（古詞英譯）九章·涉江 — 屈原

九章·涉江 — 屈原

 

余幼好此奇服兮，年既老而不衰。

带长铗之陆离兮，冠切云之崔嵬，被明月兮佩宝璐。

世溷浊而莫余知兮，吾方高驰而不顾。

驾青虬兮骖白螭，吾与重华游兮瑶之圃。

登昆仑兮食玉英，与天地兮比寿，与日月兮同光。

哀南夷之莫吾知兮，旦余济乎江湘。

 

River Odyssey by Qu yuan

 

Canto I

Sith youth I have loved this wondrous attire,

And age hath not forced my zeal to expire.

A dazzling long sword girds my side,

A cloud-cleaving crown — lofty with pride,

And eke I don moon-lustred gems and jade.

Though this world heeds me not, in riot ‘tis laid,

Unbowed, I stride forth, my vision set ahead.

Charioted by dragons, blue and white high-bred

I’d escort Saint Chonghua through the jade-lit place —

The Fairy Garden — and taste the floral grace

Atop the Mount Kunlun. For long life I vie

With heaven and earth, for brilliance I ply

To shine with the moon and the sun,

Alas, folks of Chu value me not, no one

Appreciates me — thus, morrow morn I’ll sail

Athwart the rivers of Xiang and Yangze in gale.

 

乘鄂渚而反顾兮，欸秋冬之绪风。

步余马兮山皋，邸余车兮方林。

乘舲船余上沅兮，齐吴榜以击汰。

船容与而不进兮，淹回水而疑滞。

朝发枉陼兮，夕宿辰阳。

苟余心其端直兮，虽僻远之何伤？

 

Canto II

 

I glance back, eftsoons I set foot on Ezhu isle,

Sighing at the wilful gale — bleak with biting bile.   

As my chariot arrives at Fanglin woods at will,

I let my steeds stroll at the foot of the hill.

Against Yuan’s waves, upstream, in a roofed boat,

Oars strive in unison, all might devote,

Yet my boat stalls, by the undertow drawn,

Through eddies, oars row till the break of dawn,

I head for Wangzhu isle, far and away,

At dusk, in Chenyang, I rest and close the day.

So long as my heart stays free of stain,

No exile can bring me harm or pain.

 

入溆浦余儃佪兮，迷不知吾所如。

深林杳以冥冥兮，乃猿狖之所居。

山峻高而蔽日兮，下幽晦以多雨。

霰雪纷其无垠兮，云霏霏其承宇。

哀吾生之无乐兮，幽独处乎山中。

吾不能变心以从俗兮，固将愁苦而终穷。

 

Canto III

Anon, I approach the shore of Xupu,

Bemused, unsure of where to hie, or what to do. 

Wild woods, so dim, so vast, so deep,

A realm where apes and shadowed spirits sleep.

The alps rise high, eclipsing the sunlit skies,

Below, gloom broods, and rain oft sobs and sighs.

Snow swirls in this freezing and boundless scope,

Clouds press low, a dark welkin without hope.

Alack, my life is bruised and battered,

Alone, I dwell in the alps — grief shattered.

Refusing to follow the worldly flow,

I am doomed to swallow lifelong woe.

 

接舆髡首兮，桑扈臝行。

忠不必用兮，贤不必以。

伍子逢殃兮，比干菹醢。

与前世而皆然兮，吾又何怨乎今之人。

余将董道而不豫兮，固将重昏而终身。

 

CantoIV

Jieyu, in disdain, shaved off his hair,

Sanghu, in disgust, strode forth bare.

The loyal may never be granted trust,

The wise may rot, buried in dust.

Wu Zixu was forced to take his own life,

Bigan’s true heart met the butcher’s knife.

If history must rhyme over and again,

Why on earth should I rage at churlish men?

I shall never stray from the path of truth,

Though I must bear cruel pain, bereft of ruth.

 

乱曰：鸾鸟凤凰，日以远兮。

燕雀乌鹊，巢堂坛兮。

露申辛夷，死林薄兮。

腥臊并御，芳不得薄兮。

阴阳易位，时不当兮。

怀信侘傺，忽乎吾将行兮。

 

Epilogue

 

The phoenix and the Luan — auspicious birds,

Every day leave their beloved nest sans words.

While sparrows and crows, they nest

On high altars, others all at their behest.

In rampant weeds Daphne and Magnolia sink,

Where sweetness fled, putrid rules — what a stink.

So preposterous — an upside-down age,

The faithful molested, I now leave this sordid stage.

 

Tr. Ziyuzile

06/05/2025

(To be revised)