Wednesday 11 September 2013

王勃: 關山難越,誰悲失路之人? Border mountains are difficult to cross --


巧聯 唐 • 王勃
(節錄自【籐王閣序】)

關山難越,  誰悲失路之人?
萍水相逢,  盡是他鄉之客。



A WITTY COUPLET 
-- by WANG BO (650-676)
(Excerpted from his famous 'Preface to TENG WANG GE' :"KING OF TENG'S GRAND PAVILION")

-- Translated by Frank C Yue

Border mountains are difficult to cross --
Who'll e'er feel sorry for those who were lost?


Like the floating plants, by chance, they all meet:
They're travellers from far-off places, indeed!




<王勃,世稱短命詩人,而且死得很慘,被水淹死,但是,他撰了一篇【籐王閣序】,流傳千古,這聯是在該序節錄出來。>

An attempted rendition of Wang Bo's poem below is posted on my blog dd. 2013.03.18. where you'll find the full text of his famous Preface.

【籐王閣】     唐 • 王勃

滕王高閣臨江渚,
佩玉鳴鸞罷歌舞。
畫棟朝飛南浦雲,
珠簾暮卷西山雨。
 

閒雲潭影日悠悠,
物換星移幾度秋。
閣中帝子今何在?
檻外長江空自流。


 

TENG WANG GE ("King of Teng's Grand Pavilion")
-- by WANG BO (650-676)

-- Translated by Frank C Yue

By the bank of River Gan, King Teng's Grand Pavilion is found,
But gone were the songs, dances, swinging pendants', horse-bells' sounds.
Dawn clouds, from this south parting-place, fly o'er the painted beams;
At Dusk, outside rolled-up pearly curtains, west-hill rains are seen.
 

Cast shadows on the gorge in the sun, leisure clouds on high;
Stars and things, move and change: How many Autumns have gone by?

In the Pavilion, now, where is the King?
Off the railings, the lone river flows in vain!
 

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