<Header>
<Author: 黃景仁>
<Title: 焦節婦行>
<Format: 格式不明>
<Year: 1919>
<BookName: Gems of Chinese Verse>
<Translator: W. J. B. Fletcher>
<TranslatedTitle: LENORE>
<BookPage: 238-239>
<UsedPage: 2>
<Feature: 1, 4>
<End Header>
<Poem>
雄雞齊瞑霜滿天
看郎刀裹肩上肩
里胥促發似豺虎
語聲未畢行塵前
煢煢為君守鄉里
妾身雖在不如死
牀頭有兒呱呱聲
此時欲死還宜生
翠鈿羅孺一時卸
轉託鄰翁向街賣
郎行慎勿憂家中
妾身可碎妾不嫁
生當努力青海頭
死當瞑目黃泉下
等閒一度十九秋
見成學賈事遠遊
妾存己似枝上露
郎在亦臼天邊頭
五更城頭吹觱篥
黑雲如輪月如漆
煢煢一點青缸寒
蟋蟀在戶鬼在室
忽然四面來血腥
舉頭瞥見神魂驚
一人手提髑髏立
遍體血污難分明
汝近前來妾不懼
果是郎歸定何據
一風暗來飄血衣
去時曾穿此衣去
郎歸妾已知
但怪來何遲
床頭一燈滅
梁上長繩垂
又聞瀚海風沙一萬里
郎兮幾時飛度此
妾死尚隨行
看郎白骨沙場裏
<End Poem>
<Translation>
The cocks crow all together.
The air is full of frost.
I see your sword and bundle
On either shoulder tossed.
Like jackals and like tigers
They chase you from the town.
Before our speech is ended
The white dust settles down.
In loneliness and sorrow
Our village sees me lie.
My life for you I keep alive,
Yet easier far to die.
Your child beside the pillow
With baby wailings cries.
Though much I would prefer to die
Yet here my duty lies.
My ornaments and silken robes
All now I lay a-down
And bid our ancient neighbor
Go sell them in the town.
But in your journeys vex you not
For those thus left behind.
I sooner were in pieces torn
Than change my loving mind.
But if you live, your duty do
In yon wild Tsaidam snows;
And if you die, in Hades dim
Your peaceful eyelids close.
Wait but till nineteen autumns past
Our child to manhood grown
Has left his school to wander forth
To win his bread alone.
Then like the dewdrop on the bough
I cannot long remain
While your dark locks are turned to white
Upon yon desert plain.
The dawn breaks on the City
The horns of gathering cry.
The misty moon is dimly seen
Amid the murky sky.
Amidst the chilly gloom a lamp
In lonely darkness gleams.
The cricket chirrups by the door.
Some spirit present seems.
A rank and sudden smell of gore
Rises on every side.
I shriek to see a dreadful ghost.
Ah, what may this betide?
Its hand holds forth a hollow skull
As there it standeth grim.
Defiled with dust and bloody stains
It loometh vaguely dim.
"Come in, come in before me.
Indeed I do not dread!
And thou indeed my husband art,
What proof to prove the dead ? ''
In sudden gust of darkling wind
His blood-stained garments sway.
" Alas! that garment clothed you, love,
What time you went away!''
"I know you are here.
Why come you so late?''
In gloom the lamp fails;
The rope from the beam
Hangs quivering and straight.
" In my eyes is the gleam.
In my ears is the roar
Of the breakers that burst
On a long sandy shore.
When came you in, Love ?
Oh, how flew you here ?
My spirit now comes, Love.
I follow anear,
Your white bones to view in
That desert so drear.''
<End Translation>
<Formatted Translation>
The cocks crow all together. The air is full of frost.
I see your sword and bundle on either shoulder tossed.
Like jackals and like tigers, they chase you from the town.
Before our speech is ended, the white dust settles down.
In loneliness and sorrow our village sees me lie.
My life for you I keep alive, yet easier far to die.
Your child beside the pillow with baby wailings cries.
Though much I would prefer to die yet here my duty lies.
My ornaments and silken robes all now I lay a-down
And bid our ancient neighbor go sell them in the town.
But in your journeys vex you not for those thus left behind.
I sooner were in pieces torn than change my loving mind.
But if you live, your duty do in yon wild Tsaidam snows;
And if you die, in Hades dim your peaceful eyelids close.
Wait but till nineteen autumns past our child to manhood grown
Has left his school to wander forth to win his bread alone.
Then like the dewdrop on the bough I cannot long remain
While your dark locks are turned to white upon yon desert plain.
The dawn breaks on the City the horns of gathering cry.
The misty moon is dimly seen amid the murky sky.
Amidst the chilly gloom a lamp in lonely darkness gleams.
The cricket chirrups by the door. Some spirit present seems.
A rank and sudden smell of gore rises on every side.
I shriek to see a dreadful ghost. Ah, what may this betide?
Its hand holds forth a hollow skull as there it standeth grim.
Defiled with dust and bloody stains it loometh vaguely dim.
"Come in, come in before me. Indeed I do not dread!
And thou indeed my husband art, what proof to prove the dead ? ''
In sudden gust of darkling wind his blood-stained garments sway.
" Alas! that garment clothed you, love, what time you went away!''
"I know you are here.
Why come you so late?''
In gloom the lamp fails;
The rope from the beam hangs quivering and straight.
" In my eyes is the gleam, in my ears is the roar of the breakers that burst on a long sandy shore.
When came you in, Love? Oh, how flew you here?
My spirit now comes, Love. I follow anear,
Your white bones to view in that desert so drear.''
<End Formatted Translation>