<Header>
<Author: 白居易>
<Title: 戒藥>
<Format: 五言古詩>
<Year: 1981>
<BookName: Tu Fu -A New Translation>
<Translator: Wu, Juntao>
<TranslatedTitle: Caution against Medicines>
<BookPage: 556-557>
<UsedPage: 2>
<Feature: 1>
<End Header>
<Poem>
促促急景中
蠢蠢微塵裏
生涯有分限
愛戀無終已
早夭羨中年
中年羨暮齒
暮齒又貪生
服食求不死
朝吞太陽精
夕吸秋石髓
徼福反成災
藥誤者多矣
以之資嗜欲
又望廷甲子
天人陰啼間
亦恐無此里
域中有真道
所說不如此
後身始身存
吾聞諸老氏
<End Poem>
<Translation>
Urgently, quickly the passing scene speeds by;
Flitting, fragile, without a speck of dust.
Life has its limits, but not our love and yearning for it.
Whoever dies early envies the middle-aged;
The middle-aged envy whoever is in advanced years.
Whoever is advanced in years is still greedy for life,
And through special food and drink
Seeks the road to immortality.
In the morning he swallows the "Sun Essence Pill,"
In the evening he ingests the "Autumn Stone Herb."
These beckon him to good fortune but bring disaster,
So many are those who err with medicines!
With greedy craving for life
They fancy only to prolong their years,
But I fear that in the ways Heaven decrees for man
The principle they follow is nowhere found.
The true way of the world is not to prolong life
"When I put my body behind me
My body first comes to life."
<End Translation>
<Formatted Translation>
Urgently, quickly the passing scene speeds by;
Flitting, fragile, without a speck of dust.
Life has its limits, 
but not our love and yearning for it.
Whoever dies early envies the middle-aged;
The middle-aged envy whoever is in advanced years.
Whoever is advanced in years is still greedy for life,
And through special food and drink Seeks the road to immortality.
In the morning he swallows the "Sun Essence Pill,"
In the evening he ingests the "Autumn Stone Herb."
These beckon him to good fortune but bring disaster,
So many are those who err with medicines!
With greedy craving for life
They fancy only to prolong their years,
But I fear that in the ways Heaven decrees for man
The principle they follow is nowhere found.
The true way of the world is not to prolong life
But in the words of Lao-tzu who declared:
"When I put my body behind me
My body first comes to life."
<End Formatted Translation>