辛棄疾 少年不識愁滋味 愛上層樓 In my youth I knew not what were grief and woe

《醜奴兒/采桑子‧書博山道中壁》
   南宋‧辛棄疾

    少年不識愁滋味，
         愛上層樓，
         愛上層樓 ;
         為赋新詞強說愁。

         而今識盡愁滋味，
         欲說還休，
         欲說還休 ;
         卻道天凉好個秋。

TUNE: Chou Nu Er “Ugly Boy-Servant”/
             Cai Sang Zi “Picking Mulberries”
TITLE: "Written on a Wall on the Way to Boshan"

-- by Xin Qiji (1140-1207)

-- Translated by Frank C Yue

In my youth I knew not what were grief and woe --

Up the storeys I loved to go.

Up the storeys  I loved to go,

For my new songs I just feigned my grief and woe!

Of grief and woe I’ve tasted the flavours today –

I'd like to talk but just wouldn’t say;

I’d like to talk but just wouldn’t say,

O! What a chilly Autumn, what a fine day!

and a fine rendition by -- 夜月星河'Night Moon Starry River':

While young I failed to know the taste of woe.
I climbed upstairs with gusto;
I climbed upstairs with gusto.
I used to write new songs with fake sorrow.

Now I know the taste of grief as I grow.
Try to speak but I stall though;
Try to speak but I stall though.

" A cool fall day!"  I finally say so.

The following explanatory information is culled from the net:

… < 譯文： 少年時不懂的什麼是憂愁， 閒來無事喜歡登上高樓。 喜歡登上高樓， 為了寫首新詞沒有憂愁也要說有許多憂愁。 如今嘗盡了愁的滋味， 想說卻又說不出口。 想說卻又說不出口， 而只是說：「好涼爽的一個秋天啊！」
欣賞： 這闋詞精彩的描寫出隨著年齡的成長，心態的轉變。無憂無慮的少年有些無聊、強裝的閒愁，卻好像很嚴重一樣。到真正體會到人生的苦澀艱辛，許多的愁怨連說都說不出口，只能獨自承受。>
… < 詞的故事：

有句話說：「如人飲水，冷暖自知。」水是涼的或熱的，只有喝水的人最清楚了；同樣的，辛棄疾這首詞也是如此，愁的滋味到底有多苦呢？只有親身體驗的人，才能夠了解。到那個時候，即使想說愁，愁反而不是言語所能夠形容了。這種心情，你不必急著知道，有一天自然會明白的。

這首詞的作者辛棄疾，是位愛國詞人。當他出生的那年，正是岳飛領軍向北反攻，北宋人民群起響應，金人節節敗退的年代。然而，過了兩年，岳飛被害死了，只求偏安江南的南宋政府，居然屈辱的和金人談和，從此中原落入金人殘暴的統治。

在北方淪陷區長大的辛棄疾，從小就富有民族意識。長大後便在家鄉聚集了二千多人，投入當時的抗敵領袖耿京的旗下，立下不少輝煌的戰功。

二十三歲時，辛棄疾更率軍回到南方，打算一展抱負，收復北方的失地。然而，當時南宋政府根本沒有抵抗金人的決心，辛棄疾滿腔抱負落空了；又因為處處為人民著想，積極的作為，引起別人的猜忌，以致於兩度被迫離職，過了二十年閒散的生活。這使得滿懷壯志的他，心中非常痛苦，只好藉詞來表達心聲，因此他的詞豪放中別有一股悲涼的情懷。-- 摘錄自華一書局《兒童啟蒙文學》>

now, for a better appreciation of this famous xin qiji long-and-short verse, let's see how some of the masters of translation do their own rendition. 

Rendition 1

-- by 林語堂 Lin Yutang  (1895 - 1976)

In my young days, 

I had tasted only gladness,
But loved to mount the top floor,    

But loved to mount the top floor,    
To write a song pretending sadness.

And now I have tasted 

Sorrow's flavours, bitter and sour,
And can't find a word, 

And can't find a word. 
But merely say, "What a golden autumn hour!

Rendition 2

-- by 楊憲益 Yang Xianyi (1915－2009) 

"Written on the Wall on My Way to Boshan -- to the Melody Chou Nu Er"

As a lad I never knew the taste of sorrow,
But loved to climb towers,
Loved to climb towers,
And drag sorrow into each new song I sung.

Now I know well the taste of sorrow,
It is on the tip of my tongue,
On the tip of my tongue,
But instead I say, "What a fine, cool autumn day!"

Rendition 3
-- by 唐安石神父 Fr. John A.Turner (? -1971) 

"Enlightenment"

In youth, ere Grief to me was known
I loved to climb on high, I loved to climb on high:
In many a laboured lay
Grief would I there portray.

But now, with Grief familiar grown,
Slower to speak am I, slower to speak am I.
At most, I pause and say,
"What a fine autumn day!"

  

Rendition 4

-- by 許淵沖 Xu Yuanchong（1921－ ）

Tune: "Song of Ugly Slave --Written on the Wall on My Way to Boshan"

While young, I knew no grief I could not bear;
I'd like to go upstair.          

I'd like to go upstair
To write new verses with a false despair.

I know what grief is now that I am old;
I would not have it told.     
I would not have it told,      
But only say I'm glad that autumn's cold.  

Rendition 5

-- Andrew W.F. Wong (Huang Hongfa) 譯者: 黃宏發
23 May 2007 (revised 18.7.07; 5.12.07; further revised... 30.11.10)

Xin Qiji (1140-1207)
Tune: "Chou Nu Er (The Ugly Page)"/ 
          "Cai Sang Zi (Picking Mulberries)"
Title: "Written on a Wall on the Way to Boshan"

1  When young I never did know the taste of woe or sorrow,
2  To the top floor upstairs, I loved to go;   
3  To the top floor upstairs, I loved to go,
4  For to compose new verses, I feigned my sorrow and woe.

5  Now that sorrow and woe I've tasted, and the bitterness withal,
6  To speak, I wish, and yet I stall;
7  To speak, I wish, and yet I stall,
8  What a beautifully chilly autumn! I say, after all.