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！」
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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。>
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… < 詞的故事：
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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.
