陸遊 岳池農家 translation: The Peasant Houses of Yuechi, by Lu You
This is a very rough annotation / translation of the poem 岳池農家 (Yuèchí Nóngjiā), ‘The Peasant Houses of Yuechi’, by the Song Dynasty Chinese poet 陸遊 (Lù Yóu).
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岳池農家 Yuèchí Nóngjiā [Yue] [Chi] [farm] [house] The Peasant Houses of Yuechi
春深農家耕未足， Chūn shēn nóngjiā gēng wèi zú, [spring] [deep] [farm] [home] [plough] [not yet] [enough] Deep in spring in peasant homes, the ploughing is not yet complete;
源頭叱叱兩黃犢。 yuántóu chì chì liǎng huáng dú. [source] [head] [splash] [splash] [two] [yellow] [calf] In the spring water, splashing - two yellow calves.
泥融無塊水初渾， Ní róng wú kuài shuǐ chū hún, [mud] [melt] [not have] [piece] [water] [first] [muddy] The mud melts and is smooth, the surface begins to ripple;
雨細有痕秧正綠。 yǔ xì yǒu hén yāng zhèng lǜ. [rain] [soft] [have] [trace] [shoots] [upright] [green] the light rain leaves traces, the shoots are upright and green.
綠秧分時風日美， Lǜ yāng fēn shí fēng rì měi, [green] [shoots] [separate] [time] [wind] [sun] [beautiful] When it is time to transplant the green shoots, the wind and sun are beautiful;
時平未有差科起。 shí píng wèi yǒu chāi kē qǐ. [time] [peaceful] [not yet] [have] [commission] [levy] [begin] the times are peaceful - compulsory service has not been levied.
買花西舍喜成婚， Mǎi huā xī shè xǐ chénghūn, [buy] [flower] [west] [residence] [joy] [become] [marriage] Buy flowers - the neighbours to the west have the joy of a marriage;
持酒東鄰賀生子。 chí jiǔ dōng lín hè shēngzǐ. [hold] [wine] [east] [neighbour] [celebrate] [birth] [son] take wine - the neighbours to the east celebrate the birth of a son.
誰言農家不入時？ Shéi yán nóngjiā bù rù shí? [who] [speak] [farm] [home] [not] [enter] [time] Who says that peasant houses are not fashionable? -
小姑畫得城中眉。 Xiǎogū huà dé chéngzhōng méi. [young] [girl] [paint] [get] [city] [in] [eyebrow] young girls have painted eyebrows like those in the city.
一雙素手無人識， Yī shuāng sùshǒu wúrén shí, [one] [pair] [plain] [hand] [not have] [person] [know] A pair of spotless hands like no-one knows;
空村相喚看繅絲。 kōng cūn xiāng huàn kàn sāosī. [leisure] [village] [each other] [call] [look] [reel cocoon] [thread] leisurely villagers call each other to look at the silk being reeled from cocoons.
農家農家樂复樂， Nóngjiā nóngjiā lè fù lè, [farm] [house] [farm] [house] [happy] [repeat] [happy] Peasant houses, peasant houses - the happiest of the happy;
不比市朝爭奪惡。 bùbǐ shì cháo zhēngduó è. [not] [more than] [town] [court] [compete] [strive for] [fierce] unlike in the towns and courts where they compete and struggle fiercely.
宦遊所得真幾何？ Huànyóu suǒdé zhēn jǐhé? [official] [travel] [that which] [get] [really] [several] [what] What one has gained as a travelling official - how much is it really?
我已三年廢東作。 Wǒ yǐ sān nián fèi dōng zuò. [I] [already] [three] [year] [waste] [east] [be] I discarded it three years ago to be in the east.
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