<Header>
<Author: 白居易>
<Title: 覽鏡喜老>
<Format: 五言古詩>
<Year: 1981>
<BookName: Tu Fu -A New Translation>
<Translator: Wu, Juntao>
<TranslatedTitle: Looking in the Mirror, Delighting in Old Age>
<BookPage: 333>
<UsedPage: 1>
<Feature: 1>
<End Header>
<Poem>
今朝覽明鏡
鬚鬢盡成絲
行年六十四
安得不衰羸
親屬惜我老
相顧興歎咨
而我獨微笑
此意何人知
笑罷仍命酒
掩鏡捋白髭
爾輩且安坐
從容聽我詞
生若不足戀
老亦何足悲
生若苟可戀
老即生多時
不老即須夭
不夭即須衰
晚衰勝早夭
此里決不疑
古人亦有言
浮生七十稀
我今欠六歲
多幸或庶幾
儻得及此限
何羨榮啓期
當喜不當歎
更傾酒一巵
<End Poem>
<Translation>
This morning I look into the bright mirror.
All my hair has turned to white threads.
Since I am sixty-four, how can I have escaped decay?
My family grieve that I am so old,
Look at each other and sigh.
I only laugh, and would you know why?
When I'm through laughing, I order wine,
Cover the mirror, twist my white hairs and say:
"Please sit quietly, listen to my words:
If life is not worth yearning for,
Why should age occasion sadness?
And if life is really worth yearning for,
When age has come you have lived a long time.
If you don't become old, then you die young,
And if you do not die young
Then you're certain to face decay.
Doubtless decaying late surpasses dying early.
The ancients said that in this floating life
It's rarely that men arrive at seventy.
I've six years more, but with good luck
I'll reach that age and if I do
Why should I envy the octogenarian Jung Ch'i-chi?
You really should be happy! Don't sigh!
Pour me a cup of wine instead!
<End Translation>
<Formatted Translation>
This morning I look into the bright mirror.
All my hair has turned to white threads.
Since I am sixty-four, 
how can I have escaped decay?
My family grieve that I am so old,
Look at each other and sigh.
I only laugh, 
and would you know why?
When I'm through laughing, I order wine,
Cover the mirror, twist my white hairs and say:
"Please sit quietly, 
listen to my words:
If life is not worth yearning for,
Why should age occasion sadness?
And if life is really worth yearning for,
When age has come you have lived a long time.
If you don't become old, then you die young,
And if you do not die young then you're certain to face decay.
Decaying late surpasses dying early
Doubtless. 
The ancients said that in this floating life
It's rarely that men arrive at seventy.
I've six years more, 
but with good luck
I'll reach that age and if I do
Why should I envy the octogenarian Jung Ch'i-chi?
You really should be happy! Don't sigh!
Pour me a cup of wine instead!
<End Formatted Translation>