秋夕
杜牧
银烛秋光冷画屏，轻罗小扇扑流萤。
天阶夜色凉如水，坐看牵牛织女星。
注：全诗最后一句，有版本又作：卧看牵牛织女星。
The Double Seventh Night
DuMu
Autumnhas chilled the painted screen in silver moonlight;
Asilken fan is used to catch flitting firefly.
Thesteps seem steeped in water when cold grows the night.
Shelies to watch two stars in love meet in the sky.
(许渊冲、许明 译)
An autumn night
DuMu
Onthe pictured screen, a candle throws its light.
Onesense the chill of autumn, though it be slight.
Alassie, holding in her hand, a light silken fan,
Goesabout swatting fireflies as many as she can.
Scarcelyvisible, as twilight is near,
Coldas water, the stone pavements appear.
Shelies down, as evening scenes into nocturne pass,
Watchingthe legendary stars “Cowherd and his lass”.
(徐忠杰 译)
Autumn Evening
DuMu
Autumnlight
Froma white candle
Ona cold moonlit screen.
Asilk fan
Catchingglow-worms
Onthe fly.
Longinto the dark evening
Shesits on the palace steps,
Forgettingcool night
Asshe watches the Cowherd Star
Meetinghis Weaver Girl, high in the sky.
(丁祖鑫 译)
An Autumn Evening
DuMu
Inthe flickering autumn candlelight, the painted screen grows cold.
Witha small fan of silk gauze*, she scatters the drifting fireflies.
Aschill waters of the night envelop the palace steps,
Shesits to watch the Herdsman and Weaver Maid**.
*The poem portrays an imperial concubine fallen from favor. Her situation isthus analogous to that of the “small fan of silk gauze” discarded at summer’send.
**Herdsman…Weaver Maid: Stars positioned south and north of the Milky Way. Inpopular legend, they were lovers who meet only once a year on the seventh dayof the seventh month, when magpies build a bridge for them to cross the “Riverof Heaven”.
(张廷琛、Bruce M.Wilson 译)
AutumnNight*
Du Mu
Silver candle, autumn light and cold picturescreen,
Small fan of light silk swatting streakingglow-worms.
Palace steps at night cold as water,
Where she sits watching Cowherd and Weaving Girl**.
* The subject of this poem is a palace maid. Inancient China, once a girl was chosen to be a maid in the imperial palace, shebecame a virtual prisoner for life, no freedom to move around, nor to marry.
** Cowherd and Weaving Girl are lovers in Chinese mythology,identified with stars Altair and Vega. They are separated by the Milky Way andpermitted to see each other only once a year on the 7th day of Julywhen the magpies form a bridge where the star-crossed lovers meet at thehalfway point.
(任治稷、余正 译)
Evening in August
DuMu
whitecandles are burning
autumnis in the air
peopleare cold
andthe room panels are cold
sheswipes at fireflies with a little fan
afan delicate and made of silk
sheis sitting by the staircase
atthe front of the house
theautumn wind
chillyas a mountain stream
shewatches the one star and the other
Altairand Vega
thecowherd and the woman at the loom
fromthe old story
(王守义、约翰·诺弗尔 译)
An Autumn Night
DuMu
Theautumn’s silver candlelight shows off the chilly screen;
Pattingthe fireflies with a silken fan a maiden’s seen.
Innight’s dim light, the marble steps look like a coldish bay;
Shesits to watch two longing stars* there by the Milky Way.
*Two longing stars: They refer to the Weaver and the Cowherd who were commonlybelieved to be two stars very much in love with each other but separated by theMilky Way.
(王大濂 译)
An Autumn Night
DuMu
Autumnmoon and a candle cast cold lights on painted screen dimly,
Aforsaken maid of honor swats fireflies with silk fan lonely.
Asthe shades of night on palace stone-steps are as cool as water,
Shesits down, watching the mythical lovers: Altair and Vega.
(刘克璋 译)
On an Autumn Night
DuMu
Thepainted screen is made to look chill by the silvery candle with autumn light,
Theyoung palace maid uses a small gauze fan to beat the flying fireflies.
Thoughthe white marble steps of the palace are as cool as the water at night,
Yetshe lies down to look up at the Altair and the Vega in the skies.
(王福林 译)
In the Autumn Night
TuMu
Hercandle-light is silvery on her chill bright screen.
Herlittle silk fan is for fireflies….
Shelies watching her staircase cold in the moon,
Andtwo stars parted by the River of Heaven.
(Witter Bynner & Kiang Kang-hu 译)
Autumn Evening
TuMu
Silverautumn candlelight chills the painted screen,
Alittle fan of light silk flaps the streaming fireflies.
Coolas water, the night sheen of the steps into the sky.
Shelies and watches the Weaver Girl meet the Herdboy Star.
(A. C.Graham 译)
Autumn Evening
TuMu
Silverlantern autumn light chills her painted screen
sheswats at passing fireflies with her small silk fan
atnight the streets of Heaven look as cool as water
lyingdown she gazes at the Weaving Maid and Herdboy stars
(Red Pine 译)
Autumn Night
DuMu
Theautumn light and the sliver candle
arecool on the painted screen;
Shehits at the swirling fireflies with
asmall light silken fan.
Inthe night sky the Heavenly Steps
appearclear and cold, like water;
Shesits and looks at the stars
ofthe Cowherd and the Weaver.
(Peter Harris 译)
Mid-Autumn Night
DuMu
Asilver candle in autumn lights the cold painted screen;
alight silk fan beats, fireflies flow around it.
Inmy courtyard, the night sky is clear as water;
Isit and watch Herdboy and Weaver Girl meet.
(Geoffrey R. Waters 译)
Autumn Evening
DuMu
Redcandle make
anautumn light
thepainted screen feels chilly
catchingthe last fireflies
witha delicate
silkfan
sittingon the steps
underthe starlight
coolas water
towatch the Weaver and Cowherd
keepingtheir annual tryst
inthe Milky Way.
(David Young and Jiann I. Lin 译)
The Autumn Evening
DuMu
Theautumn silver candlelight is
coldon the painted screen.
Onit, a lady chased the fireflies
witha little silk fan.
TheMilky Way and the night were as
coolas water
asone gazed on the stars
ofthe Celestial Cowherd and
hisWeaving Lady.
(Claire Wang-Lee 译)
Autumn Evening
TuMu
Autumnsilver-moon candlelight chills painted screens,
gauzebed-curtains. Out fans buffet streaming fireflies.
Onsteps of sky the color of silken robes cold as water,
wesit watching Star River’s Weaver-Girl and Ox-Herd.
(David Hinton 译)
