<Header>
<Author: 杜甫>
<Title: 石壕吏>
<Format: 樂府詩>
<Year: 1985>
<BookName: SELECTED POEMS OF DU FU>
<Translator: Li Weijian>
<TranslatedTitle: The Officer at the Village >
<BookPage: 112-115>
<UsedPage: 4>
<Feature: 4>
<End Header>
<Poem>
暮投石壕邨，
有吏夜捉人。
老翁踰牆走，
老婦出門看。
吏呼一何怒，
婦啼一何苦。
聽婦前致詞，
三男鄴城戍。
一男附書致，
二男新戰死。
存者且偷生，
死者長已矣。
室中更無人，
惟有乳下孫。
有孫母未去，
出入無完帬。
老嫗力雖衰，
請從吏夜歸。
急應河陽役，
猶得備晨炊。
夜久語聲絕，
如聞泣幽咽。
天明登前途，
獨與老翁別。
<End Poem>
<Translation>
At dusk I stop at Stone Gully Village;
In the middle of the night an officer comes.
The press-gang! And the old man goes over the wall,
Leaving the old woman to answer the door.
How the officer rages and fumes!
How the old woman weeps and wails!
I hear her pleading:
"My three sons-all in the army-
One of them sent word-the other two fallen.
The living carry on anyhow,
The dead are gone forever.
Nobody else in the house, no males
But my grandson, a babe in arms.
The mother, poor widow, is still around,
In rags, not fit to be seen,
Take me if you must--me, an old woman,
Willing to go, though feeble.
We might reach camp before dawn,
In time to cook the morning meal."
In the deep of night, the voices fade;
Only bitter sobs are heard.
At dawn I'm off, saying farewell
To the old man, just the old man.
<End Translation>