<Header>
<Author: 白居易>
<Title: 松齋自題(時為翰林學士)>
<Format: 五言古詩>
<Year: 2000>
<BookName: Po Chu-I Selected Poems>
<Translator: BURTON WATSON>
<TranslatedTitle: Inscribed on My Pine Study (When I Became a Han-lin Scholar)>
<BookPage: 9>
<UsedPage: 1>
<Feature: 4>
<End Header>
<Poem>
非老亦非少，
年過三紀餘。
非賤亦非貴，
朝登一命初。
才小分易足，
心寬體長舒。
充腸皆美食，
容膝即安居。
況此松齋下，
一琴數帙書。
書不求甚解，
琴聊以自娛。
夜直入君門，
晚歸臥吾廬。
形骸委順動，
方寸付空虛。
持此將過日，
自然多晏如。
昏昏復默默，
非智亦非愚。
<End Poem>
<Translation>
Not old, not young either,
my years exceed three dozen.
Not lowly, and yet not eminent－
for the first time assigned a post at court.
Meager talent, easily resigned to my lot,
liberal in mind, body at all times relaxed.
Any food that fills my belly I look on as tasty;
if there's room for my knees, I'm content with my quarters.
How much more so this Pine Study of mine,
one ch'in, a couple of bags of books.
With books I don't try too hard to get the meaning;
the ch'in I just play for my own enjoyment.
Nights on duty, I enter the ruler's gates,
come home later to sleep in my own house.
I let my body move with the flow of things,
my mind I consign to emptiness.
This is how I get through the days,
the natural way, way of much repose,
blankly blank, silent, unspeaking,
not wise－not stupid either.
<End Translation>