This is a farewell poem written about the Tang Dynasty’s frontier and is regarded as the best one of the genre. It is a popular poem and most Chinese can quote at least the third and fourth verses, “And suddenly / as if in a single night / the spring wind blows // On thousands of trees / the tens of thousands of trees / and blossoming flowers of pears.”
Translation
By Cen Shen (715-770) | 岑參 |
White Snow Song: Fairwell to Magistrate Wu, Returning to the Capital | 白雪歌 送武判官歸京 |
Northern wind rolls the earth and rips the whitened grass | 北風 捲地 白草折 |
The Huns’ sky in August already flies with snow | 胡天 八月 即飛雪 |
And suddenly as if in a single night the spring wind blows | 忽如 一夜 春風來 |
On thousands of trees the tens of thousands of trees and blossoming flowers of pears | 千樹 萬樹 梨花開 |
That scatter to join the jeweled screens that damply hang in the General’s tent | 散入 珠簾 濕羅幕 |
Coats of fox’s fur that do not warm and impotent, brocaded quilts | 狐裘 不煖 錦衾薄 |
The Army General unable handle his bow with horns | 將軍 角弓 不得控 |
At Duhu we wear our clothes like iron but still are cold | 都護 鐵衣 冷猶著 |
A vast sea— up-and-down, side-to-side hundreds of blocks of ice | 瀚海 闌干 百丈冰 |
And worrisome clouds of darkened gray that stare for thousands of miles | 愁雲 黲淡 萬里凝 |
The General Chief lays out the wine for us to drink to the returning traveler | 中軍 置酒 飲歸客 |
The Hun’s lute the pipa and the Qiang’s flute | 胡琴 琵琶 與羌笛 |
Chaotically, continuously the evening snow does fall upon the gated camp | 紛紛 暮雪 下轅門 |
With wind that pulls our flag of red— but frozen, it does not turn | 風掣 紅旗 凍不翻 |
By Wheel Tower’s eastern gate we see off the departing gentleman | 輪臺 東門 送君去 |
And at parting time the snow has filled the road of Mount Sky | 去時 雪滿 天山路 |
At the mountain’s curve the road turns and we cannot see the gentleman | 山迴 路轉 不見君 |
Above the snow the emptiness remains where the horses walked | 雪上 空留 馬行處 |
Original Chinese
Traditional | Simplified | Pronunciation |
岑參 | 岑参 | Cén shēn |
白雪歌 送武判官歸京 | 白雪歌 送武判官归京 | Bái xuě gē sòng wǔ pàn guān guī jīng |
北風捲地白草折， | 北风卷地白草折， | Běi fēng juǎn de bái cǎo zhé, |
胡天八月即飛雪； | 胡天八月即飞雪; | Hú tiān bā yuè jí fēi xuě; |
忽如一夜春風來， | 忽如一夜春风来， | Hū rú yī yè chūn fēng lái, |
千樹萬樹梨花開。 | 千树万树梨花开。 | Qiān shù wàn shù lí huā kāi. |
散入珠簾濕羅幕， | 散入珠帘湿罗幕， | Sàn rù zhū lián shī luó mù, |
狐裘不煖錦衾薄。 | 狐裘不暖锦衾薄。 | Hú qiú bù nuǎn jǐn qīn bó. |
將軍角弓不得控， | 将军角弓不得控， | Jiāng jūn jiǎo gōng bù dé kòng, |
都護鐵衣冷猶著。 | 都护铁衣冷犹着。 | Dū hù tiě yī lěng yóu zhuó. |
瀚海闌干百丈冰， | 瀚海阑干百丈冰， | Hàn hǎi láng ān bǎi zhàng bīng, |
愁雲黲淡萬里凝。 | 愁云黲淡万里凝。 | Chóu yún cǎn dàn wàn lǐ níng. |
中軍置酒飲歸客， | 中军置酒饮归客， | Zhōng jūn zhì jiǔ yǐn guī kè, |
胡琴琵琶與羌笛。 | 胡琴琵琶与羌笛。 | Hú qín pí pá yǔ qiāng dí. |
紛紛暮雪下轅門， | 纷纷暮雪下辕门， | Fēn fēn mù xuě xià yuán mén, |
風掣紅旗凍不翻。 | 风掣红旗冻不翻。 | Fēng chè hóng qí dòng bù fān. |
輪臺東門送君去， | 轮台东门送君去， | Lún tái dōng mén sòng jūn qù, |
去時雪滿天山路； | 去时雪满天山路; | Qù shí xuě mǎn tiān shān lù; |
山迴路轉不見君， | 山回路转不见君， | Shān huí lù zhuǎn bù jiàn jūn, |
雪上空留馬行處。 | 雪上空留马行处。 | Xuě shàng kōng liú mǎ xíng chù. |
Literal Translation
岑參 | Small-hill Ginseng= Cen Shen(715-770) | |
白雪歌 送武判官歸京 | White snow song farewell Martial Judge Official return-to capital-city | |
[Martial Judge Official= Wu Panguan, the person names Wu. Panguan is a magistrate under the Head of Military Affairs.] | ||
北風捲地白草折， | North(ern) wind sweep/curl/roll-up ground/earth white grass broken/snap/bend [white grass= the turf in Turkestan, west of China, which turns white in autumn.] | |
胡天八月即飛雪； | Hun sky eighth month already/promptly/quickly fly snow | |
忽如一夜春風來， | Suddenly/abruptly as-if/like one night spring wind comes | |
千樹萬樹梨花開。 | Thousand trees/plants wan(10-thousand) trees/plants pear flowers blossom | |
散入珠簾濕羅幕， | Scatter/disperse/leisurely enter/join bead/gem/jewels blinds/screen/curtain/hanging-screen-or-curtain wet/moist/damp fussy/net-for-catching-birds/gauze/collect/gather/catch curtain/screen/tent/canopy/headquarters-of-general | |
狐裘不煖錦衾薄。 | Fox fur-coat not warm embroidered-work/brocade/tapestry quilt thin/weak/stingy/indifferent/infertile/impotent | |
將軍角弓不得控， | General army/troops horn bow not able/obtain/acquire control [General army= the general of the army], [horn bow= a bow decorated with a animal horns], [not able control= not able to control because of the freezing hands] | |
都護鐵衣冷猶著。 | Capital-city protect/guard/defend iron/strong/solid clothes/clothing cold still/as/just-like/yet wear [Capital-city protect= Duhu, a military position to guard the frontier], [the general and the senior officers with better equipments were cold like that, so readers can imagine the ordinary soldiers’ sufferings in that fierce environment.] | |
瀚海闌干百丈冰， | Vast/wide sea/ocean railing-fence/door-screen shield/invade/oppose/offend hundred/numerous/many zhang(ten-feet) ice [Vast sea= the vast desert], [railing shield= vertically and horizontally, crisscross, rim of eye, means everywhere] | |
愁雲黲淡萬里凝。 | Worrisome/anxiety/worry-about clouds gray/gray-black dim/weak/watery/insipid wan(10-thousand)/innumerable miles congeal/solidify/frozen/stare | |
中軍置酒飲歸客， | Middle/center/midst military/army/troops prepare/place/lay-out/set-aside wine drink return guest/traveler [Middle military= chief general] | |
胡琴琵琶與羌笛。 | Hun lute/fiddle Pi/guitar Pa/guitar and/take-part-in Qiang Flute/bamboo-flute/whistle [Qiang= a barbarian tribe] | |
紛紛暮雪下轅門， | One-by-one/in-disorder/scattered/in-succession/continuously one-by-one dusk/evening/sunset snow fall cart-shaft/axle gate [cart-shaft gate= the gate of the army camp] | |
風掣紅旗凍不翻。 | Wind pull/draw/draw/drag red/vermillion flag frozen not turn-over/flip-over | |
輪臺東門送君去， | Wheel Tower east gate send-off/see-off gentleman leave/depart/go-away [Wheel Tower= a place in Xinjiang], [gentleman= Jun, a respectful way to address You.] | |
去時雪滿天山路； | Leave/depart time snow filled/full Sky/Heaven Mountain path/road [filled Sky = whole sky], [Sky Mountain=Mt. Tianshan in Xinjiang], [Mountain path = mountain road] | |
山迴路轉不見君， | Mountain curve path/road turn not see gentleman] | |
雪上空留馬行處。 | Snow surface/above empty/in-vain/hollow/bare/deserted remain horse travel/walk/move place | |
Liane Rui of Shanghai, China assisted with the literal character-by-character translation and notes.
Year:
2012
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