067 韓愈 八月十五夜贈張功曹 translation: Eighth Month Fifteenth Night, Presented to Merit Officer Zhang, by Hán Yù

This is a translation and annotation of the poem 八月十五夜贈張功曹 (Bā Yuè Shíwǔ Yè Zèng Zhāng Gōngcáo), “Eighth Month Fifteenth Night, Presented to Merit Officer Zhang”, by the Tang dynasty poet 韓愈 (Hán Yù). The poem is #067 in the collection 300 Tang Poems.

八月十五夜贈張功曹 Bā Yuè Shíwǔ Yè Zèng Zhāng Gōngcáo [eight] [month] [fifteen] [night] [present to] [Zhang] [merit] [office] Eighth Month Fifteenth Night, Presented to Merit Officer Zhang

纖雲四卷天無河， xiān yún sì juàn tiān wú hé [thin] [cloud] [four] [roll] [sky] [without] [river] Thin clouds on all sides roll back, Heaven without River; 河 here refers to 銀河, the Milky Way.

清風吹空月舒波。 qīng fēng chuī kōng yuè shū bō [clear] [wind] [blow] [empty] [moon] [stretch] [wave] a cold wind blows through the sky, the moon spreads across the waves.

沙平水息聲影絕， shā píng shuǐ xī shēng yǐng jué [sand] [level] [water] [rest] [sound] [shadow] [cease] Sands level, water at rest, sound and shadow cease;

一杯相屬君當歌。 yī bēi xiāng zhǔ jūn dāng gē [one] [cup] [mutual] [pledge] [lord] [should] [sing] one cup mutually offered, you Sir must sing.

君歌聲酸辭且苦， jūn gē shēng suān cí qiě kǔ [lord] [song] [voice] [sour] [words] [moreover] [bitter] Your singing voice aching, the words moreover bitter;

不能聽終淚如雨。 bù néng tīng zhōng lèi rú yǔ [not] [able] [listen] [end] [tears] [like] [rain] one cannot listen to the end, tears like rain.

洞庭連天九疑高， Dòngtíng lián tiān Jiǔyí gāo [cave] [court] [join] [sky] [nine] [doubt] [high] Dongting reaches the heavens, Jiuyi rises high; 洞庭 and 九疑 are both mountains.

蛟龍出沒猩鼯號。 jiāolóng chūmò xīng wú háo [flood dragon] [dragon] [emerge] [vanish] [ape] [flying-squirrel] [cry] the Flood Dragon emerges and vanishes, apes and flying squirrels howl.

十生九死到官所， shí shēng jiǔ sǐ dào guān suǒ [ten] [live] [nine] [die] [arrive] [official] [place] of ten lives, nine die, arriving at the official posting;

幽居默默如藏逃。 yōu jū mòmò rú cáng táo [hidden] [dwell] [silent] [silent] [like] [hide] [flee] in seclusion dwelling silent, as if hidden and fled.

下床畏蛇食畏藥， xià chuáng wèi shé shí wèi yào [descend] [bed] [fear] [snake] [eat] [fear] [medicine] Descending from bed fearing snakes, eating fearing poison;

海氣濕蟄熏腥臊。 hǎi qì shī zhé xūn xīng sāo [sea] [air] [damp] [stagnant] [reek] [fishy] [rank] the ocean air humid and stifling, laden with fetid rankness.

昨者州前捶大鼓， zuó zhě zhōu qián chuí dà gǔ [yesterday] [this] [prefecture] [front] [beat] [great] [drum] Yesterday at the prefecture office front, beating a great drum;

嗣皇繼聖登夔臯。 sì huáng jì shèng dēng Kuí Gāo [successor] [emperor] [continue] [sage] [promote] [musical offical] [marsh] the imperial successor follows the sage, promoting Kui and Gao. 夔 is a legendary Minister of Music, 皋陶 a legendary Minister of Justice; together an allusion to virtuous ministers.

赦書一日行萬里， shè shū yī rì xíng wàn lǐ [pardon] [document] [one] [day] [travel] [ten-thousand] [mile] The amnesty decree in one day travels ten thousand li; 赦書 is a letter of official pardon.

罪從大辟皆除死。 zuì cóng dà pì jiē chú sǐ [crime] [incur] [great] [execution] [all] [except] [death] those whose crimes merit execution — all spared death.

遷者追回流者還， qiān zhě zhuī huí liú zhě huán [banish] [one-who] [recall] [return] [exile] [one-who] [return] The banished recalled, the exiled restored;

滌瑕蕩垢朝清班。 dí xiá dàng gòu cháo qīng bān [wash] [flaw] [cleanse] [filth] [court] [pure] [rank] washing away flaws, cleansing filth, the court ranks purified.

州家申名使家抑， zhōu jiā shēn míng shǐ jiā yì [prefecture] [office] [declare] [name] [commissioner] [office] [suppress] The prefect submits names, the commissioner disallows them;

坎軻祗得移荊蠻。 kǎn kē zhī dé yí Jīng mán [hardship] [hardship] [only] [obtain] [relocate] [Jing] [barbarian] in hardship only obtaining transfer to barbarous Jing.

判司卑官不堪說， pàn sī bēi guān bù kān shuō [assistant] [office] [lowly] [official] [not] [endure] [speak] Assistant post or lowly office — not worth speaking of;

未免捶楚塵埃間。 wèi miǎn chuí chǔ chén āi jiān [not-yet] [avoid] [beat] [cane] [dust] [dust] [between] one cannot avoid beatings by cane amid the dust.

同時輩流多上道， tóng shí bèi liú duō shàng dào [same] [time] [generation] [group] [many] [upon] [road] Of one's contemporaries, many are ahead on the road;

天路幽險難追攀。 tiān lù yōu xiǎn nán zhuī pān [heaven] [road] [hidden] [dangerous] [difficult] [pursue] [climb] the heavenly road obscure and dangerous — difficult to pursue and climb.

君歌且休聽我歌， jūn gē qiě xiū tīng wǒ gē [lord] [song] [for-now] [stop] [listen] [I] [song] Your song now finished, listen to my singing;

我歌今與君殊科。 wǒ gē jīn yǔ jūn shū kē [I] [song] [now] [with] [lord] [different] [category] I sing now, compared to yours, a different kind.

一年明月今宵多， yī nián míng yuè jīn xiāo duō [one] [year] [bright] [moon] [this] [night] [many] Of one year's bright moons, this night's is the most;

人生由命非由他， rén shēng yóu mìng fēi yóu tā [person] [life] [follow] [fate] [not] [follow] [other] life follows fate, not following ought else;

有酒不飲奈明何！ yǒu jiǔ bù yǐn nài míng hé [have] [wine] [not] [drink] [withstand] [moonlight] [what] having wine but not drinking — then for what the moonlight?

Related links:

• 八月十五夜贈張功曹
• Translation of 八月十五夜贈張功曹 into English by 曾培慈 / Betty Tseng
• 300 Tang Poems (Waters, Farman, Lunde)
• Fifty Five T’ang Poems (Hugh M. Stimson)
• Poems of the Late T’ang (A. C. Graham)