方壶斋：老方译诗---胡笳十八拍

The Eighteen Songs of Cai Wenji

我生之初尚無為，我生之後漢祚衰。天不仁兮降亂離，地不仁兮使我逢此時。干戈日尋兮道路危，民卒流亡兮共哀悲。煙塵蔽野兮胡虜盛，志意乖兮節義虧。對殊俗兮非我宜，遭惡辱兮當告誰？笳一會兮琴一拍，心憤怨兮無人知。'

When I was born the country was in peace
When I grew up she was like broken cheese
Chaos came down from an unkind heaven
From the unkind earth came this ill fortune
Spears and swords clang on the dangerous roads
In sadness, refugees flock together like goats
In the dusty wilderness the Xiongnu captured a lot
Bending the wills and virtues of those who were caught
Their alien customs I was not fit to face
When evilly insulted I couldn’t argue a case
Now with this alien instrument I play a number
Yet nobody knows of my sadness and anger


戎羯逼我兮為室家，將我行兮向天涯。雲山萬重兮歸路遐，疾風千里兮楊塵沙。人多暴猛兮如虺蛇，控弦被甲兮為驕奢。兩拍張弦兮弦欲絕，志摧心折兮自悲嗟。

The fur coated forced me to be his bed mate
And took me on a journey to his camp gate
My home was thousands of mountains back
Sandy winds blew hard on the no-ending track
His tribe men were fierce like beasts.
Arrogant with armors and armed to teeth
At this second stanza my strings are to break.
Disheartened I sigh at a prospect bleak

越漢國兮入胡城，亡家失身兮不如無生。氈裘為裳兮骨肉震驚，羯膻為味兮枉遏我情。鼙鼓喧兮從夜達明，胡風浩浩兮暗塞營。傷今感昔兮三拍成，銜悲畜恨兮何時平。

We left the Chinese land and entered the barbarian city
How I wished to die now I had lost home and chastity
My flesh shuddered at the bed cover of fur and hide
I loathed the food’s animal smell spreading wide
They beat their drums from evening to dawn
Their camps were bleak in border wind strong
In sorrow and sadness I finished stanza three
When can I pacify the resentment buried in me?

無日無夜兮不思我鄉土，稟氣含生兮莫過我最苦。天災國亂兮人無主，唯我薄命兮沒戎虜。殊俗心異兮身難處，嗜欲不同兮誰可與語！尋思涉歷兮多艱阻，四拍成兮益凄楚。

I think of my home day and night.
I am the bitterest soul in sight
When disasters came, my country was lord-less
Yet I alone was ill fated to become captured mistress
Their alien customs are hard to accommodate
No one to talk to and no food to my taste
Looking back at my hardship and suffering
This fourth stanza I am even sadder to sing

雁南征兮欲寄邊聲，雁北歸兮為得漢音。雁飛高兮邈難尋，空斷腸兮思喑喑。攢眉向月兮撫雅琴，五拍泠泠兮意彌深。

When geese flew south I wished to pass on my news
When geese return north I wished to hear Chinese muse
The geese flew high and were lost to my sight
The secrete yearnings set my heart into plight
With eye brows knit, I pluck at the strings
This fifth stanza embodies many meanings

冰霜凜凜兮身苦寒，飢對肉酪兮不能餐。夜聞隴水兮聲嗚咽，朝見長城兮路杳漫。追思往日兮行李難，六拍悲來兮欲罷彈。

Cold were the ice and frost chilled my body
Hunger couldn’t force meat and cheese on me
At night I heard the weeping river of hometown
The Great Wall appeared distant at the dawn
Thinking of the past, I found hard the journey
This sad sixth stanza I can finish hardly

日暮風悲兮邊聲四起，不知愁心兮說向誰是！原野蕭條兮烽戍萬里，俗賤老弱兮少壯為美。逐t 水草兮安家葺壘，牛羊滿野兮聚如蜂蟻。草盡水竭兮羊馬皆徒，七拍流恨兮惡居於此。

At dust the wind spreaded the sad bugle sound

And my sadness I knew no one to pass around

Deserted was the land and scorched was the country 

The feeble old despised to give the young glory

Following grazing pastures they set up tents

Their swarms of herd were like bees and ants.

When there’s no grass nor water to feed on

They moved and my loathing of it is in this song


為天有眼兮何不見我獨漂流？為神有靈兮何事處我天南海北頭 ？我不負天兮天何配我殊匹？我不負神兮神何殛我越荒州？制茲八拍兮擬排憂，何知曲成兮心轉愁。

Had Heaven eyes why is he blind to my loneliness?

Were gods real why I ‘m deserted to this remoteness?

Heaven I betrayed not why was I matched with an alien ?

Gods I defied not why was I sent to a land so barren?

I composed this eighth stanza to dispel my sorrow

And my sorrow now doubles, which I could never know

天無涯兮地無邊，我心愁兮亦復然。人生倏忽兮如白駒之過隙，然不得歡樂兮當我之盛年。怨兮欲問天，天蒼蒼兮上無緣。舉頭仰望兮空雲煙，九拍懷情兮誰與傳？

Brimless is the sky and endless the earth,

And deep in my heart so is my sadness.

Life’s time is what a horse takes to jump a gap

Yet merriment is not marked on my youth’s map

Resentful, I would like to go and Heaven ask

But reaching Heaven is an impossible task

I look up at the sky what I see is only foggy cloud

The feelings in this ninth stanza to whom can I speak aloud?

城頭烽火不曾滅，疆場征戰何時歇？殺氣朝朝沖塞門，胡風夜夜吹邊月。故鄉隔兮音塵絕，哭無聲兮氣將咽。一生辛苦兮緣別離，十拍悲深兮淚成血。

The signal fire of the fortress never dies

The field is forever fraught with battle cries

The killing atmosphere shrouds what border town confines

The alien land’s wind blows as the border moon shines

My homeland is so far I hear nothing from there

I cry in muted sound till my breath my sorrows tear

In this tenth stanza my tears become blood sad

My life’s trials come from the experience I had

我非貪生而惡死，不能捐身兮心有以。生仍冀得兮歸桑梓，死當埋骨兮長已矣。日居月諸兮在戎壘，胡人寵我兮有二子。鞠之育之兮不羞恥，愍之念之兮生長邊鄙。十有一拍兮因茲起，哀響纏綿兮徹心髓。

Not that I fear death and crave for life,

My heart tells me not to forsake the strife.

While living I still hope to return home

If I die any place can be my tomb

Many suns and moons in the barbarian world

My two sons were begotten by the nomad lord

I nursed and taught them despite the shame

And pitied them for carrying a barbarian name

In stanza eleven I thus complain

My heart is slain with lingering pain

東風應律兮暖氣多，漢家天子兮布陽和。羌胡蹈舞兮共謳歌，兩國交歡兮罷兵戈。忽遇漢使兮稱近詔，遺千金兮贖妾身。喜得生還兮逢聖君，嗟別稚子兮會無因。十有二拍兮哀樂均，去住兩情兮難具陳。

With music came the warm east breeze

In spring the Han emperor declared peace.

The minorities gathered to dance and sing

The end of war they came celebrating

The Han sent an emissary to this land

With much gold to ask for my hand

Happy was I to return alive during a sage’s reign

But sighed as it is hard to see my children again

不謂殘生兮卻得旋歸，撫抱胡兒兮泣下沾衣。漢使迎我兮四牡腓腓，胡兒號兮誰得知？與我生死兮逢此時，愁為子兮日無光輝，焉得羽翼兮將汝歸。一步一遠兮足難移，魂消影絕兮恩愛遺。十有三拍兮弦急調悲，肝腸攪刺兮人莫我知。

Never imagined my remaining life could see a return home

Holding my children in my arms my tear smeared my robe

The emissary met me, his four stallions plump and restless

Bitterly wept my children, who were now left helpless

Life and death we shared up to this very hour of misery

When could I take you from darkness back to my nursery?

One step farther the other step hard to move

Their figures blurred to whom I left my love

This thirteenth stanza is played fast and sad

None knows how it churns my guts like mad

身歸國兮兒莫之隨，心懸懸兮長如飢。四時萬物兮有盛衰，唯我愁苦兮不暫移。山高地闊兮見汝無期，更深夜闌兮夢汝來斯。夢中執手兮一喜一悲，覺後痛吾心兮無休歇時。十有四拍兮涕淚交垂，河水東流兮心是思。

I returned to my country leaving children behind

Like hunger hurts stomach, they’re oft in my mind

The four seasons bring changes in all the things

The never ending bitterness forever me stings

High mountains and vast earth separate you and me

Only in deep night you enter my dreams quietly

I’m both happy and sad holding your hands

As the dream departs my pain never ends

As I write this fourteenth stanza my tears rain down

My longing for my children is like a river long

十五拍兮節調促，氣填胸兮誰識曲？處穹廬兮偶殊俗，願得歸來兮天從。再還漢國兮歡心足。心有懷兮愁轉深，日月無私兮曾不照臨。子母分離兮意難任，同天隔越兮如商參，生死不相知兮何處尋！

The fifteenth stanza now plays a staccato sound

My chest heaves yet none sees the meaning profound

I lived in the barbarian tent and followed alien ways

I wished to return home and Heaven granted my prays

My heart feels content now I dwell on Chinese soil

Yet saudade turns my heart into that of toil

The impartial sun and moon do not favor my chamber

From the separation of flesh I constantly suffer

Our gap is that of two evading planets

And death won’t join us like pieces of magnets

十六拍兮思茫茫，我與兒兮各一方。日東月西兮徒相望，不得相隨兮空斷腸。對萱草兮憂不忘，彈鳴琴兮情何傷！今別子兮歸故鄉，舊怨平兮新怨長！泣血仰頭兮訴蒼蒼，胡為生兮獨罹此殃！