February 2023

Tao Yuanming: A Requiem for My Soul ~ 《自祭文》 陶渊明 with English Translations

《自祭文》是晋宋之际文学家陶渊明为自己创作的一篇祭文。在这篇祭文中,作者对自己的生活情状、性格志趣和人生理想作了总结性的抒写。在作者看来,人要长有欢乐,必须乐天委分,也即顺应自然,只有顺应自然,才能做到赏不为喜、罚不为忧,享清明之心境而无物欲之牵累。此文在写法上受祭文这一文体的限制,通篇用简短的四字句,杂以五字、六字、八字句,虽置辞简赅,但意象生动,含蕴丰富,且句中多次换韵,整齐中见变动,使文章显得潇洒飞动。此文情感真朴,文风茂实。 《自祭文》 陶渊明 岁惟丁卯,律中无射。天寒夜长,风气萧索,鸿雁于征,草木黄落。陶子将辞逆旅之馆,永归于本宅。故人凄其相悲,同祖行于今夕。羞以嘉蔬,荐以清酌。候颜已冥,聆音愈漠。呜呼哀哉!茫茫大块,悠悠高旻,是生万物,余得为人。自余为人,逢运之贫,箪瓢屡罄,絺绤冬陈。含欢谷汲,行歌负薪,翳翳柴门,事我宵晨,春秋代谢,有务中园,载耘载籽,乃育乃繁。欣以素犊,和以七弦。冬曝其日,夏濯其泉。勤靡余劳,心有常闲。乐天委分,以至百年。惟此百年,夫人爱之,惧彼无成,愒日惜时。存为世珍,殁亦见思。嗟我独迈,曾是异兹。宠非己荣,涅岂吾缁?捽兀穷庐,酣饮赋诗。识运知命,畴能罔眷。余今斯化,可以无恨。寿涉百龄,身慕肥遁,从老得终,奚所复恋!寒暑愈迈,亡既异存,外姻晨来,良友宵奔,葬之中野,以安其魂。窅窅我行,萧萧墓门,奢耻宋臣,俭笑王孙,廓兮已灭,慨焉已遐,不封不树,日月遂过。匪贵前誉,孰重后歌?人生实难,死如之何?鸣呼哀哉! A Requiem for My Soul Tao Yuanming Ding-mao is the year; the season, late autumn(1). Cold are the days; long, the nights; bleak is the weather and disconsolate. Yellowing grass, falling leaves, southward migrate the wild geese. At the end of his sojourn, Mr. Tao is returning for good and all […]

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Zhao Gu: Farewell Speech ~ 《送别》 赵嘏 with English Translations

赵嘏,字承佑,楚州山阳(今江苏省淮安市淮安区)人,唐代诗人。约生于宪宗元和元年(806).年轻时四处游历,大和七年预省试进士下第,留寓长安多年,出入豪门以干功名,其间似曾远去岭表当了几年幕府。后回江东,家于润州(今镇江).会昌四年进士及第,一年后东归。会昌末或大中初复往长安,入仕为渭南尉。约宣宗大中六、七年(852、853)卒于任上。 《送别》 赵嘏 去日家无儋石储,汝须勤若事樵渔。 古人尽向尘中远,白日耕田夜读书。 Farewell Speech Zhao Gu Now you leave home, we have but a few litres of grain, You can earn a fisher’s wages or follow a woodman’s way. Young people of yore, when going out to learn, would fain Burn the midnight oil and till the fields in the day.

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Ching An: Moored at Maple Bridge ~ 《枫桥夜泊 和唐人韵两首·其二》 敬安 with English Translations

释敬安(1851-1912)近代爱国诗僧。俗名黄读山,字福馀,法名敬安,字寄禅,湖南湘潭县雁坪乡银湖塘人。少以孤贫出家,致力诗文,得王闿运指授,才思日进,入“碧湘诗社”。自号八指头陀,曾任浙江天童寺方丈。辛亥革命后,当选为中华佛教总会会长,时湖南等地发生寺产纠纷,应众邀入京请愿,到京未达目的,即卒于法源寺。生平颇有诗名,殁后杨度为刻《八指头陀诗文集》。 《枫桥夜泊 和唐人韵两首·其二》 敬安 白露横江水接天,秋怀黯黯不成眠。 一身漂泊三千里,独宿芦花月满船。 Moored at Maple Bridge Ching An Frost white across the river waters reaching toward the sky. All I’d hoped for’s lost in Autumn’s darkening. I cannot sleep, a man adrift, a thousand miles alone, among the reed flowers; but the moonlight fills the boat.

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Ching An: Returning Clouds ~ 《归云》 敬安 with English Translations

释敬安(1851-1912)近代爱国诗僧。俗名黄读山,字福馀,法名敬安,字寄禅,湖南湘潭县雁坪乡银湖塘人。少以孤贫出家,致力诗文,得王闿运指授,才思日进,入“碧湘诗社”。自号八指头陀,曾任浙江天童寺方丈。辛亥革命后,当选为中华佛教总会会长,时湖南等地发生寺产纠纷,应众邀入京请愿,到京未达目的,即卒于法源寺。生平颇有诗名,殁后杨度为刻《八指头陀诗文集》。 《归云》 敬安 烟树苍茫叠翠薇,道人长掩竹中扉。 白云也识山居味,不待鸣钟已早归。 Returning Clouds Ching An Misty trees hide in crinkled hills’ blue green. The man of the Way’s stayed long at this cottage in the bamboo grove. White clouds too know the flavor of this mountain life; they haven’t waited for the Vesper Bell to come on home again.

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Ching An: Night Sitting ~ 《夜坐》 敬安 with English Translations

释敬安(1851-1912)近代爱国诗僧。俗名黄读山,字福馀,法名敬安,字寄禅,湖南湘潭县雁坪乡银湖塘人。少以孤贫出家,致力诗文,得王闿运指授,才思日进,入“碧湘诗社”。自号八指头陀,曾任浙江天童寺方丈。辛亥革命后,当选为中华佛教总会会长,时湖南等地发生寺产纠纷,应众邀入京请愿,到京未达目的,即卒于法源寺。生平颇有诗名,殁后杨度为刻《八指头陀诗文集》。 《夜坐》 敬安 幽人夜不眠,爱此碧虚月。 凉风一飒然,吹动梧桐叶。 Night Sitting Ching An The hermit doesn’t sleep at night: in love with the blue of the vacant moon. The cool of the breeze that rustles the trees rustles him too.

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Ching An: Crossing the Yang-chia Bridge Once More ~ 《重过杨家桥二首·其二》 敬安 with English Translations

释敬安(1851-1912)近代爱国诗僧。俗名黄读山,字福馀,法名敬安,字寄禅,湖南湘潭县雁坪乡银湖塘人。少以孤贫出家,致力诗文,得王闿运指授,才思日进,入“碧湘诗社”。自号八指头陀,曾任浙江天童寺方丈。辛亥革命后,当选为中华佛教总会会长,时湖南等地发生寺产纠纷,应众邀入京请愿,到京未达目的,即卒于法源寺。生平颇有诗名,殁后杨度为刻《八指头陀诗文集》。 《重过杨家桥二首·其二》 敬安 照水朱颜半已凋,春风依旧柳千条。 栖鸦数点斜阳里,不忍题诗过此桥。 Crossing the Yang-chia Bridge Once More Ching An The face reflected in the stream’s lost half its youthful color. Spring wind is as it was before, so too, the thousand willow boughs. Crows perch to punctuate the lines of slanting sunset. It’s hard to write as I pass this place

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Ching An: On a Painting ~ with English Translations

释敬安(1851-1912)近代爱国诗僧。俗名黄读山,字福馀,法名敬安,字寄禅,湖南湘潭县雁坪乡银湖塘人。少以孤贫出家,致力诗文,得王闿运指授,才思日进,入“碧湘诗社”。自号八指头陀,曾任浙江天童寺方丈。辛亥革命后,当选为中华佛教总会会长,时湖南等地发生寺产纠纷,应众邀入京请愿,到京未达目的,即卒于法源寺。生平颇有诗名,殁后杨度为刻《八指头陀诗文集》。 《题画二首·其二》 敬安 一株两株松,三个五个竹。 岩扉常寂寥,只有云来宿。 On a Painting Ching An A pine or two, three or four bamboo, the hut on the cliff is quiet. Only the clouds come to visit.

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Ching An: At Hu-h’ou, Mourning for Kao Po-tzu ~ with English Translations

释敬安(1851-1912)近代爱国诗僧。俗名黄读山,字福馀,法名敬安,字寄禅,湖南湘潭县雁坪乡银湖塘人。少以孤贫出家,致力诗文,得王闿运指授,才思日进,入“碧湘诗社”。自号八指头陀,曾任浙江天童寺方丈。辛亥革命后,当选为中华佛教总会会长,时湖南等地发生寺产纠纷,应众邀入京请愿,到京未达目的,即卒于法源寺。生平颇有诗名,殁后杨度为刻《八指头陀诗文集》。 《湖口吊高伯足》 敬安 高生才调冠三吴,为问人间尚有无? 今日却过湖口县,乱山无语夕阳孤。 At Hu-h’ou, Mourning for Kao Po-tzu Ching An Though he was young, Kao was the crown of Su-chou and Hu-k’ou. It was only to see if he was still here that I came today to this place… found a chaos of mountains no word this evening sun this loneliness.

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Ching An: Written on the Painting “Cold River Snow” ~ 《题寒江钓雪图》 敬安 with English Translations

《题寒江钓雪图》是一首题画诗,作于清光绪十年(1884),为作者早期代表作之一。画意显然取自柳宗元《江雪》诗的“孤舟蓑笠翁,独钓寒江雪”,而释氏的题诗则与柳诗大异其趣。 《题寒江钓雪图》 敬安 垂钓板桥东,雪压蓑衣冷。 江寒水不流,鱼嚼梅花影。 Written on the Painting “Cold River Snow” Ching An Dropped a hook, east of Plankbridge. Now snow weighs down his straw rain gear. It’s freezing. The River’s so cold the water’s stopped running: fish nibble the shadows of plum blossoms.

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Green and Green Grows ~ 《乐府·青青陵上柏》 with English Translations

《青青陵上柏》是产生于汉代的一首文人五言诗,是《古诗十九首》之一。此诗写作者游戏宛洛,意在仕途。然而他发现这个宫殿巍峨、甲第连云,权贵们朋比为奸、苟且度日的都城,并非属于他的世界,写出了个人不平之感和不满现实的心情。全诗在艺术上,注重铺陈,提高形象性;运用对比,增强抒情性;用反问句,增强意蕴性。 《乐府·青青陵上柏》 佚名 青青陵上柏, 磊磊涧中石。 人生天地间, 忽如远行客。 斗酒相娱乐, 聊厚不为薄。 驱车策驽马, 游戏宛与洛。 洛中何郁郁, 冠带自相索。 长衢罗夹巷, 王侯多第宅。 两宫遥踵望, 双阙百余尺。 极宴娱心意, 戚戚何所迫? Green and Green Grows Green, green grows the cypress on the mound; Piles, piles of stones in the streams abound. Men reside between heaven and earth, Like travelers parting from their places of birth. I taste

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