| 英譯： |
Ch'ang-an's broad streets connect with narrow lanes;
Black oxen, white horses, chariots of fragrant wood,
Jade-inlaid sedan chairs, go all over town, past princesses' homes;
Golden saddles head continuously toward noblemen's mansions.
Dragons hold in their mouths costly chariot parasols that glitter in the morning sun;
Phoenixes spit forth tassels that shine beneath the evening clouds.
Gossamer threads, a thousand feet long, compete to wind around the trees;
A whole flock of gorgeous birds chorus among the blossoms.
They chorus among the blossoms, with flirting butterflies
by the thousand palace gates;
Emerald trees, silver terraces, myriad colors.
The palace galleries alternating with windows form acacia leaves;
The ridge tiles linking the paired watch towers are drooping phoenix wings.
The Liang family's painted halls rise to the sky,
The Han Emperor's Golden Stems go straight beyond the clouds.
People in front of the tall houses don't know the folk they see,
Those who meet on the streets fail to recognize each other.
Let me ask about her who plays the flute facing the purple mist.
In her fragrant years she became an expert dancer.
She longs for a mate—like a pair of fish with one eye each—then she wouldn't mind death,
Or a couple of mandarin ducks, then she wouldn't envy the immortals.
The couples of fish and the mandarin ducks are truly to be envied,
In pairs they go, in pairs they come, don't you see them there?
How hateful! A solitary pheasant embroidered on the curtain.
How lovely! A pair of swallows affixed to the door screen.
The paired swallows fly together around the painted ridgepole,
Silk curtains, kingfisher-green covers, "rich gold" incense.
On layers of "drifting cloud" hair she fixes a "cicada-wing" coiffure;
Above the thin, thin "new moon" eyebrows she applies yellow powder.
Wearing yellow and white powder she goes out in the chariot,
Coquettish and flirtatious, she often changes expression.
Handsome lads on valuable horses with coin-shaped metal adornments,
Courtesans with "coiled dragon" coiffures and "bent knee" golden hairpins.
Inside the Censorate, ravens caw at night,
In front of the gate of the Hall of Justice, sparrows are eager to perch.
Grand, grand, the vermilion city overlooks the jade-bright road;
Far, far, the green carriage curtains sink behind the metal barriers.
Clasping pellet-shooters, men go hawking north of the Tu-ling Plateau;
Assassins draw pellet-lots west of the Wei River Bridge.
Dandies with "lotus" swords welcome each other,
Together they follow the beaten path to the courtesans' peach and plum blossoms.
The courtesans at sunset in purple silk skirts
With clear voices sing gentle tunes.
At the Northern Halls each night men stay as long as the moon,
At the Southern Road each morning horses gather like clouds.
The Southern Road and the Northern Halls are linked to the Northern Quarter,
Five-way crossroads and three-lane streets lead to the Three Markets.
Supple willows and green locust trees droop, sweeping the ground;
Balmy air and red dust rise in the darkening sky.
Here you come, metropolitan police of the Han dynasty, a thousand horse strong,
To drink "kingfisher" wine in nautilus-shell cups.
Silk jackets and jeweled belts are removed for you,
Songs from Yen and dances from Chao are performed for you.
Then there are nobles, calling themselves generals and ministers;
They turn the sun and the sky around, they yield to none,
So arrogant they could push a Kuan Fu aside,
So arbitrary they will not tolerate a Hsiao Wang.
Arbitrary, arrogant—such are noble lords:
Black Dragon and Purple Swallow stir a breeze even when they sit.
They claim their singing and dancing will last a thousand years,
They say their proud extravagance surpasses the Five Lords'.
In the cycle of seasons, scenes change without delay;
In a twinkling a mulberry orchard becomes an emerald green sea.
Where once there were golden steps and white jade halls
Today there are only green pines.
Quiet and austere is Master Yang's life,
Year in and year out a couch full of books.
There are only the cassia flowers blooming on South Mountain,
Flying to and fro they invade his robes.
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