴复仇了。

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Song of the Crow Pecking at My Scarred Donkey

Wang Yü-ch’eng

 

Old crow of Shang Mountain, you are cruel

Beak longer than a spike, sharper than an arrow.

Go gather bugs or peck at eggs—

Why must you harm this poor scarred beast of mine?

Since I was exiled to Shang-yu last year

There has only been this one lame donkey to move my things.

We climbed the Ch’in mountains and the Ch’ao to get here;

He carried a hundred volumes for me on his back.

The ropes cut his skin to the spine: the scar reached his belly;

Now with half a year’s healing he’s nearly well again.

But yesterday the crow suddenly swooped down

And pecked through his wound to get the living flesh.

The donkey brayed, my servant cried out and the crow flew away!

Perched on the roof he preened his feathers and scraped his beak.

There was nothing my donkey and my servant could do

Without a crossbow to shoot or nets to spread.

But Shang Mountain has many birds of prey;

I’ll ask our neighbor to lend me his autumn hawk:

With claws of iron and hooked talons

He’ll snap the crow’s neck and fed on his brain!

And this won’t serve only to fill his empty gut;

No! It’s revenge for my donkey’s pain.