白居易诗
Poems of Bai Juyi
Index
中隐
Achieving Anonymity
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大隐住朝市 小隐入丘樊 丘樊太冷落 朝市太嚣喧 |
Anonymous lives through court struggles. Outspoken winds up in a grave. The graveyard's too much desolation. The court life's too noisy and vain. |
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不如作中隐 隐在留司官 似出复似处 非忙亦非闲 |
If anonymous seems to elude you, Hide deep within office walls. Seem to go while actually remaining. Don't be busy or sit on your thumbs. |
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不劳心与力 又免饥与寒 终岁无公事 随月有俸钱 |
Don't wear out your mind or your body. Avoid lack of food and much cold. Year round leave no white trail of paper. And do not your income outrun. |
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君若好登临 城南有秋山 君若爱游荡 城东有春园 |
If climbing to heights is your hobby, There are autumn hills just south of town. If loafing about is your preference, There are eastern green parks to go round. |
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君若欲一醉 时出赴宾筵 洛中多君子 可以恣欢言 |
If you'd like to spend evenings quite drunken, Find time to join in some nice feast. Crowds of nobles are down by the river, Self-indulging while speaking at length. |
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君若欲高卧 但自深掩关 亦无车马客 造次到门前 |
I see that you like to sleep soundly. But now you are deep within gates. And no cart or horse of a house guest Will rashly come to your estate. |
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人生处一世 其道难两全 贱即苦冻馁 贵则多忧患 |
You're alone in the world you are given. It's a hard road for pleasing both sides. The poor: bitter, starving and frozen. The rich: all too miserable inside. |
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唯此中隐士 致身吉且安 穷通与丰约 正在四者间 |
Only this here anonymous gentleman, Dedicated to fortune and peace, Can balance the bad times with good ones And survive in the midst of all things. |
-- 白居易
废话
In the Tang dynasty, the highest ranking officials were the Chief Ministers. There were usually three or four at the capital and a few scattered about the empire in big cities. These and their families were those of the First Rank. As Bai Juyi got older, he began to wonder if his keeping a low profile had cost him and his family First Rank status. His friends, the ones who lived long enough, made Chief Minister and their families were elevated. But Bai never made it above Second Rank and its poor salary of one thousand strings of cash (plus a whopping load of grain) per year. It is 829 and Bai Juyi has probably been moping about his career failure. So he makes fun of himself with this poem. Or song. For once, my translation seemed driven by rhythm. You can easily chant this in English, just as Bai Juyi would have in Tang Chinese, whatever that sounded like.