<Header>
<Author: 李商隱>
<Title: 錦瑟>
<Format: 七言律詩>
<Year: 2009>
<BookName: Three Hundred TANG POEMS>
<Translator: Harris, Peter>
<TranslatedTitle: The decorated harp>
<BookPage: 156>
<UsedPage: 1>
<Feature: 1>
<End Header>
<Poem>
錦瑟無端五十絃，
一絃一柱思華年。
莊生曉夢迷蝴蝶，
望帝春心託杜鵑。
滄海月明珠有淚，
藍田日暖玉生煙。
此情可待成追憶，
只是當時已惘然。
<End Poem>
<Translation>
There’s no reason for the fifty strings
on a decorated harp –
With one string, one strut,
I think of my youthful years.
In his dream at dawn Master Zhuang
was bemused by a butterfly;
The emperor Wang’s spring thoughts
were entrusted to a cuckoo.
The moon shines bright above the ocean
whose pearls have tears;
The sun is warm over Azure Fields
where smoke rises from jade.
Love like that could wait and give
a shape to memories;
It’s just that even at the time
it was hazy and obscure.
<End Translation>
<Formatted Translation>
There’s no reason for the fifty strings on a decorated harp
With one string, one strut, I think of my youthful years.
In his dream at dawn Master Zhuang was bemused by a butterfly;
The emperor Wang’s spring thoughts were entrusted to a cuckoo.
The moon shines bright above the ocean whose pearls have tears;
The sun is warm over Azure Fields where smoke rises from jade.
Love like that could wait and give a shape to memories;
It’s just that even at the time it was hazy and obscure.
<End Formatted Translation>