<Header>
<Author: 白居易>
<Title: 詠老贈夢得>
<Format: 五言排律>
<Year: 2000>
<BookName: Po Chu-I Selected Poems>
<Translator: BURTON WATSON>
<TranslatedTitle: On Old Age, to Send to Meng-te>
<BookPage: 142>
<UsedPage: 1>
<Feature: 0>
<End Header>
<Poem>
與君俱老也，
自問老何如。
眼澀夜先臥，
頭慵朝未梳。
有時扶杖出，
盡日閉門居。
嬾照新磨鏡，
休看小字書。
情於故人重，
迹共少年疎。
唯是閑談興，
相逢尚有餘。
<End Poem>
<Translation>
The two of us both in old age now,
I ask myself what it means to be old.
Eyes bleary, evenings yor're the first to bed;
hair a bother, mornings you leave it uncombed.
Sometimes you go out, a stick to prop you;
sometimes, gate shut, you stay indoors the whole day.
Neglecting to look into the newly polished mirror,
no longer reading books if the characters are too samll,
your thoughts dwelling more and more on old friends,
your activities far removed from those of the young,
only idle chatter rouses your interest－
when we meet, we still have lots of that, don't we!
<End Translation>