七夕
杨朴
未会牵牛意若何，须邀织女弄金梭。
年年乞与人间巧，不道人间巧几多。
The Double Seventh Eve
YangPu
Ido not know what has the Cowherd in his heart.
Whyshould he ask his Maid to weave a work of art?
Fromyear to year the artful world asks to be clever;
Theclever will do good, but the artful will never.
(许渊冲、许明 译)
On theSeventh Evening of the Seventh Lunar Month*
Du Mu
I don’t understand what the man Altair means toachieve
By asking his wife Vega to show people how to weave.
On the evening each year Altair begs for techniquesfor men,
Knowing not that there’ve been skills more thanenough in man’s world.
* According to Chinese mythology, a man originallya cowherd, became Altair while his wife, originally a woman weaver, finallybecame Vega. And from then on they could only meet once a year on the seventhevening of the seventh lunar month.
(郭著章 译)
TheSeventh Night
Yang P’u
I’ve never understood the Herdboy’s thoughts
why he asks the Weaving Maid to work her goldenloom
every year offering her skill to the world
unaware the world has enough skills already
