朱静庵·《虞姬》英译

力尽重瞳霸气消，楚歌声里恨迢迢。

贞魂化作原头草，不逐东风入汉郊。

The Consort Yu¹  

Zhu Jing’an

Strength exhausted, Xiang Yu lost the hegemonic light in his double-pupiled eyes.

Surrounded by the singing of Southern songs, he felt endless regret.

A faithful soul, she turned into grass on the battleground,

Refusing to follow the east wind into Han territory.

1. Yu was the favorite consort of Xiang Yu (232-202 B.C.E.), hegemon of Chu and the arch rival of Liu Bang in the struggle for control of the empire that preceded Liu’s founding of the Han dynasty. When Xiang (who was said to have double pupils) was cornered in Gaixia, Liu had his soldiers sing Southern songs at night, leading Xiang to believe that his home territory, Chu, had joined Liu’s forces. Consort Yu committed suicide before Xiang’s defeat in the final battle the next day.

（Michelle Yeh 译）