端淑卿·《隋柳》英译

炀帝宫中柳，凋零几度秋。

蝉声悲故国，莺语愁荒丘。　　

行殿基仍在，空江水自流。

行人休折尽，春日更生愁。

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Sui Willow   

Duan Shuqing

Emperor Yang’s willow on the embankment¹

Withered by how many autumns?

Cicadas call in despair for the lost nation;

Orioles cry laments by the tomb mounds.

Where are the foundations of the Traveling Lodge?

Water in the deserted river flows on its own.

Traveler, do not break all the willow twigs:

Breaking them all arouses more sadness.

1.“Emperor Yang’s willow” refers to the well-known “Parting Poem” sometimes attributed to Yang Guang, Emperor Yang of the Sui dynasty (r. 60517): “Green, green the willows, brushing the ground/Wild, wild the catkins, roiling in the air/Willow twigs have all been broken, catkins have all flown/I ask the traveler, will he return?” The text is listed among anonymous Sui “Miscellaneous tunes and song-lyrics” in Lu Qinli, ed., Xian Qin Han Wei Jin Nanbeichao shi, p. 2753. The “embankment’’ mentioned is probably a reference to the Grand Canal, completed during Emperor Yang’s reign.    

2. The “Traveling Lodge” refers to one of the elaborate palaces built for Emperor Yang’s travels around the country.   

（Charles H. Egan 译）