林以宁·《穀雨》英译

一

镜台流影射窗纱，风到檐前柳脚斜。

竹架整书除脉望，春池洗砚乱蘋花。

桑浓蚕子犹悬箔，日暖蜂干早放衙。

童子佩壶寻涧水，涤瓯明日试新茶。

二

草草深闺度岁华，生平不解问桑麻。

沿篱野豆初牵蔓，绕砌山桃半欲花。

细雨渍成杨柳色，暖风催放牡丹芽。

村姬结束新螺髻，傍晓比邻唤采茶。

Spring Rains for the Crops

Lin Yining

I     

A shaft of liquid light from the mirrorstand pierces windowsilk;

Where breezes blow along the eaves willow tips hang at angles.

I tidy the books on bamboo shelves and rid them of silverfish;

When I wash inkstones in a spring pond they get splattered with duckweed blossom.

Mulberry leaves are lush, silkworms still hang on their frames;

Sun warming, the queen bee has already sent out her drones.

The boy hangs a pot at his waist and goes after streamwater;

We clean cups in the sunshine for tasting the new tea.

II    

I’ve spent my youthful years thoughtlessly back in the women’s quarters;

My whole life, I’ve never known anything about cultivating mulberry and hemp.

Along the brushwood fence, wild pea vines are putting forth first tendrils;

Around the steps, the mountain cherry is on the verge of blooming.

Fine rains soak into branches to become the willow’s color;

Warm sun nudges into bloom the budding peonies.

Village girls do up their hair in the latest elaborate style

And just before dawn call out to their friends next door,

“Let’s pick tea!”

（Maureen Robertson 译）