蘇軾 贈狄崇班季子 translation: Presented as a Gift to Di Chongban's Youngest Son, by Su Shi'

This is a very rough translation and annotation of the poem 贈狄崇班季子 (Zèng Dí Chóngbān Jìzǐ), ‘Presented as a Gift to Di Chongban’s Youngest Son’, by the Song Dynasty Chinese poet 蘇軾 (Sū Shì).

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贈狄崇班季子 Zèng Dí Chóngbān Jìzǐ [present as a gift] [Di] [Chong] [Ban] [youngest son][] Presented as a Gift to Di Chongban's Youngest Son

狄生臂鷹來， Dí shēng bì yīng lái, [Di] [mister] [arm] [falcon] [come] Young Di comes with a falcon on his arm;

見客不會揖。 jiàn kè bù huì yī. [see] [guest] [not] [will] [bow] he sees the guest but does not greet him.

踞床吒得雋， Jù chuáng zhā dé juàn, [crouch] [bed] [boast] [got] [handsome] he crouches on the bench and boasts of the birds he's caught;

借箸數禽入。 jiè zhù shù qín rù. [borrow] [chopstick] [count] [captured] [in] using chopsticks to count the captured birds.

短後椈豹裘， Duǎn hòu jū bào qiú, [short] [back] [grasp] [leopard] [fur] His short-backed tunic has the pattern of leopard fur;

猶濺猩血濕。 yóu jiàn xīng xuè shī. [as if] [splash] [ape] [blood] [wet] it is red as if soaked with ape's blood.

指呼索酒嘗， Zhǐhū suǒ jiǔ cháng, [point] [call] [demand] [wind] [taste] He gestures and calls out for wine to taste;

快把長鯨吸。 kuài bǎ zhǎng jīng xī. [happy] [grip] [long] [whale] [drink] happily he takes it and drinks it like a whale.

半酣論刀槊， Bàn hān lùn dāo shuò, [half] [drunk] [speak of] [knife] [spear] Half drunk he talks of knives and spears;

怒髮欲起立。 nù fà yù qǐlì. [anger] [hair] [want] [rise] [stand] impassioned, his hair is about to stand on end.

北方老猘子， Běifāng lǎo zhì zi, [north] [place] [old] [mad dog][] In the north the old mad dogs

狂突尚不縶。 kuáng tū shàng bù zhí. [mad] [burst out] [still] [not] [tie up] dash out wildly and are still to be restrained.

要須此慓悍， Yào xū cǐ piāohàn, [want] [must] [this] [skill] [brave] Such skill and bravery as this are required;

氣壓邊烽急。 qì yā biān fēng jí. [energy] [pressure] [edge] [beacon] [emergency] he uses his might to suppresses the emergency in the frontiers.

夜走追鋒車， Yè zǒu zhuī fēng chē, [night] [go] [pursue] [spear] [cart] At night he dashes around in a war chariot;

生斬活離級。 shēng zhǎn huó lí jí. [raw] [behead] [living] [Li] [Ji] he beheads Liao barbarians alive.

持歸獻天王， Chí guī xiàn tiānwáng, [hold] [return] [offer] [heaven] [king] He brings them back to offer to the heavenly king;

封侯穩可拾。 fēng hóu wěn kě shi. [bestow] [marquis] [stable] [can] [pick up] honour is bestowed on him, stability can be obtained.

何為走獵師， Hé wèi zǒu liè shī, [what] [for] [go] [hunt] [master] Why would he be a huntsman

日使群毛泣。 rì shǐ qún máo qì. [day] [cause] [group] [feather] [sob] and daily make the birds sob? (群毛 = 眾獸.)

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