[updated October 2022]
Difficult Roads to Travel: Three Poems: No. 2
行 路 难： 三 首
(2)
大 道 如 青 天
我 独 不 得 出。
羞 逐 长 安 社 中 儿
赤 鸡 白 沟 赌 梨 栗。
弹 剑 作 歌 奏 苦 声
曳 锯 王 门 不 称 情。
淮 阴 市 井 笑 韩 信
汉 朝 公 卿 忌 贾 生。
君 不 见 昔 时
燕 家 重 郭 隗
拥 蔧 折 节 无 嫌 猜。
剧 辛 乐 毅 感 恩 分
输 肝 剖 胆 效 英 才。
昭 王 白 骨 萦 蔓 草
谁 人 更 扫 黄 金 台？
行 路 难， 归 去 来！
Xing Lu Nan: San Shou
(2)
Da dao ru qing tian
Wo du bu dei chu
Xiu zhu chang an she zhong er
Chi ji bai gou du li li.
Dan jian zuo ge zou ku sheng
Ye ju wang men bu chen qing.
Huai yin shi jing xiao han xin
Han chao gong qing ji gu sheng.
Jun bu jian xi shi
Yan jia chong guo kui
Yong hui she jie wu xian cai.
Ju xin yue yi gan en fen
Shu gan pou dan xiao ying cai.
Zhao wang bai gu ying man cao
Shei ren geng sao huang jin tai?
Xing lu nan, gui qu lai !
Difficult Roads to Travel: Three Poems: No. 2
The wide highway like the blue sky
I alone not able to leave a palace position.
Shame on me for pursuing the decadent and childish capital society
Gamble on cockfights with the low level staff for pears and chestnuts.
Like Feng Yuan, sing and perform to draw attention
Pull on the rich elite clothes without sincere feelings.
Huaiyang youth taunted the famous General Han Xin
Senior ministers in the Han Dynasty court envied a man of ability, Gu Sheng.
Do not you see that in the old days
Guo Wei was put in an important position for the Yan king.
When men of virtue and ability arrive, dust the furniture with one’s clothes
Ju Xin and Le Yi felt grateful for their government appointments.
Willing to sacrifice their bodies
Now the king’s white bones mingle with vines and grasses.
Who can sweep and tend to the yellow golden tower?
Traveling roads difficult, time to go home !
Notes:
Huaiyang: A kingdom during the Han Dynasty that included parts of Henan and Anhui Provinces.
General Han Xin: (?-196 BC) Famous for his military strategies and tactics, he contributed to the founding of the Han Dynasty.
Yan: A nation state during the Zhou Dynasty located in northwest China.
Ju Xin and Le Yi: Army generals for the state of Yan.