<Header>
<Author: 白居易>
<Title: 感興二首(一)>
<Format: 七言律詩>
<Year: 1981>
<BookName: Tu Fu -A New Translation>
<Translator: Wu, Juntao>
<TranslatedTitle: Moved by Emotions (first of two poems)>
<BookPage: 229>
<UsedPage: 1>
<Feature: 1>
<End Header>
<Poem>
吉凶禍福有來由
但要深知不要憂
只見火光燒潤屋
不聞風浪覆虛舟
名為公器無多取
利是身災合少求
雖異匏瓜難不食
大都食足早宜休
<End Poem>
<Translation>
There's a reason
For a blessing or a disaster,
For good fortune or bad.
But though you should be
Deeply aware of this,
You should not worry on this account.
You may see a brilliant flame
Coiling around a rich man's home,
But you will not hear of the wind and waves
Capsizing an empty boat.
Fame is a public contrivance
Not often secured;
Profit may be a private disaster,
The less sought after the better.
Though we differ as to whether the bitter melon
Is hard, not to eat,
We should know when we have eaten enough
So as to retire early in life.
<End Translation>
<Formatted Translation>
There's a reason for a blessing or a disaster, for good fortune or bad.
But though you should be deeply aware of this, you should not worry on this account.
You may see a brilliant flame coiling around a rich man's home,
But you will not hear of the wind and waves capsizing an empty boat.
Fame is a public contrivance not often secured;
Profit may be a private disaster, the less sought after the better.
Though we differ as to whether the bitter melon is hard, not to eat,
We should know when we have eaten enough so as to retire early in life.
<End Formatted Translation>