迴車駕言邁 translation - I turn the carriage, pull the reins and set off

This is a translation of the Chinese poem 迴車駕言邁 (Huí chē jià yán mài), the eleventh poem in the Han dynasty collection 古詩十九首 (Nineteen Old Poems).

迴車駕言邁 huí chē jià yán mài [turn] [carriage] [drive] [say] [take step] I turn the carriage, give the command to go and set off,

悠悠涉長道 yōu yōu shè cháng dào [long] [long] [wade] [long] [road] on and on over the endless road.

四顧何茫茫 sì gù hé máng máng [four] [look] [how] [vast] [vast] I look around - how boundless and vast!

東風搖百草 dōng fēng yáo bǎi cǎo [east] [wind] [shake] [hundred] [herb] The Eastern wind shakes the numerous flora,

所遇無故物 suǒ yù wú gù wù [that which] [meet] [not have] [old] [thing] and of all that I encounter, there is nothing of the past.

焉得不速老 yān dé bù sù lǎo [where] [get] [not] [quick] [old] In what can we escape the rapid onset of old age?

成衰各有時 chéng shuāi gè yǒu shí [fulfil] [decline] [each] [have] [time] Fulfilment and decline each have their time;

立身苦不早 lì shēn kǔ bù zǎo [set up] [life] [bitter] [not] [early] as for success in life, how bitter that it does not come sooner!

人生非金石 rén shēng fēi jīn shí [human] [life] [not] [metal] [stone] Human life is not set in metal or stone -

豈能長壽考 qǐ néng cháng shòu kǎo [how can it be] [can] [long] [longevity] [verify] how can longevity be certain?

奄忽隨物化 yǎn hū suí wù huà [suddenly] [suddenly] [follow] [thing] [change] In swiftly following changing things,

榮名以為寶 róng míng yǐ wéi bǎo [glory] [reputation] [take] [as] [treasure] glory and reputation are the only treasures.

Relevant books

• Chinese Lyricism (Burton Watson) – has a lot of quality translations and analysis
• Popular Songs and Ballads of Han China (Anne Birrell) – more general insight into verse from this period