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'蘇軾 臘日遊孤山訪惠勤惠思二僧 translation: On the Winter Festival I Visited Lone Mountain and the Two Monks Hui Jin and Hui Si, by Su Shi'

This is a translation and annotation of the poem 臘日遊孤山訪惠勤惠思二僧 (Là Rì Yóu Gū Shān Fǎng Huì Qín Huì Sī Èr Sēng), ‘On the Winter Festival I Visited Lone Mountain and the Two Monks Hui Jin and Hui Si’, by the Song Dynasty Chinese poet 蘇軾 (Sū Shì). Su Shi wrote the poem in 1071 CE.

As always, this is only my beginner’s attempt at an annotation. If you have any suggestions, please share them in the comments at the end of the page.

Huangshan, China (Chi King)

臘日遊孤山訪惠勤惠思二僧

Là Rì Yóu Gū Shān Fǎng Huì Qín Huì Sī Èr Sēng [December] [day] [travel] [lone] [mountain] [visit] [Hui] [Jin] [Hui] [Si] [two] [monk]

天欲雪，雲滿湖， Tiān yù xuě, yún mǎn hú, [sky] [want] [snow], [cloud] [full] [lake] The sky looks like snow, clouds fill the lake,

樓台明滅山有無。 lóutái míngmiè shān yǒuwú. [tower] [terrace] [bright] [extinguish] [mountain] [have] [not have] towers are clear then invisible, mountains there then not there.

水清出石魚可數， Shuǐ qīng chūshí yú kě shǔ, [water] [clear] [out] [stone] [fish] [can] [count] Water so clear that stones are revealed and one can count the fish;

林深無人鳥相呼。 lín shēn wúrén niǎo xiāng hū. [forest] [deep] [not have] [person] [bird] [each other] [call] deep in the forest there is no-one; birds call to each other.

臘日不歸對妻孥， Là rì bù guī duì qī nú, [December] [day] [not] [return] [to] [wife] [child] This winter festival one does not return to one's wife and children;

名尋道人實自娛。 míng xún dàoren shí zì yú. [famous] [seek] [Dao] [people] [truly] [from] [amuse] one seeks these famous Daoists, really for entertainment.

道人之居在何許？ Dàoren zhī jū zài héxǔ? [Dao] [person] ['s] [residence] [at] [what] [place] Where is the Daoists' residence?

寶雲山前路盤紆。 Bǎoyún shān qián lùpán yū. [jewel] [cloud] [mountain] [front] [road] [coil] [twisting] In front of Jewel Cloud Mountain, on a winding, twisting road.

孤山孤絕誰肯廬？ Gū shān gū jué shéi kěn lú? [lone] [mountain] [lone] [absolutely] [who] [agree] [hut] Lone Mountain, absolutely alone - who is willing to reside there?

道人有道山不孤。 Dàoren yǒu dào shān bù gū. [Dao] [person] [has] [Dao] [mountain] [not] [lone] The Daoists have the Dao - the mountain is not lonely.

紙窗竹屋深自暖， Zhǐ chuāng zhú wū shēn zì nuǎn, [paper] [window] [bamboo] [roof] [deep] [self] [warm] Paper windows and a bamboo roof - deep within it is warm;

擁褐坐睡依團蒲。 yōng hè zuò shuì yī tuán pú. [embrace] [cloth] [sit] [sleep] [lean] [round] [bullrush] Wrapped in cloths, they sit and sleep on round bullrushes. [?]

天寒路遠愁僕夫， Tiān hán lù yuǎn chóu pú fu, [sky] [cold] [road] [far] [worry] [servant] [man] The sky is cold and the road long, worrying my servant;

整駕催歸及未晡。 zhěng jià cuī guī jí wèi bū. [in order] [carriage] [rush] [return] [in time for] [not yet] [late afternoon] the carriage is ready, one rushes back before late afternoon.

出山回望雲木合， Chūshān huí wàng yún mù hé, [leave] [mountain] [return] [look towards] [cloud] [tree] [whole] Leaving the mountains, one looks behind - all is clouds and trees,

但見野鶻盤浮圖。 dàn jiàn yě gú pán fútú. [but] [see] [wild] [hawk] [circle] [Buddhist stupa][] but one sees a wild hawk circling the [stupa](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stupa).

茲遊淡薄歡有餘， Zī yóu dànbó huan yǒuyú, [this] [travel] [mild] [thin] [joyous] [have] [remaining] This trip was bland, there is joy remaining; [?]

到家恍如夢蘧蘧。 Dàojiā huǎng rú mèng qú qú. [arrive] [home] [as if][] [dream] [contented][] arriving home, one is content as if in a dream.

作詩火急追亡逋， Zuòshī huǒjí zhuī wáng bū, [write] [poem] [fire] [urgent] [chase] [perish] [flee] One writes this poem with the urgency of fire, chasing what is slipping away;

清景一失後難摹。 qīng jǐng yī shī hòu nán mó. [clear] [scenery] [as soon as] [lost] [after] [hard] [imitate] that clear scenery, once lost, is hard to express.

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