《桃源行》－ 王维

 

渔舟逐水爱山春，

两岸桃花夹古津。

坐看红树不知远，

行尽青溪不见人。

山口潜行始隈隩，

山开旷望旋平陆。

遥看一处攒云树，

近入千家散花竹。

樵客初传汉姓名，

居人未改秦衣服。

居人共住武陵源，

还从物外起田园。

月明松下房栊静，

日出云中鸡犬喧。

惊闻俗客争来集，

竞引还家问都邑。

平明闾巷扫花开，

薄暮渔樵乘水入。

初因避地去人间，

及至成仙遂不还。

峡里谁知有人事，

世中遥望空云山。

不疑灵境难闻见，

尘心未尽思乡县。

出洞无论隔山水，

辞家终拟长游衍。

自谓经过旧不迷，

安知峰壑今来变。

当时只记入山深，

青溪几度到云林。

春来遍是桃花水，

不辨仙源何处寻。

  

The Tale of Peach Blossom Spring

By Wang Wei

 

A fishing boat floats down to see the sights of spring

Along the shores lined with the peach flowers thriving.

The fisher oars forth for watching the trees in red;

To the end of the stream, he spies no one ahead.

 

A cave turns up in the hill secret and serene,

Thro’ which there lies a vast plain with the fairest scene.

Afar he can catch sight of crowds of clouds-crowned trees;

Close up houses amid blooms and bamboos he sees.

 

The woodsmen introduce themselves in Han language,

And people still wear clothes of Ch’in in the village.

They have lived here in generations in Wuling,

Whence a heaven’s built without any worldly thing.

 

Their houses quiet under the pines and moon bright,

At sunrise roosters crow and dogs bark with delight.

Amazed, to see this outsider they all come down, 

And invite him home to tell of their old hometown.  

 

At dawn they ope their doors to sweep petals on roads;

At dusk fishermen and woodsmen boat home with loads.

At first, they just ran away from the blight and plight;

At last on this paradise they came to alight.

 

Since then the earthly things they in the vales ne’er care;

All the outsiders can see is cloudy hills fair.

It’s hard to find a heaven the fisher doesn’t think,

Yet with his home it’s tough for him to cut a link.

 

O, tho' he left the cave, whence beyond hills and rills,

He opts to revisit this place of many thrills.

He’s certain he’s been there, so get lost not he will,

Yet to his surprise all have changed in th’ vale and hill. 

 

He can recall when into the hill, it was steep;

Along the stream zigzag to the cloudy woods deep.

Again, the peach blooms by the stream as spring does call,

But he cannot track down the fairy cave at all.

 

Tr. Ziyuzile

02/03/2013