白居易《長恨歌》(許淵沖英譯)

悠悠生死別經年，魂魄不曾來入夢！
One long, long year the dead and the living were parted,
Her soul came not in dreams to see the broken-hearted.

臨邛道士鴻都客，能以精誠致魂魄，
A taoist magician came to the palace door,
Skilled to summon the spirit from the other shore.

為感君王輾轉思，遂教方士殷勤覓。
Moved by the monarch's yearning for the deceased fair,
He was ordered to seek for her everywhere.

排空馭氣奔如電，升天入地求之遍，
Borne on the air, like flash of lightning he flew,
In heaven and on earth he searched through and through.

上窮碧落下黃泉，兩處茫茫皆不見。
Up to the azure vault and down to deepest place,
Nor above nor below could he e'er find her trace,

忽聞海上有仙山，山在虛無縹渺間，
He learned that on the sea were fairy mountains proud
Which now appeared now disappeared amid the cloud

樓閣玲瓏五雲起，其中綽約多仙子。
Of rainbow color, where rose magnificent bowers
And dwelt so many fairies as graceful as flowers.

中有一人字太真，雪膚花貌參差是。
Among them was a queen whose name was "Ever True",
Her snow-white skin and sweet face might afford a clue.

金闕西廂叩玉扃，轉教小玉報雙成。
Knocking at western gate of palace hall, he bade
The porter fair to inform the queen's waiting maid.

聞到漢家天子使，九華帳裡夢魂驚。
When she heard that there came the monarch's embassy,
The queen was startled out of dreams in her canopy.

攬衣推枕起徘徊，珠箔銀屏迤邐開，
Pushing aside the pillow, she rose and got dressed,
Passing through silver screen and pearl shade to meet the guest.

雲髻半偏新睡覺，花冠不整下堂來。
Her cloud-like hair awry, not full awake at all,
Her flowery cap slant'd, she came into the hall.

風吹仙袂飄飄舉，猶似霓裳羽衣舞。
The wind blew up her fairy sleeves and made them float
As if she danced the "Rainbow Skirt and Feathered Coat",

玉容寂寞淚欄杆，梨花一枝春帶雨。
Her jade-white face criss-crossed with tears in lonely world
Like a spray of pear blossoms in spring rain impearled.

含情凝睇謝君王，一別音容兩渺茫。
She bade him thank her lord, love-sick and broken-hearted,
They knew nothing of each other after they parted.

昭陽殿裡恩愛絕，蓬萊宮中日月長。
Love and happiness long end'd within palace walls;
Days and months appeared long in the Fairyland halls.

回頭下望人寰處，不見長安見塵霧。
Turnning her head and fixing on the earth her gaze,
She saw no capital'mid clouds of dust and haze.

唯將舊物表深情，鈿盒金釵寄將去：
To show her love so deep, she took out keepsakes old
For him to carry back, hairpin and box of gold.

釵留一股盒一扇，釵擘黃金盒分鈿。
Keeping one side of the box and one wing of the pin,
she sent to her lord the other half of the twin.

但教心似金鈿堅，天上人間會相見。
"If our two hearts as firm as the gold should remain,
In heaven or on earth some time we'll meet again."

臨別殷勤重寄詞，詞中有誓兩心知：
At parting, she confided to the messenger
A secret vow known only to her lord and her.

七月七日長生殿，夜半無人私語時，
On seventh day of seventh month when none was near,
At midnight in Long Life hall he whispered in her ear:

在天願作比翼鳥，在地願為連理枝。
"On high, we'd be two love-birds flying wing to wing;
On earth, two trees with branches twined from spring to spring."

天長地久有時盡，此恨綿綿無絕期！
The boundless sky and endless earth may pass away,
But this vow unfulfilled will be regrett'd for aye.



漢皇重色思傾國，御宇多年求不得。
楊家有女初長成，養在深閏人未識。
天生麗質難自棄，一朝選在君王側。
回頭一笑百媚生，六宮粉黛無顏色。
春寒賜浴華清池，溫泉水滑洗凝脂。
侍兒扶起嬌無力，始是新承恩澤時。
雲鬢花顏金步搖，芙蓉帳暖度春宵，
春宵苦短日高起，從此君王不早朝！
承歡侍宴無閑暇，春從春遊夜專夜。
後宮佳麗三千人，三千寵愛在一身：
金屋妝成嬌侍夜，玉樓宴罷醉和春。
姐妹弟兄皆裂土，可憐光彩生門戶，
遂令天下父母心，不重生男重生女！
驪宮高處入青雲，仙樂風飄處處聞。
緩歌慢舞凝絲竹，盡日君王看不足。
漁陽鼙鼓動地來，驚破霓裳羽衣曲！　
九重城闕煙塵生，手乘萬騎西南行。
翠華搖搖行復止，西出都門百餘里，
六軍不故無奈何，宛轉娥眉馬前死。
花鈿委地無人收，翠翹金雀玉搔頭，
君王掩面救不得，回看血淚淚和流。
黃埃散漫風蕭索，雲棧縈紆登劍閣。
峨眉山下少人行，旌旗無光日色薄。
蜀江水碧蜀山青，聖主朝朝暮暮情。
行宮見月傷心色，夜雨聞鈴腸斷聲。
天旋地轉回龍馭，到此躊躇不忍去，
馬嵬坡下泥土中，不見玉顏空死處。
君臣相顧淚沾衣，東望都門信馬歸。
歸來池苑皆依舊，太夜芙蓉未央柳。
芙蓉如面柳如眉，對此如何不垂淚！
春風桃李花開日，秋雨梧桐葉落時。
西宮南內多秋草，落葉滿階紅不掃，
梨園弟子白髮新，椒房阿監青娥老。
夕殿螢飛思稍然，孤燈挑盡未成眠，
遲遲鐘鼓初長夜，耿耿星河欲曙天。
鴛鴦瓦冷霜華重，翡翠衾寒誰與共！
悠悠生死別經年，魂魄不曾來入夢！
臨邛道士鴻都客，能以精誠致魂魄，
為感君王輾轉思，遂教方士殷勤覓。
排空馭氣奔如電，升天入地求之遍，
上窮碧落下黃泉，兩處茫茫皆不見。
忽聞海上有仙山，山在虛無縹渺間，
樓閣玲瓏五雲起，其中綽約多仙子。
中有一人字太真，雪膚花貌參差是。
金闕西廂叩玉扃，轉教小玉報雙成。
聞到漢家天子使，九華帳裡夢魂驚。
攬衣推枕起徘徊，珠箔銀屏迤邐開，
雲髻半偏新睡覺，花冠不整下堂來。
風吹仙袂飄飄舉，猶似霓裳羽衣舞。
玉容寂寞淚欄杆，梨花一枝春帶雨。
含情凝睇謝君王，一別音容兩渺茫。
昭陽殿裡恩愛絕，蓬萊宮中日月長。
回頭下望人寰處，不見長安見塵霧。
唯將舊物表深情，鈿盒金釵寄將去：
釵留一股盒一扇，釵擘黃金盒分鈿。
但教心似金鈿堅，天上人間會相見。
臨別殷勤重寄詞，詞中有誓兩心知：
七月七日長生殿，夜半無人私語時，
在天願作比翼鳥，在地願為連理枝。
天長地久有時盡，此恨綿綿無絕期！
The beauty-loving monarch longed year after year
To find a beautiful lady without a peer.
A maiden of the Yangs to womanhood just grown,
In inner chambers bred, to the world was unknown
Endowed with natural beauty too hard to hide,
She was chosen one day to be the monarch's bride.
Turning her head, she smiled so sweet and full of grace
That she outshone in six palaces the fairest face.
She bathed in glassy water of warm-fountain Pool
Which laved and smoothed her creamy skin when spring was cool
Without her maids' support, she was too tired to move,
And this was when she first received the monarch's love.
Flower-like face and cloud-like hair, golden headdressed,
In lotus-adorned curtain she spent the night blessed.
She slept till sun rose high for the blessed night was short,
From then on the monarch held no longer morning court.
In revels as in feasts she shared her lord's delight,
His companion on trips and his mistress at night.
In inner palace dwelt three thousand ladies fair,
On her alone was lavished royal love and care.
Her beauty served the night when dressed up in Golden Bower,
She was drunk with wine and apring at banquet in jade Tower.
Her sisters and brothers all received rank and fief
And honors showered on her household, to the grief
Of fathers and mothers who would rather give birth
To a fair maiden than to any son on earth,
The lofty palace towered high into blue cloud,
With divine music borne on the breeze, the air was loud.
Seeing slow dance and hearing fluted or stringed song,
The emperor was never tired all the day long.
But rebels beat their war drums, making the earth quake
And "Song of Rainbow Skirt and Coat of Feathers" break.
A cloud of dust was raised o'er city walls nine-fold:
Thousands of chariots and horsemen southwestward rolled.
Imperial flags moved slowly now and halted then,
And thirty miles from Western Gate they stopped again.
Six armies would not march--what could be done?--with speed
Unless the Lady Yang be killed before the steed.
None would pick up her hairpin fallen on ground
Nor golden bird nor comb with which her head was crowned.
The monarch could not save her, hid his face in fear,
Turning his head, he saw her blood mix with his tear.
The yellow dust widespread, the wind blew desolate,
A serpentine plank path led to cloud-capped Sword Gate.
Below the Eyebrows Mountains wayfarers were few,
In fading sunlight royal standards lost their hue.
On western waters blue and Western mountains green,
The monarch's heart was daily gnawed by a sorrow keen.
The moon viewed from his tent shed a soul-searing light;
The bells heard in night rain made a heart-rending sound.
Suddenly turned the tide: returning from his flight,
The monarch could not tear himself away from the ground
Where 'mid the clods beneath the Slope he couldn't forget
The fair-faced lady Yang who was unfairly slain.
He looked at his countries with tears his robe was wet,
They rode east to the capital but with loose rein.
Come back, he found her pond and garden in old place,
With lotus in the lake and willows by the hall.
Willow leaves like her brows and lotus like her face,
At the sight of all these, how could his tears not fall.
Or when in vernal breeze were peach and plum full-blown
Or when in autumn rain parasol leaves were shed?
In Western as in Southern Court was grass o'ergrown,
With fallen leaves unswept the marble steps turned red.
Actors although still young began to have hair gray;
Eunuchs and waiting-maids look'd old in palace deep.
Fireflies flitting the hall, mutely he pined away,
The lonely lamp-wick burned out, still he could not sleep.
Slowly beat drums and rang bells, night began to grow long;
Bright shone the Milky Way, daybreak seemed to come late.
The love-bird tiles grew chilly with hoar frost so strong;
His kingfisher quilt was cold, not shared by a mate.
One long, long year the dead and the living were parted,
Her soul came not in dreams to see the broken-hearted.
A taoist magician came to the palace door,
Skilled to summon the spirit from the other shore.
Moved by the monarch's yearning for the deceased fair,
He was ordered to seek for her everywhere.
Borne on the air, like flash of lightning he flew,
In heaven and on earth he searched through and through.
Up to the azure vault and down to deepest place,
Nor above nor below could he e'er find her trace,
He learned that on the sea were fairy mountains proud
Which now appeared now disappeared amid the cloud
Of raibow color, where rose magnificent bowers
And dwelt so many fairies as graceful as flowers.
Among them was a queen whose name was "Ever True",
Her snow-white skin and sweet face might afford a clue.
Knocking at western gate of palace hall, he bade
The porter fair to inform the queen's waiting maid.
When she heard that there came the monarch's embassy,
The queen was startled out of dreams in her canopy.
Pushing aside the pillow, she rose and got dressed,
Passing through silver screen and pearl shade to meet the guest.
Her cloud-like hair awry, not full awake at all,
Her flowery cap slant'd, she came into the hall.
The wind blew up her fairy sleeves and made them float
As if she danced the "Rainbow Skirt and Feathered Coat",
Her jade-white face criss-crossed with tears in lonely world
Like a spray of pear blossoms in spring rain impearled.
She bade him thank her lord, love-sick and broken-hearted,
They knew nothing of each other after they parted.
Love and happiness long end'd within palace walls;
Days and months appeared long in the Fairyland halls.
Turnning her head and fixing on the earth her gaze,
She saw no capital'mid clouds of dust and haze.
To show her love so deep, she took out keepsakes old
For him to carry back, hairpin and box of gold.
Keeping one side of the box and one wing of the pin,
She sent to her lord the other half of the twin.
"If our two hearts as firm as the gold should remain,
In heaven or on earth some time we'll meet again."
At parting, she confided to the messenger
A secret vow known only to her lord and her.
On seventh day of seventh month when none was near,
At midnight in Long Life Hall he whispered in her ear:
"On high, we'd be two love-birds flying wing to wing;
On earth, two trees with branches twined from spring to spring."
The boundless sky and endless earth may pass away,
But this vow unfulfilled will be regrett'd for aye.