<Header>
<Author: 白居易>
<Title: 夢德前所酬篇...>
<Format: 七言律詩>
<Year: 1981>
<BookName: Tu Fu -A New Translation>
<Translator: Wu, Juntao>
<TranslatedTitle: Responding to Meng-te's Poem …>
<BookPage: 607>
<UsedPage: 1>
<Feature: 1, 5>
<End Header>
<Poem>
鍊盡少年成白首
憶初相識到今朝
昔饒春桂長先折
今伴寒松轉後凋
生事縱貧猶可過
風情雖老未全銷
聲華寵命人皆得
若箇如君歷七朝
<End Poem>
<Translation>
Youth has been wholly converted
Into white hairs.
I remember our lives from our first meeting
Until the present day.
Formerly you always
Plucked the spring cassias before me;
Now even this cold pine
Falls behind you
In the fullness of our years.
Despite our poverty
We still manage to live through our days.
We even penetrate to life's essence.
We may be old
But the feeling of springtime
Is not completely
Locked out of our hearts.
Fame, glory, royal citations
Men have often obtained
But how many reach seventy
As have you and I?
<End Translation>
<Formatted Translation>
Youth has been wholly converted into white hairs.
I remember our lives from our first meeting until the present day.
Formerly you always plucked the spring cassias before me;
Now even this cold pine falls behind you in the fullness of our years.
Despite our poverty we still manage to live through our days. We even penetrate to life's essence.
We may be old but the feeling of springtime is not completely locked out of our hearts.
Fame, glory, royal citations men have often obtained
But how many reach seventy as have you and I?
<End Formatted Translation>