[updated September 2022]
River City Melody
江 城 子
梦 中 了 了 醉 中 醒。
只 渊 明， 是 前 生。
走 遍 人 间
依 旧 却 躬 耕。
昨 夜 东 坡 春 雨 足
乌 鹊 喜， 报 新 晴。
雪 堂 西 畔 暗 泉 鸣。
北 山 倾， 小 溪 横。
南 望 亭 丘
孤 秀 耸 曾 城。
都 是 斜 川 当 日 境
吾 老 矣， 寄 馀 齡 。
Jiang Cheng Zi
Meng zhong liao liao zui zhong xing
Zhi yuan ming, shi qian sheng.
Zou bian ren jian
Yi jiu que gong geng.
Zuo ye dong po chun yu zu
Wu que xi, bao xin qing.
Xue tang xi pan an quan ming.
Bei shan qing, xiao xi heng.
Nan wang ting qiu
Gu xiu song ceng cheng.
Dou shi xie chuan dang ri jing
Wu lao yi ji yu ling.
River City Melody
In the middle of dreams one sees clearly
We look drunk, but actually are sober and full of clarity
Only Tao Yuanming understands me
Maybe I was him in my previous life.
Everywhere we walk among people
But as before, we had to retreat, cultivate ourselves
Last night, full spring rainfall on the eastern slopes
All the happy crows and magpies report the new sunny skies.
They sing at the Xuetang orphanage, along western berms and hidden springheads.
Slanting northern mountains, seasonal creek from east to west
Into the southern distance, small pavilion on a hilltop
One lofty peak in the background
Both of us viewing and feeling this same landscape scenery
I am old, want to spend my remaining years here.
Notes:
Tao Yuanming: (365-427): Famous Eastern Jin Dynasty poet. See his biography and poems within this website.
Xuetang orphanage: Su Dongpo was credited with starting the first child orphanage in China. It was located in the city of Huangzhou.