孟郊诗

Poems of Meng Jiao


Index

寄张籍

Sent to Zhang Ji


夜镜不照物
朝光何时升
黯然秋思来
走入志士膺

Night's mirror, nothing can be seen.
Morning's gleam, when will it arise?
Sadly, autumn remembrances come and
Walk into an idealist's breast.

志士惜时逝
一宵三四兴
清汉徒自朗
浊河终无澄

The idealist regrets time wasted.
One night. Three, four desires.
Pure Chinese in vain is good.
Muddy rivers end without clarity.

旧爱忽已远
新愁坐相凌
君其隐壮怀
我亦逃名称

Old loves, suddenly, already far away.
New worries crowd around our chair.
You always hide your strong feelings.
I, too, avoid being defined.

古人贵从晦
君子忌党朋
倾败生所竞
保全归懵懵

Ancients, we treasure through the darkness.
Gentlemen avoid befriending factions.
Upset and defeat come from competition.
You go out to protect and come back stupid.

浮云何当来
潜虬会飞腾

Transience -- how should it come?
Young water dragons will rise and soar.

-- 孟郊


废话

Zhang Ji was a poet who lived from 767 to 830. He was sixteen years younger than Meng Jiao. He was also the subject of one of Bai Juyi's early poems, as the younger Bai Juyi looked up to the older Zhang Ji.

This is a poem of comfort from one poet to another. Unlike most Chinese poems, this one lent itself to a rather direct translation. In other words, the English is a pretty direct image of the Chinese. You can usually tell when this happens as the lines of translation remain uniformly short. I think this comes from this being a direct and heartfelt poem, without subtle undercurrents, allusions, subtexts.


Index