海外逸士詩文英譯﹕詠雪

《宋歐陽公曾宴客﹐作詠雪句﹐諱「玉、月、梨、梅、練、絮、白、舞、鶴、鵝、銀」諸字﹐於艱難中出驚奇。余見獵心喜﹐亦仿之﹐並諱「霜、雪、露、花、飄」諸字》

北天雲封烏彤翻﹐驚濤風卷萬竅喧。撒鹽難加千戶味﹐蝶翅欲塞九洲天。老樹沒根柴門淺﹐馬蹄覺重沙路平。東西不辨河與道﹐南北難分陌和阡。漣漪猶起南國澤﹐凝波不被洞庭鱗。雲開遠峰露斑首﹐風來庭樹動香鬟。隔牆好鳥聲不聞﹐園外鄰犬吠正歡。一樽對客小閣暖﹐雙松吟風穹宇寒。酒闌忽起歐公興﹐亦將雅情寄錦箋。

Ode to Snow

(The official E-Yang of Song Dynasty once had a banquet, on which he composed a poem about snow, excluding these words always in description of snow: 「jade, moon, plum, silk, catkin, white, dance, stork, goose, silver, etc」 He wanted to write a poem out of difficulties. I read his poem and like it very much, and so I imitate his way, further excluding the following words: 「frost, snow, dew, blossom, float, etc.」)

Black or red clouds shut out the northern sky, rolling up and down;
The wind churns scary billows1 with sound echoing in pores of the earth.
Heaven spreads salt2, but can』t add flavor to dishes in thousand homes;
The broken wings of butterflies3 will fill the sky of Cathay.
The roots of old trees are covered and bottoms of wooden doors concealed;
The hooves of horses feel heavy in galloping4 and sand roads leveled.
The ways and rivers can』t be distinguished from east to west;
The footpaths through fields are not discernible from south to north.
The ripples, however, still undulate in the tarns of the southern land;
And no frozen waves bury the fishes in Dongting Lake.
When clouds scatter, the remote peaks show their hoary heads;
The wind comes to stir the hair-bun5 on the trees in the courtyards.
The good birds are mute and soundless beyond the walls;
Neighbors』 dogs outside the garden are barking merrily.
I lift my cup to my guests in the small warm pavilion;
Two pine trees in soughing winds and the vault so cold.
Having enough wine, I suddenly have the interest like official E-Yang;
So I also put my poetic emotions on the brocade paper.