莫道不消魂,簾捲西風,人似黃花瘦。
O What unbearable sorrows are these?
Curtains a-flapping, the restless western breeze -- Chrysanthemums, O I am as thin as these!
【醉花陰】 南宋
• 李清照
TUNE: ZUI HUA YIN (“Drunk in the Flowery Shade”)
-- Li Qingzhao (1081-1151?)(Southern Song dynasty)
-- Translated by Frank C Yue
薄霧濃雲愁永晝。瑞腦消金獸。
Covered by thin mists and thick clouds, it is so gloomy all day!
From the gold-like animal censer, strong fragrance soon fades away.
佳節又重陽,玉枕紗廚,半夜涼初透。
The fine Double Ninth Festival is, again, within sight.
My porcelain pillow and mosquito net tight,
The chill first comes a-visiting at midnight.
東籬把酒黃昏後。有暗香盈袖。
At the eastern fence after dusk I drink (with restraint);
There comes a-filling my sleeves fragrance faint.
莫道不消魂,簾捲西風,人似黃花瘦。
O What unbearable sorrows are these?
Curtains a-flapping, the restless western breeze --
Chrysanthemums, O I am as thin as these!
A brief collection of my attempted English renditions of selected Chinese poems, both contemporary and classical. (Each original classical Chinese poem may be presented in both the traditional and simplified forms, followed by the English translation.) Comments and suggested amendments welcome. (But I may not have the time to respond to every comment.) I am a follower of Andrew W F Wong's excellent blog "Classical Chinese Poems in English".
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