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053 李白 廬山謠寄盧侍御虛舟 translation: A Ballad of Mt. Lu for Imperial Servant Lu Xuzhou, by Li Bai

This is a translation and annotation of the poem 廬山謠寄盧侍御虛舟 (‘A Ballad of Mt. Lu for Imperial Servant Lu Xuzhou’) by the Chinese poet 李白 (Li Bai).

廬山謠寄盧侍御虛舟

Lúshān Yáo Jì Lú Shì Yù Xū Zhōu [Lu] [mountain] [ballad] [send] [Lu] [serve] [imperial] [Xu] [Zhou] A Ballad of Mt. Lu for Imperial Servant Lu Xuzhou

我本楚狂人， Wǒ běn Chǔ kuángrén, [I] [self] [Chu] [mad] [person] I am the madman of Chu -

鳳歌笑孔丘。 fèng gē xiào Kǒng Qiū. [phoenix] [song] [laugh] [Kong] [Qiu] with the phoenix song, I laugh at Confucius.

手持綠玉杖， Shǒuchí lǜ yù zhàng, [hand] [hold] [green] [jade] [staff] In one's hand one holds the green jade staff,

朝別黃鶴樓。 zhāo bié huáng hè lóu. [morning] [leave] [yellow] [crane] [tower] in the morning one departs from Yellow Crane Tower.

五嶽尋仙不辭遠， Wǔyuè xún xiān bùcí yuǎn, [five] [peak] [seek] [not] [begrudge] [far] In the Five Peaks seeking immortals, one doesn't mind the the distance -

一生好入名山遊。 yīshēng hào rù míngshān yóu. [one] [life] [fond of] [enter] [famous] [mountain] [roam] one's whole life, fond of going to famous mountains to roam.

廬山秀出南斗傍， Lúshān xiù chū nándǒu bàng, [Lu] [mountain] [elegant] [exit] [Big Dipper][] [near] Mt. Lu is elegant, protruding by the Big Dipper;

屏風九疊雲錦張。 píngfēng jiǔ dié yúnjǐn zhāng. [screen][] [nine] [layer] [cloud] [embroidery] [sheet] the nine-layered screen of clouds are like embroidery.

影落明湖青黛光， Yǐng luò mínghú qīngdài guāng, [reflection] [fall] [clear] [lake] [dark] [black dye] [light] The reflection falls on the clear lake, a dark black shimmer;

金闕前開二峰長， jīn què qiánkāi èr fēng zhǎng, [gold] [watch tower] [front] [open] [two] [peak] [length] in front of a gold watch tower, opens out the length of two peaks;

銀河倒掛三石梁。 yínhé dàoguà sānshí liáng. [silver] [river] [inverted] [hang] [three] [stone] [bridge] the Milky Way hangs inverted over the three stone bridges.

香爐瀑布遙相望， Xiānglú pùbù yáo xiāng wàng, [fragrance] [burner] [waterfall][] [distant] [each other] [gaze] Censers by the waterfall, gazing at each other from afar;

迥崖沓嶂凌蒼蒼。 jiǒng yá dá zhàng líng cāngcāng. [distant] [cliff] [pile] [peak] [rise high] [vast and hazy][] distant precipices, layered peaks, rising high, vast and indistinct.

翠影紅霞映朝日， Cuì yǐng hóng xiá yìng zhāorì, [jade green] [shadow] [red] [red clouds] [reflect] [morning] [sun] Jade green shadows under red clouds, reflecting the morning sun;

鳥飛不到吳天長。 niǎo fēi bù dào Wú tiāncháng. [bird] [fly] [not] [reach] [Wu] [sky] [long] birds cannot fly as far as the skies of Wu.

登高壯觀天地間， Dēnggāo zhuàngguān tiāndì jiān, [climb] [high] [spectacular sight][] [Heaven] [Earth] [between] One climbs high to the spectacular sight between Heaven and Earth;

大江茫茫去不還。 dàjiāng mángmáng qù bù hái. [great] [river] [boundless][] [go] [not] [return] a great river, boundless, disappears and does not return.

黃雲萬里動風色， Huáng yún wàn li dòng fēngsè, [yellow] [cloud] [ten thousand] [li] [move] [scenery][] The yellow clouds of a ten thousand miles animate the scenery,

白波九道流雪山。 báibō jiǔ dào liú xuěshān. [white] [wave] [nine] [route] [flow] [snow] [mountain] White waves flow in the nine routers, flowing as snowy peaks.

好為廬山謠， Hào wèi Lúshān yáo, [fond of] [for] [Lu] [mountain] [ballad] One loves to write ballads of Mt. Lu -

興因廬山發。 xìng yīn Lúshān fā. [inspire] [because] [Lu] [mountain] [emit] inspiration from Mt. Lu comes forth.

閒窺石鏡清我心， Xián kuī shíjìng qīng wǒ xīn, [leisure] [look upon] [stone] [mirror] [clear] [my] [heart] leisurely looking upon Stone Mirror Lake purifies one's mind;

謝公行處蒼苔沒。 Xiègōng xíng chǔ cāng tái mò. [Xie] [lord] [walk] [place] [green] [moss] [drowned] Master Xie's footprints are drowned by green moss.

早服還丹無世情， Zǎo fú hái dān wú shìqíng, [early] [take] [still] [elixir] [not have] [world] [feeling] Early one takes one's elixir, and have no concern of this world;

琴心三疊道初成。 qín xīn sān dié dào chū chéng. [zither] [heart] [three] [layer] [way] [first] [achieve] in three-layered qinxin meditation, one begins to achieve the Way.

遙見仙人彩雲裡， Yáo jiàn xiānrén cǎiyún li, [distant] [see] [immortal] [person] [rosy] [cloud] [in] Distantly one sees immortals in the rosy clouds,

手把芙蓉朝玉京。 shǒu bà fúróng cháo yù jīng. [hand] [grasp] [hibiscus][] [facing] [jade] [capital] hands grasping hibiscus, facing the Jade Capital.

先期汗漫九垓上， Xiānqí Hànmàn jiǔ gāi shàng, [early] [era] [Han] [Man] [nine] [firmament] [ascend] In former times Hanman ascended the nine firmaments;

願接盧敖游太清。 yuàn jiē Lú Áo yóu tàiqīng. [desire] [receive] [Lu] [Ao] [roam] [highest] [pure] one wishes to welcome Lu Ao, and roam in outer space.


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