Su Dongpo: Tenth Lunar Month Second Day Arrive in Huizhou

 

Tenth Lunar Month Second Day Arrive in Huizhou

 

十 月 二 日 初 到 惠 州
仿 佛 曾 游 岂 梦 中
欣 然 鸡 犬 识 新 丰。
吏 民 惊 怿 坐 何 事
父 老 相 携 迎 此 翁。
苏 武 岂 知 还 漠 北
管 宁 自 欲 老 辽 东。
岭 南 万 户 皆 春 色
会 有 幽 人 客 寓 公。
Shi Yue Er Ri Chu Dao Hui Zhou

Fang fo ceng you qi meng zhong
Xin ran ji quan shi xin feng.
Li min jing yi zuo he shi
Fu lao xiang xie ying ci weng.

Su wu qi zhi huan mo bei
Guan ning zi yu lao liao dong.
Ling nan wan hu jie chun se
Hui you you ren ke yu gong.

 

Tenth Lunar Month Second Day Arrive in Huizhou

Am I dreaming that I have traveled once before to this place
With joy chickens and dogs feel at home.
The happy sitters are surprised and wonder what I did to be made a petty official in this out-of-the-way place
The old ones recognize me, hand-in-hand come to meet me.

Like Su Wu going back to the northern deserts, I had no idea I would ever return here
Maybe I will just die here like Guan Ning in Liaodong.
Southern mountains, thousands of families enjoy continuous spring colors
Maybe one of the local hermits will have over this visitor-in-exile.

 

Notes:

Huizhou:  City in Guangdong Province. Su was exiled to here in 1095 at the age of 59.

Su Wu:  (140-60 BC) Famous for making the best of his mission into foreign lands. He was captured and detained for nineteen years.

Guan Ning ( 158-241 AD): Writer during the Three Kingdoms period.