陸遊 山南行 translation: Ballad of South of the Mountains, by Lu You
This is a very rough annotation / translation of the poem 山南行 (Shānnán Xíng), ‘Ballad of South of the Mountains’, by the Song Dynasty Chinese poet 陸遊 (Lù Yóu).
If you have any suggestions, please share them in the comments at the end of the page.
山南行 Shānnán Xíng [mountain] [south] [ballad] Ballad of South of the Mountains
我行山南已三日， Wǒ xíng shān nán yǐ sān rì, [I] [travel] [mountain] [south] [already] [three] [day] I've been travelling south of the mountains for three days;
如繩大略東西出。 rú shéng dàlüè dōngxi chū. [like] [rope] [big] [outline] [east] [west] [exit] on a winding route, going out east and west.
平川沃野望不盡， Píng chuān wòyě wàng bù jìn, [plains] [plain] [fertile] [meadow] [look] [not] [end] These plains and fertile lands are limitless;
麥隴青青桑鬱鬱。 mài lǒng qīngqīng sāng yùyù. [wheat][] [green] [green] [mulberry] [dense] [dense] the wheat fields most lush and the mulberry trees most dense.
地近函秦氣俗豪， Dì jìn Hánqín qì sú háo, [land] [near] [Han] [Qin] [spirit] [customs] [grand] Near this land is Qin, where the customs are grand;
鞦韆蹴鞠分明曹。 qiūqiān cùjū fēnmíng cáo. [swing][] [football][] [separate] [clear] [grade] swinging on swings and playing football separate the grades.
苜蓿連雲馬蹄健， Mùxu lián yún mǎtí jiàn, [alfalfa] [link] [cloud] [horse] [hoof] [healthy] Alfalfa fields merge with the clouds, the horse's hooves are healthy;
楊柳夾道車聲高。 yángliǔ jiádào chē shēng gāo. [willow][] [wedge] [street] [cart] [noise] [high] willows line the streets, the noise of carriages is loud.
古來歷歷興亡處， Gǔlái lìlì xīngwáng chǔ, [ancient] [come] [pass] [pass] [flourish] [perish] [handle] Since antiquity dynasties have risen and fallen;
舉目山川尚如故。 jǔmù shānchuān shàng rúgù. [raise] [eye] [mountain] [river] [still] [like] [old] lifting one's eyes, the mountains and rivers are still as before.
將軍壇上冷雲低， Jiāngjūn tán shàng lěng yún dī, [general] [military] [altar] [on] [cold] [cloud] [descend] The general on the altar, cold clouds descend;
丞相祠前春日暮。 chéngxiàng cí qián chūn rìmù. [chief] [minister] [shrine] [front] [spring] [sun] [sets] the chief minister in front of the shrine, the spring sun sets.
國家四紀失中原， Guójiā sì jì shī zhōngyuán, [country][] [four] [age] [lose] [central] [plains] Our country lost the central plains half a century ago,
師出江淮未易吞。 shī chū Jiāng Huái wèi yì tūn. [troops] [exit] [Jiang] [Huai] [not yet] [easy] [take] troops have left Jiang and Huai but it's not yet been easy to take.
會看金鼓從天下， Huì kàn jīn gǔ cóng tiānxià, [possible] [see] [gold] [drum] [from] [Heaven] [drop] If we were to see the Golden Vessel drop from Heaven,
卻用關中作本根。 què yòng Guānzhōng zuò běn gēn. [yet] [use] [Guan] [Zhong] [be] [root] [basis] we would instead use Guanzhong as a base.
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