菩萨蛮·黄鹤楼
一九二七年春
YELLOW CRANE TOWER
--to the tune of Pu Sa Man
Spring 1927
茫茫九派流中国，
沉沉一线穿南北。
烟雨莽苍苍，
龟蛇锁大江。
Wide, wide flow the nine streams through the land,
Dark, dark threads the line from south to north.
Blurred in the thick haze of the misty rain
Tortoise and Snake hold the great river locked.
黄鹤知何去，
剩有游人处。
把酒酹滔滔，
心潮逐浪高！
The yellow crane is gone, who knows whither?
Only this tower remains a haunt for visitors.
I pledge my wine to the surging torrent,
The tide of my heart swells with the waves.
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西江月•井冈山（1928年秋）
CHINGKANGSHAN
--to the tune of Hsi Chiang Yueh
Autumn 1928
山下旌旗在望，
山头鼓角相闻。
敌军围困万千重，
我自岿然不动。
Below the hills fly our flags and banners,
Above the hilltops sound our bugles and drums.
The foe encircles us thousands strong,
Steadfastly we stand our ground.
早已森严壁垒，
更加众志成城。
黄洋界上炮声隆，
报道敌军宵遁。
Already our defence is iron-clad,
Now our wills unite like a fortress.
From Huangyangchieh roars the thunder of guns,
Word comes the enemy has fled into the night.
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清平乐·蒋桂战争
一九二九年秋
THE WARLORDS CLASH
--to the tune of Ching Ping Yueh
Autumn 1929
风云突变，
军阀重开战。
洒向人间都是怨，
一枕黄粱再现。
Sudden veer of wind and rain
Showering misery through the land,
The warlords are clashing anew--
Yet another Golden Millet Dream.
红旗跃过汀江，
直下龙岩上杭。
收拾金甄一片，
分田分地真忙。
Red banners leap over the Ting River
Straight to Lungyen and Shanghang.
We have reclaimed part of the golden bowl
And land is being shared out with a will.
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采桑子·重阳
一九二九年十月
THE DOUBLE NINTH
--to the tune of Tsai Sang Tzu
October 1929
人生易老天难老，
岁岁重阳。
今又重阳，
战地黄花分外香。
Man ages all too easily, not Nature:
Year by year the Double Ninth returns.
On this Double Ninth,
The yellow blooms on the battlefield smell sweeter.
一年一度秋风劲，
不似春光，
胜似春光，
寥廓江天万里霜。
Each year the autumn wind blows fierce,
Unlike spring's splendour,
Yet surpassing spring's splendour,
See the endless expanse of frosty sky and water.
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如梦令·元旦
一九三零年一月
NEW YEAR'S DAY
--to the tune of Ju Meng Ling
January 1930
宁化、清流、归化，
路隘林深苔滑。
今日向何方？
直指五夷山下。
山下山下，
风展红旗如画。
Ninghua, Chingliu, Kueihua--
What narrow paths, deep woods and slippery moss!
Whither are we bound today?
Straight to the foot of Wuyi Mountain.
To the mountain, the foot of the mountain,
Red flags stream in the wind in a blaze of glory.
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减字木兰花·广昌路上
一九三零年二月
ON THE KUANGCHANG ROAD
--to the tune of Chien Tzu Mu Lan Hua
February 1930
漫天皆白，
雪里行军情更迫。
头上高山，
风卷红旗过大关。
The whole wide world is white,
Through the snow eagerly we press on.
Crags loom above our heads,
We cross the great pass, red flags waving in the wind.
此行何去？
赣江风雪迷漫处。
命令昨颁，
十万工农下吉安。
Where are we bound?
To the snow-swept River Kan.
Yesterday the order was given,
One hundred thousand workers and peasants march on Kian.
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蝶恋花·从汀州向长沙
一九三零年七月
MARCH FROM TINGCHOW TO CHANGSHA
--to the tune of Tieh Lien Hua
July 1930
六月天兵征腐恶，
万丈长缨要把鲲鹏缚。
赣水那边红一角，
偏师借重黄公略。
In June Heaven's armies chastise the corrupt and evil,
Seeking to bind roc and whale with a league-long cord.
Red glows the far side of the Kan,
Thanks to our wing under Huang Kung-lueh.
百万工农齐踊跃，
席卷江西直捣湘和鄂。
国际悲歌歌一曲，
狂飙为我从天落。
A million workers and peasants rise up,
Sweeping Kiangsi straight towards Hunan and Hupeh.
To the Internationale's stirring strains
A wild whirlwind swoops from the sky.
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渔家傲·反第一次大围剿
一九三一年春
AGAINST THE FIRST \"ENCIRCLEMENT\" CAMPAIGN
--to the tune of Yu Chia Ao
Spring 1931
万木霜天红烂漫，
天兵怒气冲宵汉。
雾满龙冈千嶂暗，
齐声唤，
前头捉了张辉瓒。
Forests blaze red beneath the frosty sky,
The wrath of Heaven's armies soars to the clouds.
Mist veils Lungkang, its thousand peaks blurred.
All cry out in unison:
Our van has taken Chang Hui-tsan!
二十万军重入赣，
风烟滚滚来天半。
唤起工农千百万，
同心干，
不周山下红旗乱。
The enemy returns to Kiangsi two hundred thousand strong,
Fumes billowing in the wind in mid-sky.
Workers and peasants are wakened in their millions
To fight as one man,
Under the riot of red flags round the foot of Puchou !*
**************
*AUTHOR'S NOTE:
The story of Kungkung butting against Mount Puchou:
The chapter \"On Astronomy\" in Huai Nan Tzu says: \"In ancient times Kungkung and Chuanhsu fought each other for the throne. In a fit of rage Kungkung butted against Mount Puchou, breaking the pillars of heaven and snapping the ties of the earth. Then the sky shifted towards the northwest, tilting the sun, moon and stars; the earth sank in the southeast so that dust and water gathered there.\"
\"The Chronicle of Chou\" in Kuo Yu says: \"In ancient times Kungkung, departing from the right way, gave himself up to pleasure and unbridled licence. He tried to stem the hundred streams, destroy hills and silt up low places, and thus brought disasters to the whole earth. Heaven did not give its blessing, nor the people their help. Calamities and troubles broke out and Kungkung perished.\" The ancient commentator Wei Chao quotes from the Palace Officer Chia, i.e.., Chia Kuei of the Later Han Dynasty: \"Kungkung was a lord of the Chiang clan, a descendant of the Fiery Emperor. When Emperor Chuanhsu's power was on the decline, Kungkung attacked other vassal lords and fought Kaohsin for the throne.\"
In \"The Annals of the Three Emperors\", Szuma Chen's addenda to Szuma Chien's Historical Records, it is said: \"Towards the end of her [Nuwa's] reign, a lord named Kungkung became powerful through his resourcefulness and the severe discipline he enforced. He did not rule like a king but like an autocrat. Representing the element of water, he wanted to succeed Nuwa who represented the element of wood. He fought Chuyung and was defeated. In a fit of rage he knocked his head against Mount Puchou, so that the pillars of heaven were broken and the ties of the earth torn.\"
These are the different versions of the legend. I prefer the version in Huai Nan Tzu, which presents Kungkung as a victorious hero. Please note: \"In a fit of rage Kungkung butted against Mount Puchou, breaking the pillars of heaven and snapping the ties of the earth. Then the sky shifted towards the northwest, tilting the sun, moon and stars; the earth sank in the southeast so that dust and water gathered there.\" Did Kungkung perish in the attempt? Huai Nan Tzu is silent on this question. We may take it that he did not, but came out victorious.
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渔家傲·反第二次大围剿
一九三一年夏
AGAINST THE SECOND \"ENCIRCLEMENT\" CAMPAIGN
--to the tune of Yu Chia Ao
Summer 1931
白云山头云欲立，
白云山下呼声急，
枯木朽株齐努力。
枪林逼，
飞将军自重霄入。
The very clouds foam atop White Cloud Mountain,
At its base the roar of battle quickens.
Withered trees and rotten stumps join in the fray.
A forest of rifles presses,
As the Flying General descends from the skies.
七百里驱十五日，
赣水苍茫闽山碧。
横扫全军如卷席。
有人泣，
为营步步嗟何及！
In fifteen days we have marched seven hundred li
Crossing misty Kan waters and green Fukien hills,
Rolling back the enemy as we would a mat.
A voice is heard wailing;
His \"Bastion at every step\" avails him nought!
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菩萨蛮·大柏地
一九三三年夏
TAPOTI
--to the tune of Pu Sa Man
Summer 1933
赤橙黄绿青蓝紫，
谁持彩练当空舞。
雨后复斜阳，
关山阵阵苍。
Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet--
Who is dancing, waving this coloured ribbon against the sky?
The sun returns slanting after the rain
And hill and pass grow a deeper blue.
当年鏖战急，
弹洞前村壁。
装点此关山，
今朝更好看。
A furious battle once raged here,
The village walls, bullet-scarred,
Now adorn hill and pass
And make them doubly fair.
Notes
Dabodi (Tapoti) is a town seventeen miles northwest of Juichin in Kiangsi Province and is said to be a colourful place, with high mounds of red clay and green pine woods. Rice paddies and farmhouses with grey tile roofs and white walls also add their colours. Willows line the streams. After rain, there are rainbows in the sky with as many colours as the landscape.
Dabodi is the site of a battle which actually took place at the beginning of 1929. Initially the Red Army suffered several defeats but, in the winter of 1929, they fought a desperate but succesful battle with stones and bare hands. Mao revisted the site several times and wrote this poem 4 years later.
This poem repeats one of Mao’s favourite situations — a landscape beautiful in itself, made more attractive by the Red Army's victory and the presence of Communist soldiers and flags, adding their own colours (including blood) to those of the town and country.
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清平乐·会昌
一九三四年夏
HUICHANG
--to the tune of Ching Ping Yueh
Summer 1934
东方欲晓，
莫道君行早。
踏遍青山人未老，
风景这边独好。
Soon dawn will break in the east.
Do not say \"You start too early\";
Crossing these blue hills adds nothing to one's years,
The landscape here is beyond compare.
会昌城外高峰，
颠连直接东溟。
战士指看南粤，
更加郁郁葱葱。
Straight from the walls of Huichang lofty peaks,
Range after range, extend to the eastern seas.
Our soldiers point southward to Kwangtung
Looming lusher and greener in the distance.
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忆秦娥·娄山关
一九三五年二月
LOUSHAN PASS
--to the tune of Yi Chin O
February 1935
西风烈，
长空雁叫霜晨月。
霜晨月，
马蹄声碎，
喇叭声咽。
Fierce the west wind,
Wild geese cry under the frosty morning moon.
Under the frosty morning moon
Horses' hooves clattering,
Bugles sobbing low.
雄关漫道真如铁，
而今迈步从头越。
从头越，
苍山如海，
残阳如血。
Idle boast the strong pass is a wall of iron,
With firm strides we are crossing its summit.
We are crossing its summit,
The rolling hills sea-blue,
The dying sun blood-red.
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十六字令·三首
1934-1935年
THREE SHORT POEMS
--to the tune of Shih Liu Tzu Ling
1934-1935
其一
I
山，快马加鞭未下鞍。
惊回首，离天三尺三。
Mountains!
I whip my swift horse, glued to my saddle.
I turn my head startled,
The sky is three foot three above me!*
其二
II
山，倒海翻江卷巨澜。
奔腾急，万马战犹酣。
Mountains!
Like great waves surging in a crashing sea,
Like a thousand stallions
In full gallop in the heat of battle.
其三
III
山，刺破青天锷未残。
天欲坠，赖以拄其间。
Mountains!
Piercing the blue of heaven, your barbs unblunted!
The skies would fall
But for your strength supporting.
*AUTHOR'S NOTE:
A folk song runs:
Skull Mountain up above,
Treasure Mountain down below,
The sky is only three foot three away.
Bend your head if you go by foot,
Dismount if you go by horse.
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七律·长征（一九三五年十月）
THE LONG MARCH
--a lu shih
October 1935
红军不怕远征难，
万水千山只等闲。
五岭逶迤腾巨浪，
乌蒙磅礴走泥丸。
金沙水拍云崖暖，
大渡桥横铁索寒。
更喜岷山千里雪，
三军过后尽开颜。
The Red Army fears not the trials of the March,
Holding light ten thousand crags and torrents.
The Five Ridges wind like gentle ripples
And the majestic Wumeng roll by, globules of clay.
Warm the steep cliffs lapped by the waters of Golden Sand,
Cold the iron chains spanning the Tatu River.
Minshan's thousand li of snow joyously crossed,
The three Armies march on, each face glowing.
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念奴娇·昆仑
一九三五年十月
KUNLUN
--to the tune of Nien Nu Chiao
October 1935
横空出世，
莽昆仑，
阅尽人间春色。
飞起玉龙三百万，
搅得周天寒彻。
夏日消溶，
江河横溢，
人或为鱼鳖。
千秋功罪，
谁人曾与评说？
Far above the earth, into the blue,
You, wild Kunlun, have seen
All that was fairest in the world of men.
Your three million white jade dragons in flight*
Freeze the sky with piercing cold.
In summer days your melting torrents
Flood the streams and rivers,
Turning men into fish and turtles.
Who has passed judgement on the good and ill
You have wrought these thousand autumns?
而今我谓昆仑：
不要这高，
不要这多雪。
安得倚天抽宝剑，
把汝裁为三截？
一截遗欧，
一截赠美，
一截还东国。
太平世界，
环球同此凉热。
To Kunlun now I say,
Neither all your height
Nor all your snow is needed.
Could I but draw my sword o'ertopping heaven,
I'd cleave you in three:
One piece for Europe,
One for America,
One to keep in the East.
Peace would then reign over the world,
The same warmth and cold throughout the globe.
*AUTHOR'S NOTE:
An ancient poet said: \"While the three million white jade dragons were fighting, the air was filled with their tattered scales flying.\" Thus he described the flying snow. I have borrowed the image to describe the snow-covered mountains. In summer, when one climbs to the top of Minshan, one looks out on a host of mountains, all white, undulating as in a dance. Among the local people a legend was current to the effect that all these mountains were afire until the Monkey King borrowed a palm leaf fan and quenched the flames, so that the mountains turned white.
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清平乐·六盘山
一九三五年十月
MOUNT LIUPAN
--to the tune of Ching Ping Yueh
October 1935
天高云淡，
望断南飞雁。
不到长城非好汉，
屈指行程两万。
The sky is high, the clouds are pale,
We watch the wild geese vanish southward.
If we fail to reach the Great Wall we are not men
We who have already measured twenty thousand li
六盘山上高峰，
红旗漫卷西风。
今日长缨在手，
何时缚住苍龙？
High on the crest of Mount Liupan
Red banners wave freely in the west wind.
Today we hold the long cord in our hands,
When shall we bind fast the Grey Dragon?
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沁园春·雪
一九三六年二月
SNOW
--to the tune of Chin Yuan Chun
February 1936
北国风光，
千里冰封，
万里雪飘。
望长城内外，
惟馀莽莽；
大河上下，
顿失滔滔。
山舞银蛇，
原驰蜡象，
欲与天公试比高。
须晴日，
看红妆素裹，
分外妖娆。
North country scene:
A hundred leagues locked in ice,
A thousand leagues of whirling snow.
Both sides of the Great Wall
One single white immensity.
The Yellow River's swift current
Is stilled from end to end.
The mountains dance like silver snakes
And the highlands* charge like wax-hued elephants,
Vying with heaven in stature.
On a fine day, the land,
Clad in white, adorned in red,
Grows more enchanting.
江山如此多娇，
引无数英雄竟折腰。
惜秦皇汉武，
略输文采；
唐宗宋祖，
稍逊风骚。
一代天骄，
成吉思汉，
只识弯弓射大雕。
俱往矣，
数风流人物，
还看今朝。
This land so rich in beauty
Has made countless heroes bow in homage.
But alas! Chin Shih-huang and Han Wu-ti
Were lacking in literary grace,
And Tang Tai-tsung and Sung Tai-tsu
Had little poetry in their souls;
And Genghis Khan,
Proud Son of Heaven for a day,
Knew only shooting eagles, bow outstretched
All are past and gone!
For truly great men
Look to this age alone.
*AUTHOR'S NOTE:
The highlands are those of Shensi and Shansi.
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七律·人民解放军占领南京
一九四九年四月
THE PEOPLE'S LIBERATION ARMY CAPTURES NANKING
--a lu shih
April 1949
钟山风雨起苍黄，
百万雄师过大江。
虎距龙盘今胜昔，
天翻地覆慨而慷。
宜将剩勇追穷寇，
不可沽名学霸王。
天若有情天亦老，
人间正道是沧桑。
Over Chungshan swept a storm, headlong,
Our mighty army, a million strong, has crossed the Great River.
The City, a tiger crouching, a dragon curling, outshines its ancient glories;
In heroic triumph heaven and earth have been overturned.
With power and to spare we must pursue the tottering foe
And not ape Hsiang Yu the conqueror seeking idle fame.
Were Nature sentient, she too would pass from youth to age,
But Man's world is mutable, seas become mulberry fields.
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七律·和柳亚子先生
一九四九年四月二十九日
REPLY TO MR. LIU YA-TZU
--a lu shih
April 29, 1949
饮茶粤海未能忘
索句渝州叶正黄
三十一年还旧国
落花时节读华章
牢骚太盛防肠断
风物长宜放眼量
莫道昆明池水浅
观鱼胜过富春江
I still remember our drinking tea in Kwangchow
And your asking for verses in Chungking as the leaves yellowed.
Back in the old capital after thirty-one years,
At the season of falling flowers I read your polished lines.
Beware of heartbreak with grievance overfull,
Range far your eye over long vistas.
Do not say the waters of Kunming Lake are too shallow,
For watching fish they are better than Fuchun River.
***********
【附】 柳亚子原诗
《感事呈毛主席一首》
LIU YA-TZU'S POEM
MY THOUGHTS
PRESENTED TO CHAIRMAN MAO
--a lu sbih
开天辟地君真健
说项依刘我大难
夺席谈经非五鹿
无车弹铗怨冯驩
头颅早悔平生贱
肝胆宁忘一寸丹
安得南征驰捷报
分湖便是子陵滩
You excel as the maker of a new epoch!
Hard it was for me to laud Light in dark times.
Lecturing on classics, I am no time-serving scholar
And, to my sorrow, have met with no warm reception.
Remorse fills me at the thought of my misspent life,
Yet my heart will remain true to the end.
O for glad tidings from the southern expedition!
Lake Fenhu will then be my hermit resort.
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浣溪沙《和柳亚子先生》
一九五零年十月
REPLY TO MR. LIU YA-TZU
--to the tune of Wan Hsi Sha
October 1950
一九五零年国庆观剧，柳亚子先生即席赋浣溪沙，因步其韵奉和。
At a song and dance performance during the National Day celebrations of 1950, Mr. Liu Ya-tzu wrote an impromptu poem to the tune of Wan Hsi Sha, to which I replied, using the same rhyme sequence.
长夜难明赤县天，
百年魔怪舞翩跹。
人民五亿不团圆。
The night was long and dawn came slow to the Crimson Land.
For a century demons and monsters whirled in a
wild dance,
And the five hundred million people were disunited.
一唱雄鸡天下白，
万方乐奏有于阗，
诗人兴会更无前。
Now the cock has crowed and all under heaven is bright,
Here is music from all our peoples, from Yutien too,
And the poet is inspired as never before.
*********
柳亚子原词：浣溪沙
LIU YA-TZU'S POEM
--to the tune of Wan Hsi Sha
十月三日之夕于怀仁堂观西南各民族文工团、新疆文工团、吉林省延边文工团、内蒙古文工团联合演出歌舞晚会，毛主席命填是阕，用纪大团结之盛况云尔！
On October 3, I attended a soirée in Huai Jen Tang. Performances were given by ensembles from the various nationalities in the Southwest, Sinkiang, Yenpien in Kirin Province, and Inner Mongolia. At Chairman Mao's request, I composed the following poem to celebrate the great unity of the nationalities.
火树银花不夜天，
弟兄姐妹舞翩跹，
歌声唱彻月儿圆。
Displays of fiery trees and silver flowers, a night without darkness.
Brothers and sisters skip by gracefully in dance.
The strains of The Full Moon* rise with joyful swell.
不是一人能领导，
那容百族共骈阗？
良宵盛会喜空前！
But for one man's wise leadership,
How could the hundred nationalities assemble?
This merry eve's festive gathering surpasses all!
*LlU YA-TZU'S NOTE:
There is a Kazakh folk song in Sinkiang called The Full Moon.
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浪淘沙·北戴河
一九五四年夏
PEITAIHO
--to the tune of Lang Tao Sha
Summer 1954
大雨落幽燕，
白浪滔天，
秦皇岛外打鱼船，
一片汪洋都不见，
知向谁边？
A rainstorm sweeps down on this northern land,
White breakers leap to the sky.
No fishing boats off Chinwangtao
Are seen on the boundless ocean.
Where are they gone?
往时越千年，
魏武挥鞭，
东临碣石有遗篇。
萧瑟秋风今又是，
换了人间。
Nearly two thousand years ago
Wielding his whip, the Emperor Wu of Wei
Rode eastward to Chiehshih; his poem survives.
Today the autumn wind still sighs,
But the world has changed!
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水调歌头·游泳
一九五六年六月
SWIMMING
--to the tune of Shui Tiao Keh Tou
June 1956
才饮长沙水，
又食武昌鱼。
万里长江横渡，
极目楚天舒。
不管风吹浪打，
胜似闲庭信步。
今日得宽馀，
子在川上曰：
逝者如斯夫！
I have just drunk the waters of Changsha
And come to eat the fish of Wuchang.
Now I am swimming across the great Yangtze,
Looking afar to the open sky of Chu.
Let the wind blow and waves beat,
Better far than idly strolling in a courtyard.
Today I am at ease.
\"It was by a stream that the Master said--
'Thus do things flow away!' \"
风樯动，
龟蛇静，
起宏图。
一桥飞架南北，
天堑变通途。
更立西江石璧，
截断巫山云雨，
高峡出平湖。
神女应无恙，
当惊世界殊。
Sails move with the wind.
Tortoise and Snake are still.
Great plans are afoot:
A bridge will fly to span the north and south,
Turning a deep chasm into a thoroughfare;
Walls of stone will stand upstream to the west
To hold back Wushan's clouds and rain
Till a smooth lake rises in the narrow gorges.
The mountain goddess if she is still there
Will marvel at a world so changed.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
蝶恋花•答李淑一
REPLY TO LI SHU-YI
- to the tune of Tieh Lien Htua
一九五七年五月十一日
May 11, 1957
我失骄杨君失柳，
杨柳轻飏直上重霄九。
问讯吴刚何所有，
吴刚捧出桂花酒。
I lost my proud Poplar and you your Willow,
Poplar and Willow soar to the Ninth Heaven.
Wu Kang, asked what he can give,
Serves them a laurel brew.
The lonely moon goddess spreads her ample sleeves
To dance for these loyal souls in infinite space.
Earth suddenly reports the tiger subdued,
Tears of joy pour forth falling as mighty rain.
寂寞嫦娥舒广袖，
万里长空且为忠魂舞。
忽报人间曾伏虎，
泪飞顿作倾盆雨。
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
送瘟神
一九五八年七月一日
FAREWELL TO THE GOD OF PLAGUE
--two lu shih poems
July 1, 1958
读六月三十日《人民日报》，余江县消灭了血丝虫。浮想联翩，夜不能寐。微风拂晓，旭日临窗，遥望南天，欣然命笔。
When I read in the Renmin Ribao of June 30, 1958 that schistosomiasis had been wiped out in Yukiang County, thoughts thronged my mind and I could not sleep. In the warm morning breeze next day, as sunlight falls on my window, I look towards the distant southern sky and in my happiness pen the following lines.
其一
I
绿水青山枉自多，华佗无奈小虫何！
千村薜荔人遗矢，万户萧疏鬼唱歌。
坐地日行八万里，巡天遥看一千河。
牛郎欲问瘟神事，一样悲欢逐逝波。
So many green streams and blue hills, but to what avail ?
This tiny creature left even Hua To powerless!
Hundreds of villages choked with weeds, men wasted away;
Thousands of homes deserted, ghosts chanted mournfully.
Motionless, by earth I travel eighty thousand li a day,
Surveying the sky I see a myriad Milky Ways from afar.
Should the Cowherd ask tidings of the God of Plague,
Say the same griefs flow down the stream of time.
其二
II
春风杨柳万千条，六亿神州尽舜尧。
红雨随心翻作浪，青山着意化为桥。
天连五岭银锄落，地动三河铁臂摇。
借问瘟君欲何往，纸船明烛照天烧。
The spring wind blows amid profuse willow wands,
Six hundred million in this land all equal Yao and Shun.
Crimson rain swirls in waves under our will,
Green mountains turn to bridges at our wish.
Gleaming mattocks fall on the Five Ridges heaven-high;
Mighty arms move to rock the earth round the Triple River.
We ask the God of Plague: \"Where are you bound ?\"
Paper barges aflame and candle-light illuminate the sky.
【按】诗作于一九五八年七月一日。
【余江县】在江西。
【枉自多】杜甫《征夫》“十室几人在，千山空自多。”
【华佗】三国时名医。
【薜荔】亦称木莲、鬼馒头。桑科，常绿藤本，含乳汁。叶厚革质，椭圆形，下面有凸出的网络。产于我国中部和南部。果实富果胶，可制食用的凉粉。茎、叶、果供药用，有祛风除湿、通血活络、消肿解毒、补肾、通乳作用。
【遗矢】遗屎。《史记•廉颇蔺相如列传》，赵王派使者到楚国看廉颇，想召他抗秦。使者诳报道，“廉将军虽老，尚善饭；然与臣坐，倾之，三遗矢矣。”血吸虫病后期人常水泻。
【鬼唱歌】李贺《秋来》“秋坟鬼唱鲍家诗”。
【坐地】毛泽东一九五八年八月二十五日致周世钊的信，“坐地日行八万里，蒋竹如（毛在湖南第一师范时的同学）讲得不对，是有数据的。地球直径约一万二千五百公里，以圆周率三点一四一六乘之，得约四万公里，即八万华里。这是地球的自转（即一天时间）里程。坐火车、轮船、汽车，要付代价，叫做旅行。坐地球，不付代价（即不买车票），日行八万里，问人这是旅行么，答曰不是，我一动也没有动。真是岂有此理！囿于习俗，迷信未除。完全的日常生活，许多人却以为怪。巡天，即谓我们这个太阳系（地球在内）每日每时都在银河系里穿来穿去。银河一河也，河则无限，‘一千’言其多而已。我们人类只是‘巡’在一条河中，看则可以无数。牛郎晋人，血吸虫病，蛊病，俗名鼓胀病，周秦汉屡见书传。牛郎自然关心他的乡人，要问瘟神情况如何了。大熊星座，俗名牛郎星，属银河系。”
【尽舜尧】《孟子•告天下》“人皆可以为舜尧”。
【红雨】李贺《将进酒》，“桃花乱落如红雨”。
【三河】黄河、淮河、洛河，泛指河流。
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
七律·到韶山
一九五九年六月
SHAOSHAN REVISITED
--a lu shih
June 1959
一九五九年六月二十五日到韶山。离别这个地方已有三十二周年了。
I visited Shaoshan on June 25, 1959 after an absence of thirty-two years.
别梦依稀咒逝川，
故园三十二年前。
红旗卷起农奴戟，
黑手高悬霸主鞭。
为有牺牲多壮志，
敢叫日月换新天。
喜看稻菽千重浪，
遍地英雄下夕烟。
Like a dim dream recalled, I curse the long-fled past--
My native soil two and thirty years gone by.
The red flag roused the serf, halberd in hand,
While the despot's black talons held his whip aloft.
Bitter sacrifice strengthens bold resolve
Which dares to make sun and moon shine in new skies.
Happy, I see wave upon wave of paddy and beans,
And all around heroes home-bound in the evening mist.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
七律·登庐山
一九五九年七月一日
ASCENT OF LUSHAN
--a lu shih
July 1, 1959
一山飞峙大江边，
跃上葱茏四百旋。
冷眼向洋看世界，
热风吹雨洒江天。
云横九派浮黄鹤，
浪下三吴起白烟。
陶令不知何处去，
桃花园里可耕田？
Perching as after flight, the mountain towers over the Yangtze;
I have overleapt four hundred twists to its green crest.
Cold-eyed I survey the world beyond the seas;
A hot wind spatters raindrops on the sky-brooded waters.
Clouds cluster over the nine streams, the yellow crane floating,
And billows roll on to the eastern coast, white foam flying.
Who knows whither Prefect Tao Yuan-ming is gone
Now that he can till fields in the Land of Peach Blossoms?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
七绝·为女民兵题照
一九六一年二月
MILITIA WOMEN INSCRIPTION ON A PHOTOGRAPH
--a chueh chu
February 1961
飒爽英姿五尺枪，
曙光初照演兵场。
中华儿女多奇志，
不爱红装爱武装。
How bright and brave they look, shouldering five-foot rifles
On the parade ground lit up by the first gleams of day.
China's daughters have high-aspiring minds,
They love their battle array, not silks and satins.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
七律·答友人
1961年
REPLY TO A FRIEND
--a lu shih
1961
九嶷山上白云飞，
帝子乘风下翠微。
斑竹一支千滴泪，
红霞万朵百重衣。
洞庭波涌连天雪，
长岛人歌动地诗。
我欲因之梦寥廓，
芙蓉国里尽朝晖。
White clouds are sailing above Mount Chiuyi;
Riding the wind, the Princesses descend the green hills.
Once they speckled the bamboos with their profuse tears,
Now they are robed in rose-red clouds.
Tungting Lake's snow-topped waves surge skyward;
The long isle reverberates with earth-shaking song.
And I am lost in dreams, untrammelled dreams
Of the land of hibiscus glowing in the morning sun.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
七绝·为李进同志题所摄庐山仙人洞照
一九六一年九月九日
THE FAIRY CAVE (INSCRIPTION ON A PICTURE TAKEN BY COMRADE LI CHIN)
--a chueh chu
September 9, 1961
暮色苍茫看劲松，
乱云飞渡仍从容。
天生一个仙人洞，
无限风光在险峰。
Amid the growing shades of dusk stand sturdy pines,
Riotous clouds sweep past, swift and tranquil.
Nature has excelled herself in the Fairy Cave,
On perilous peaks dwells beauty in her infinite variety.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
七律·和郭沫若同志
一九六一年十一月十七日
REPLY TO COMRADE KUO MO-JO
--a lu shih
November 17, 1961
一从大地起风雷，
便有精生白骨堆。
僧是愚氓犹可恕，
妖为鬼蜮必成灾。
金猴奋起千钧棒，
玉宇澄清万里埃。
今日欢呼孙大圣，
只缘妖雾又重来。
A thunderstorm burst over the earth,
So a devil rose from a heap of white bones.
The deluded monk was not beyond the light,
But the malignant demon must wreak havoc.
The Golden Monkey wrathfully swung his massive cudgel
And the jade-like firmament was cleared of dust.
Today, a miasmal mist once more rising,
We hail Sun Wu-kung, the wonder-worker.
**************
【附】 郭沫若原诗：
看孙悟空三打白骨精
KUO MO-JO'S POEM
ON SEEING THE MONKEY SUBDUES THE DEMON
--a lu shih
人妖颠倒是非淆，对敌慈悲对友刁。
咒念金箍闻万遍，精逃白骨累三遭。
千刀当剐唐僧肉，一拔何亏大圣毛。
教育及时堪赞赏，猪犹智慧胜愚曹。
Confounding humans and demons, right and wrong,
The monk was kind to foes and vicious to friends.
Endlessly he intoned \"The Incantation of the Golden Hoop\",
And thrice he let the White Bone Demon escape.
The monk deserved to be torn limb from limb;
Plucking a hair means nothing to the wonder-worker.
All praise is due to such timely teaching,
Even the Pig grew wiser than the fools.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
V2：howard2005 译；V3：sunfee 译；V4：rovi297 译
V2-V4：http://www.zftrans.com/bbs/read.php?tid=10761
V1：算子·咏梅
一九六一年十二月
ODE TO THE PLUM BLOSSOM
--to the tune of Pu Suan Tzu
December 9，1961
读陆游咏梅词，反其义而用之。
On reading Lu Yu's Ode to the Plum Blossom, I countered it with the following lines.
风雨送春归，
飞雪迎春到，
已是悬崖百丈冰，
犹有花枝俏。
俏也不争春，
只把春来报。
待到山花烂漫时，
她在丛中笑。
V1: Wind and rain escorted Spring's departure,
Flying snow welcomes Spring's return.
On the ice-clad rock rising high and sheer
A flower blooms sweet and fair.
Sweet and fair, she craves not Spring for herself alone,
To be the harbinger of Spring she is content.
When the mountain flowers are in full bloom
She will smile mingling in their midst.
***************
V2-V5：http://www.zftrans.com/bbs/read. ... oread=1&page=14
V1：卜算子·咏梅（陆游）
LU YU'S POEM
ODE TO THE PLUM BLOSSOM
--to the tune of Pu Suan Tzu
驿外断桥边
寂寞开无主
已是黄昏独自愁
更著风和雨
Outside the post-house, beside the broken bridge,
Alone, deserted, a flower blooms.
Saddened by her solitude in the falling dusk,
She is now assailed by wind and rain.
无意苦争春
一任群芳妒
零落成泥碾作尘
只有香如故
Let other flowers be envious!
She craves not Spring for herself alone.
Her petals may be ground in the mud,
But her fragrance will endure.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
七律 冬云（1962年12月26日）
WINTER CLOUDS
--a lu shih
December 26, 1962
雪压冬云白絮飞，万花纷谢一时稀。
高天滚滚寒流急，大地微微暖气吹。
独有英雄驱虎豹，更无豪杰怕熊罴。
梅花欢喜漫天雪，冻死苍蝇未足奇。
Winter clouds snow-laden, cotton fluff flying,
None or few the unfallen flowers.
Chill waves sweep through steep skies,
Yet earth's gentle breath grows warm.
Only heroes can quell tigers and leopards
And wild bears never daunt the brave.
Plum blossoms welcome the whirling snow;
Small wonder flies freeze and perish.
*********
这首诗最早发表在人民文学出版社一九六三年十二月版《毛主席诗词》。
注释
冬云：作诗日期十二月二十六日(作者的生日)，在当年冬至节后的第四天。旧说“冬至一阳生”，所以诗中说“大地微微暖气吹”，这里是比喻虽在冬至，大地并没有完全被寒流控制。
罴(pí皮)：熊的一种，现在叫马熊或人熊。
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
满江红·和郭沫若同志
一九六三年一月九日
REPLY TO COMRADE KUO MO-JO
--to the tune of Man Chiang Hung
January 9, 1963
小小寰球，
有几个苍蝇碰壁。
嗡嗡叫，
几声凄厉，
几声抽泣。
蚂蚁缘槐夸大国，
蚍蜉撼树谈何易。
正西风落叶下长安，
飞鸣镝。
On this tiny globe
A few flies dash themselves against the wall,
Humming without cease,
Sometimes shrilling,
Sometimes moaning.
Ants on the locust tree assume a great-nation swagger
And mayflies lightly plot to topple the giant tree.
The west wind scatters leaves over Changan,
And the arrows are flying, twanging.
多少事，
从来急；
天地转，光阴迫。
一万年太久，
只争朝夕。
四海翻腾云水怒，
五洲震荡风雷激。
要扫除一切害人虫，
全无敌。
So many deeds cry out to be done,
And always urgently;
The world rolls on,
Time presses.
Ten thousand years are too long,
Seize the day, seize the hour!
The Four Seas are rising, clouds and waters raging,
The Five Continents are rocking, wind and thunder roaring.
Our force is irresistible,
Away with all pests!
**********
【附】 郭沫若原词
KUO MO-JO'S POEM
--to the tune of Man Chiang Hung
沧海横流，
方显出英雄本色。
人六亿，
加强团结，
坚持原则。
天垮下来擎得起，
世披靡矣扶之直。
听雄鸡一唱遍寰中，
东方白。
When the seas are in turmoil
Heroes are on their mettle.
Six hundred million people,
Strong in unity,
Firm in principle,
Can shore up the falling heavens
And create order out of the reign of chaos.
The world hears the cock crowing
And day breaks in the east.
太阳出，
冰山滴；
真金在，
岂销铄？
有雄文四卷，
为民立极。
桀犬吠尧堪笑止，
泥牛入海无消息。
迎东风革命展红旗，
乾坤赤。
The sun rises,
The icebergs melt.
Gold is not pinchbeck
And can stand the proof of flames.
Four great volumes
Show us the way.
How absurd for Chieh's dog to bark at Yao;
The clay oxen plunge into the sea and vanish.
The red flag of revolution is unfurling in the east wind,
The universe is glowing red.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
水调歌头·重上井冈山
一九六五年五月
REASCENDING CHINGKANGSHAN
--to the tune of Shui Tiao Keh Tou
May 1965
久有凌云志，
重上井冈山。
千里来寻故地，
旧貌变新颜。
到处莺歌燕舞，
更有潺潺流水，
高路入云端。
过了黄洋界，
险处不须看。
I have long aspired to reach for the clouds
And I again ascend Chingkangshan.
Coming from afar to view our old haunt, I find new scenes replacing the old.
Everywhere orioles sing, swallows dart,
Streams babble
And the road mounts skyward.
Once Huangyangchieh is passed
No other perilous place calls for a glance.
风雷动，
旌旗奋，
是人寰。
三十八年过去，
弹指一挥间。
可上九天揽月，
可下五洋捉鳖，
谈笑凯歌还。
世上无难事，
只要肯登攀。
Wind and thunder are stirring,
Flags and banners are flying
Wherever men live.
Thirty-eight years are fled
With a mere snap of the fingers.
We can clasp the moon in the Ninth Heaven
And seize turtles deep down in the Five Seas:
We'll return amid triumphant song and laughter.
Nothing is hard in this world
If you dare to scale the heights.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
念奴娇·鸟儿问答（1965 秋）
TWO BIRDS: A DIALOGUE
--to the tune of Nien Nu Chiao
Autumn 1965
鲲鹏展翅，九万里，翻动扶摇羊角。
背负青天朝下看，都是人间城郭。
炮火连天，弹痕遍地，吓倒蓬间雀。
怎么得了，哎呀我要飞跃。
The roc wings fanwise,
Soaring ninety thousand li
And rousing a raging cyclone.
The blue sky on his back, he looks down
To survey Man's world with its towns and cities.
Gunfire licks the heavens,
Shells pit the earth.
A sparrow in his bush is scared stiff..
\"This is one hell of a mess!
O I want to flit and fly away.\"
借问君去何方，雀儿答道：有仙山琼阁。
不见前年秋月朗，订了三家条约。
还有吃的，土豆烧熟了，再加牛肉。
不须放屁！试看天地翻覆。
\"Where, may I ask?\"
The sparrow replies,
\"To a jewelled palace in elfland's hills.
Don't you know a triple pact was signed
Under the bright autumn moon two years ago?
There'll be plenty to eat,
Potatoes piping hot,
Beef-filled goulash.\"
\"Stop your windy nonsense!
Look, the world is being turned upside down.\"
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NOTE ON THE VERSE FORM
All the poems in this volume are written in classical Chinese verse forms. Those which carry the subtitle \"to the tune of . . . \" belong to the type of verse called tzu. The rest are either lu or chueh, two varieties of the type shih.
The tzu originated in the Tang Dynasty (A.D. 618-907) as lines sung to certain tunes. Each tune prescribes a strict tonal pattern and rhyme scheme, with a fixed number of lines of a standardized varying length. Names like Chin Yuan Chun, Pa Sa Man, etc. indicate not the themes of the respective poems but the tunes to which they are written.
Lu and chueh are the two forms of the shih, which, after inchoate beginnings in preceding ages, became fully established in the Tang Dynasty. With a strict tonal pattern and rhyme scheme the lu or lu shih consists of eight lines of either five or seven characters each; the third line should be matched to the fourth and the fifth to the sixth in both sound and sense. The lu shih in this volume are of the seven-character kind. The chueh or chueh chu consists of four lines of either five or seven characters each. It is a sort of truncated lu, but the third and fourth lines, though still counterpointed in sound, need not be antithetical in sense. The chueh chu in this volume are of the seven-character kind. |
发表于 2007-11-16 18:23:54
发表于 2007-11-17 01:01:00
