<Header>
<Author: 李白>
<Title: 蜀道難>
<Format: 樂府詩>
<Year: 1922>
<BookName: THE WORKS OF LI PO>
<Translator: Shigeyoshi Obata>
<TranslatedTitle: The Steep Road To Shuh>
<BookPage: 109>
<UsedPage: 1>
<Feature: 1, 3, 4>
<End Header>
<Poem>
噫吁戲！危乎高哉！蜀道之難難於上青天！蠶叢及魚鳧，
開國何茫然。
爾來四萬八千歲，
不與秦塞通人煙。
西當太白有鳥道，
可以橫絕峨眉巔。
地崩山摧壯士死，
然後天梯石棧相鉤連。
上有六龍回日之高標，
下有衝波逆折之回川。
黃鶴之飛尚不得過，
猨猱欲度愁攀援。
青泥何盤盤，
百步九折縈巖巒。
捫參歷井仰脅息，
以手撫膺坐長歎。
問君西遊何時還？畏途巉巖不可攀。
但見悲鳥號古木，
雄飛雌從繞林間。
又聞子規啼夜月，
愁空山，
蜀道之難難於上青天，
使人聽此凋朱顏。
連峯去天不盈尺，
枯松倒挂倚絕壁。
飛湍瀑流爭喧豗，
砅厓轉石萬壑雷。
其險也如此，
嗟爾遠道之人胡爲乎來哉！劒閣崢嶸而崔嵬，
一夫當關，
萬夫莫開。
所守或匪親，
化爲狼與豺。
朝避猛虎，
夕避長蛇。
磨牙吮血，
殺人如麻。
錦城雖云樂，
不如早還家。
蜀道之難難於上青天，
側身西望長咨嗟。
<End Poem>
<Translation>
Alas! how precipitous! Alas! how high!
The road to Shuh is more difficult to climb than to climb 
the steep blue heaven.
In the remotest time of Tsang-tsung and Yu-fu—
0
Yea, forty milleniums ago—that land was founded.
Yet from the wall of the Middle Kingdom runs no high-
way thither, no highway linking human dwel-
lings;
Only a lone precipitous path—the bird-way—was built,
Leading westward toward the evening star,
And trailing across the forehead of the Yo-mgi moun-
tain.
And how those strong men died, traveling over!
The earth sunk and the mountains crumbled.
At last there is now a road of many ladders and bridges 
hooked together in the air.
Lo, the road-mark high above, where the six dragons 
circle the sun!
Lo, the stream far below, winding forth and winding 
back, breaks into foam!
The yellow crane could not fly over these mountaintops;
And the monkeys wail, unable to leap over these gorges.
How the Green Mud path turns round and round!— 
There are nine turns to each hundred steps.
The traveler must climb into the very realm of stars, 
and gasp for breath;
Then draw a long sigh, his hands on his breast.
Oh, why go you west, I pray? And when will you 
return ?
I fear for you. You cannot clamber over these jutting rocks.
You shall see nothing by day but the birds plaining bit-
terly on the aged trees, the female following the 
male in their flight;
You shall hear no voice but the cuckoos calling in the 
moonlight by night, calling mournfully in the 
desolate mountains.
The road to Shuh is more difficult to climb than to climb 
the steep blue heaven.
A mere story of it makes the youth's red face grow pale.
The lofty peaks shoot up cloudward in rows. If one 
foot higher, they would touch the heaven.
The dead pine trees cling to the cliff, hanging headmost 
over the abyss.
The sparkling cascades and the spurting torrents vie 
with one another to make the bellowing din.
Anon, a giant boulder tumbles from the crag-head; a 
thousand mountain walls resound like thunder.
O you wayfarers from afar, why do you come hither on 
this direful road?
The gate of the Sword Parapet stands firm on its fright-
ful height.
One man defending it, a thousand men could not break 
it open.
And the keepers of the gate are not of your kin,
They may turn, I fear, to wolves and leopards.
Fleeing at morn before the savage tigers,
Fleeing at eve before the huge serpents,
Men are killed and cut up like hemp,
While the beasts whet their fangs and lick the blood.
Though many pleasures there may be in the brocade 
city of Shuh,
It were better to return to your house quickly.
The road to Shuh is more difficult to climb than to climb 
the steep blue heaven.
I shrug my shoulders and heave a long sigh—gazing 
into the west.
<End Translation>
<Formatted Translation>
Alas! how precipitous! 
Alas! how high!
The road to Shuh is more difficult to climb 
than to climb the steep blue heaven.
In the remotest time of Tsang-tsung and Yu-fu—
0
Yea, forty milleniums ago—that land was founded.
Yet from the wall of the Middle Kingdom runs no highway thither, no highway linking human dwellings;
Only a lone precipitous path—the bird-way—was built, Leading westward toward the evening star,
And trailing across the forehead of the Yo-mgi mountain.
And how those strong men died, traveling over! The earth sunk and the mountains crumbled.
At last there is now a road of many ladders and bridges hooked together in the air.
Lo, the road-mark high above, where the six dragons circle the sun!
Lo, the stream far below, winding forth and winding back, breaks into foam!
The yellow crane could not fly over these mountaintops;
And the monkeys wail, unable to leap over these gorges.
How the Green Mud path turns round and round!— 
There are nine turns to each hundred steps.
The traveler must climb into the very realm of stars, and gasp for breath;
Then draw a long sigh, his hands on his breast.
Oh, why go you west, I pray? And when will you return ?
I fear for you. You cannot clamber over these jutting rocks.
You shall see nothing by day but the birds plaining bitterly on the aged trees, the female following the male in their flight;
You shall hear no voice but the cuckoos calling in the moonlight by night, 
calling mournfully in the desolate mountains.
The road to Shuh is more difficult to climb 
than to climb the steep blue heaven.
A mere story of it makes the youth's red face grow pale.
The lofty peaks shoot up cloudward in rows. If one foot higher, they would touch the heaven.
The dead pine trees cling to the cliff, hanging headmost over the abyss.
The sparkling cascades and the spurting torrents vie with one another to make the bellowing din.
Anon, a giant boulder tumbles from the crag-head; a thousand mountain walls resound like thunder.
O you wayfarers from afar, 
why do you come hither on this direful road?
The gate of the Sword Parapet stands firm on its frightful height.
One man defending it, 
a thousand men could not break it open.
And the keepers of the gate are not of your kin,
They may turn, I fear, to wolves and leopards.
Fleeing at morn before the savage tigers,
Fleeing at eve before the huge serpents,
While the beasts whet their fangs and lick the blood.
Men are killed and cut up like hemp,
Though many pleasures there may be in the brocade city of Shuh,
It were better to return to your house quickly.
The road to Shuh is more difficult to climb 
than to climb the steep blue heaven.
I shrug my shoulders and heave a long sigh—gazing into the west.
<End Formatted Translation>