白居易诗

Poems of Bai Juyi


Index

放旅雁

Releasing the Wandering Goose


(元和十年冬作)

(Written winter, tenth year, Yuanhe era)

九江十年冬大雪
江水生冰树枝折

In Jiujiang, tenth year, big winter snow.
River waters turn to ice, tree branches snap.

百鸟无食东西飞
中有旅雁声最饥

Hundreds of birds, no food, east and west they fly.
Among them, crying out in hunger, one wandering goose.

雪中啄草冰上宿
翅冷腾空飞动迟

He pecks at grass beneath the snow, sleeps upon the ice.
Rising high on cold, cold wings, he takes the air too late.

江童持网捕将去
手携入市生卖之

A river boy, armed with a net, snares him on the rise,
Carries him to market and sells him there alive.

我本北人今谴谪
人鸟虽殊同是客

I'm a northern man myself. I'm just an exile here.
Man and bird may differ but their exile is the same.

见此客鸟伤客人
赎汝放汝飞入云

Seeing here an exiled bird distresses the exile in me.
I'll ransom and release you, return you to the clouds.

雁雁汝飞向何处
第一莫飞西北去

O ransomed goose, where will you fly to now?
Above all, do not fly away northwest.

淮西有贼讨未平
百万甲兵久屯聚

West of the Huai are evil men who conspire against the peace.
Countless are the armored men who gather on both sides.

官军贼军相守老
食尽兵穷将及汝

King's army, traitor's army, long have stood opposed.
Low on food, exhausted men would make the most of you.

健儿饥饿射汝吃
拔汝翅翎为箭羽

All those starving heroes would shoot you for a meal,
Then pull out your best plumage to fletch their arrows with.

-- 白居易


废话

With anyone else, I would suspect this as being a made-up piece. But with Bai Juyi, he probably was watching the birds, saw the goose captured, followed the boy to market, and ransomed the goose. Of course, then, the thought of the goose's flight, as he wrote, made Bai Juyi think of the unjust war that was in progress as rebellions returned to the land. So that ends up in here too. He always ends up with something much bigger than he starts with, doesn't he?

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