[updated September 2022]
Melancholy
愁
江 草 日 日 唤 愁 生
巫 峡 泠 泠 非 世 情。
盘 涡 鹭 浴 底 心 性？
独 树 花 发 自 分 明！
十 年 戎 马 暗 万 国
异 域 宾 客 老 孤 城。
渭 水 秦 山 得 见 否？
人 今 罢 病 虎 纵 横！
Chou
Jiang cao ri ri huan chou sheng
Wu xia ling ling fei shi qing.
Pan wo lu yu di xin xing?
Du shu hua fa zi fen ming!
Shi nian rong ma an wan guo
Yi yu bin ke lao gu cheng.
Wei shui qin shan de jian fou?
Ren jin ba bing hu zong heng.
Melancholy
Riverside grasses, everyday they emerge along with my melancholy
Wu Gorge, cool water sounds and society indifferent to emotions.
What kind of temperament do the egrets have in order to bathe at the bottom of coiled whirlpools?
One tree produces blossoms naturally clear and distinct!
Ten years of war horses, thousands of nations in darkness
Old visitor inside a solitary city, within a new and different region.
When am I able to see again the Qin mountains and the Wei River?
From east to west the people are tired and sick of being harassed by the new tigers.
Notes:
Wu Gorge: The second of the Three Gorges along the Changjiang (Yangzi River).
Qin mountains: Also known as the Southern Mountains, located in southern Shaanxi Province. They separate the drainage systems of the Changjiang from the Yellow River.
Wei River: Largest tributary to the Changjiang in the provinces of Gansu and Shaanxi. Runs near the ancient capital city of Chang’an (modern day city of Xi’an).