[updated September 2022]
From Sichuan: Letter to My Young Brother
入 峡 寄 弟
吾 昔 与 尔 辈
读 书 常 闭 门。
未 尝 冒 湍 险
岂 顾 垂 堂 言。
自 此 历 江 湖
辛 勤 难 具 论。
往 来 行 旅 弊
开 凿 禹 功 存。
壁 直 千 岩 峻
淙 流 万 壑 奔。
我 来 凡 几 宿
无 夕 不 闻 猿。
浦 上 思 归 恋
舟 中 失 梦 魂。
泪 沾 明 月 峡
心 断 鹡 鸰 原。
离 阔 星 难 聚
秋 深 露 已 繁。
因 君 下 南 楚
书 此 引 乡 园。
Ru Xia Ji Di
Wu xi you er bei
Du shu chang bi men.
Wei chang mao tuan xian
Qi gu chui tang yan.
Zi ci li jiang hu
Xin qin nan ju lun.
Wang lai xing lu bi
Kai zao yu gong cun.
Bi zhi qian yan jun
Cong liu wan he ben.
Wo lai fan ji su
Wu xi bu wen yuan.
Pu shang si gui lian
Zhou zhong shi meng hun.
Lei zhan ming yue xia
Xin duan ji ling yuan.
Li kuo xing nan ju
Qiu shen lu yi fan.
Yin jun xia nan chu
Shu ci yin xiang yuan.
From Sichuan: Letter to My Young Brother
In my past, you and I together
Often closed the door to read and study.
Not aware that these rivers are so fast and dangerous
Much more so than talking under the chui tang.
From this time traveling away from my hometown
Too difficult to list the perils one by one.
Harm can come to travelers as they come and go
With the work of Da Yu one can access this area.
Thousands of steep, rock cliffs
Innumerable fast-running currents noisily fill deep pools.
I come here to study overnight
Every evening at sunset, hear the wail of monkeys.
At the water’s edge, think of returning home
Asleep in the boat, dreams between life and the spirit world.
At Minyue Gorge, teardrops fall
Heart broken, these feelings for my brother.
Apart from each other like stars in a southern constellation
Autumn dew arrives more deeply and often.
Wrote this about my gardens and countryside
Give you this letter to take back to my hometown.
Notes:
Chui tang: Literally means being close to the main hall. In other words knowing book knowledge, but not fully the experiences of living in the rough and tumble of society.
Da Yu: (2123-2025 BC): Known as Yu the Great, he established the Xia Dynasty (2070-1600 BC), and was famous for establishing initial flood control projects.