EALC110 TRANSLATION PROJECT

By Tram Nguyen

Online Access: issuu.com/tramnguyen307/docs/ealc110trans

Translation Exercise #1: Classic of Poetry 詩經

將仲子

將仲子兮、無踰我里、無折我樹杞。

豈敢愛之、畏我父母。

仲可懷也、父母之言、亦可畏也。

將仲子兮、無踰我墻、無折我樹桑。

豈敢愛之、畏我諸兄。

仲可懷也、諸兄之言、亦可畏也。

將仲子兮、無踰我園、無折我樹檀。

豈敢愛之、畏人之多言。

仲可懷也、人之多言、亦可畏也。

Zhongzi, please

Please, Zhongzi,

Don’t leap into my hamlet.

Don’t injure my planted willows.

It’s not that I care much for those trees,

But I dread what my parents might say.

While I dearly love you, Zhong,

How can I not be afraid of their words?

Please, Zhongzi,

Don’t clamber over my family’s wall

Don’t break my planted mulberries

It’s not that I care much for those trees,

But I dread what my elder brother might say.

While I dearly love you, Zhong

How can I not be afraid of his words?

Please, Zhongzi,

Don’t jump into my garden.

Don’t hurt my planted hardwoods

It’s not that I care much for those trees,

But I dread what the villagers might say.

While I dearly love you, Zhong

How can I not be afraid of their gossip?

Translation Exercise #2: Meng Jiao 孟郊（751—814）

遊子吟

慈母手中線，

遊子身上衣。

臨行密密縫，

意恐遲遲歸。

誰言寸草心，

報得三春暉。

Song of a Wanderer

Thread from the hands of a devoted mother

Sewn in the garment of her wandering son.

Stitch after stich she wove till he departed

For fear of his delayed return.

Can the love from a blade of grass

Ever repay the nurturing warmth of the spring sun?

①

②

③

⑥

④ ⑤

Translation Exercise #3: Li Bai李白（701—672）

Part a

靜夜思

床前明月光

疑是地上霜

舉頭望明月

低頭思故鄉

Musing in the still of the night

Moonbeams glisten brightly before my bed

Almost as if there were frost on the ground.

Raising my head, I gaze at the glorious moon

Head bent down, I miss my dear hometown.

1

2

3

4

Part b

自遣

對酒不覺暝

落花盈我衣

醉起步溪月

鳥遠人亦稀

Delighting myself

Mind drenched in wine, I was unaware of the rustling nightfall

Rain of flowers poured down, spilling all over my gown.

Drunkenly I rise, and follow the sweep of moonlight in the stream

Birds have returned to their distant nests, and people too are scarce.

1

2

3

4

Translation Exercise #4: Du Fu 杜甫（712—770）

除架

束薪已零落，

瓠葉轉蕭疏。

幸結白花了，

寧辭青蔓除。

秋蟲聲不去，

暮雀意何如。

寒事今牢落，

人生亦有初。

Removing the Trellis

Tied strips of wood already withered and fell,

Gourd leaves are turning shriveled and sparse.

How lucky, white blossoms have fully bloomed,

It’s better to help the lush green vines fade away.

Humming, buzzing, the sound of autumn insects never ceases

Soaring at dusk, are those sparrows lost in their thoughts?

Everything is spiraling down into the frigid cold,

Human life also has such beginnings.

Translation Exercise #5: Wang Wei王維（~699—759）

過香積寺

不知香積寺，

數里入雲峰。

古木無人徑，

深山何處鐘？

泉聲咽危石，

日色冷青松。

薄暮空潭曲，

安禪制毒龍。

Journey to the Temple of Piling Fragrance

Where is the Temple of Piling Fragrance? I do not know

Mile after mile, I wander under the cloudy peak.

Amid the ancient woods, there is no sign of human path

Only the muffled toll of bells, faraway in the mountain.

A jumble of high-steep rocks swallow sounds of the stream

While a forest of green pines chill hues of sunlight.

Dusk has now set over the curves of a quiet deep pond

Through mediation, I quell the venomous dragon off my mind.