張九齡 Zhang Jiuling: 自君之出矣 Since from Home You Departed

For those of you who visit my blog regularly, you must have been surprised to find my last 2 monthly posts were more didactic than poetic.  They were Chapters 17 and 49 of Lao Zi's Dao De Jing which have to do with the question of "trust" that I had to talk about late last year at an academic conference.  I would love to carry on with Lao Zi and do have a few more chapters readily translated but will stop, if not at least for the time being, as visitor statistics are just holding good, if not falling.

I will, therefore, in this post return to poetry (my poetry?) by giving you my rendition of a truly beautiful little quatrain by Zhang Jiuling 張九齢, contemporary of but slightly preceding Wang Wei 王維, Li Bai 李白 and Du Fu 杜甫.  This poem, like many Chinese poems, refers to the moon but (unlike Wang Wei's moon in his 竹里館 which is bright and solacing, Li bai's moon in his 夜思(靜夜思) whose brightness brings him home and Du Fu's moon in his 月夜 which shines on his wife and children away in refuge from the capital) Zhang Jiuling's moon is a full moon waning, a moon losing its lustre nightly.

For those of you who like my renditions of Lao Zi, I hope you will like this too.

Zhang Jiuling (678-740):  Since from Home You Departed

1        E'er since from home my lord departed,

2        I’ve left untouched my weaving loom.

3        Like the full moon, O I long for you,  

4        Nightly it wanes while I waste in gloom.

Translated by Andrew W.F. Wong (Huang Hongfa)      譯者; 黃宏發

18^th June 2012 (revised 19.6.12; 9.8.12)
Translated from the original - 張九齡:  自君之出矣

1        自君之出矣

2        不復理殘機

3        思君如滿月

4        夜夜減清輝

Notes:

*    This English rendition is in tetrameter (4 metrical feet) while the original is in 5-character lines.  The rhyme scheme is XAXA as in the original.  I am grateful to Xu Yuanzhong (also known as XYZ) (p. 45 of his “Bilingual Edition 300 Tang Poems”, Beijing: Higher Education Press, 2000) for the “loom, gloom” rhyme.

*    Lines 1 and 3:  I have taken the poem to be addressed to the husband/lover as seen in the use (in both lines 1 and 3) of the word 君 which is a polite way of saying “you” or addressing a person, and here that person is the “husband/lover”.  To translate 君, I have used “my lord” in line 1 and “you” in line 3   I had considered but rejected “E'er since from home, my lord, you departed” as I find “E'er since from home my lord departed” more than adequate in the context.  I had considered "O since" but have decided for "E'er since".  If the word "lord" is considered archaic, it can be replaced by "love".

*    Line 2:  殘 (“remaining”, not “broken/derelict”) 機 (“machine”, specifically “loom”) here means “unfinished/incomplete cloth/fabric remaining on the loom” and is simply translated as “weaving loom”.

*    Lines 3 and 4:  I had considered adding “’Tis” (line 3) and “O” (line 4) to these 2 lines to give them daDUM iambic openings but have decided for the DUMda trochees.  .

*    Line 4:  夜夜減清輝 which literally means “night by night, reducing its clear lustre” is translated without the words “clear lustre” as the meaning is covered by the word “wanes” at least insofar as the “full moon” is concerned.  I had originally penned the line as “O waning night by night in gloom” or “O waning and wasting nightly in gloom” (given the need of “gloom” to complete the rhyme) but have decided otherwise because the word “gloom” does not seem to go well with the “full moon”.  This simile of “the waning full moon”, which metaphorically also alludes to the lady, is now made explicit by the addition of “while I waste in gloom” to “Nightly it wanes”.  The word “waste” means “to lose strength, health or vitality, to lose flesh, to pine, to decay”. (Shorter Oxford Dictionary)  The loss of the of the alliteration of 夜夜 in my rendering it as "Nightly", instead of "Night by night", is somewhat compensated by the alliteration of "wane ...while...waste".    

老子 Lao Zi: 道德經 49章 Dao De Jing Chapter 49 (Lao Tzu: Tao Te Ching 49)

Last month, January, I posted here on this blog Chapter 17 of Lao Zi's Dao De Jing.  I said I have now attempted my own translation of it because I was invited to speak at a Conference on Trust Building and Governance in Hong Kong and Macau organized by the Hong Kong Institute of Education some time last October and I decided to use some parts of the Dao De Jing.  The key word I used was 信 which I have translated as "trust".  In my last month's post, what Lao Zi had to say, as I see it, is "It is the ruler's lack of trust in the people that creates their mistrust."

Today, I am posting Lao Zi's Chapter 49 which I also referred to at the Conference.    The key word is again 信 "trust" and the relevant lines are 6, 7 and 8 which I have rendered as "He trusts in those who are trustworthy,/ He trusts also in those who are not, thus/ Trust obtains."  Please refer to my notes to see why I have rendered 吾 "I" as "He".  I have also discussed in my notes the word 德 "virtue" which I have taken to be 得 "attain/achieve/obtain" and which I have rendered as "obtains" meaning "prevails/in vogue/holds good, etc."  Here is the genius of Lao Zi.  He was saying "Only by trusting also in those who are not trustworthy, at least trusting in the possibility they can become trustworthy, that trust can be built."  Some say he is wise, some say, mad.  But just give this some thought: "Let he who has never
betrayed, nor will ever betray his trust, throw the first piece of stone!"    

Lao Zi (circa 500 BCE):  Dao De Jing Chapter 49

(Lao Tzu:  Tao Te Ching 49)

1        The sage ruler has no cravings of his own,

2        He takes as his own the cravings of the people.

3        He is good to those who are good,

4        He is also good to those who are not, thus     

5        Goodness obtains.

6        He trusts in those who are trustworthy,

7        He trusts also in those who are not, thus    

8        Trust obtains.

9        In ruling the world, the sage restrains himself;  

10     For its sake, he muddles his own cravings.

11     The people’s eyes and ears are all focused on his rule,

12     The sage regards them all as innocent babies.

Translated by Andrew W.F. Wong (Huang Hongfa)      譯者: 黃宏發

21^st November 2012
Translated from the original - 老子:  道德經  49章

1        聖人無常心，

2        以百姓心為心。

3        善者吾善之，

4        不善者吾亦善之，

5        德善。

6    信者吾信之，

7        不信者吾亦信之，

8        德信。

9       聖人在天下歙歙焉，

10     為天下渾其心。

11     百姓皆注其耳目，

12     聖人皆孩之。

Notes:

*    Line 1:  I have considered “heart”, “mind” and “aspirations” to translate 心 but have decided for “cravings”.  I am inclined not to take 常心 as a special term as 無常心 is probably a corruption of the Ma Wang Dui (MWD)馬王堆version of 恆無心 and, hence, 常無心  the 2 words 恆 and 常 being coterminous meaning “always” .  Some other versions have it simply as 無心 “no craving” to mean 無私心 “no selfish craving”,  hence, my translation “no cravings of his own”.

*    Lines 3, 4, 6 and 7:  All 4 lines have been translated in accordance with the MWD version which does not contain the word 吾 “I”, hence, rendered here in the third person “he”.

*    Lines 3 through 8:  德 in the context of both 德善 (line 5) and 德信 ( line 8), literally “virtue”, should be taken to stand for its homophone 得 “acquire/obtain/attain”.  With the first person 吾 “I” in lines 3, 4, 6 and 7 deleted (as discussed in the preceding note), I am inclined to interpret lines 5 and 8 as: not just the ruler, but the state/world as a whole, or in other words, both the ruler and the people attaining the virtues of “goodness” and “trust”, hence, my rendition “thus Goodness obtains” and “thus Trust obtains”.  “To obtain” here means “to prevail, to be in force or in vogue; to hold good, have place, subsist, or exist.”  (Shorter Oxford Dictionary)  If one feels odd about the word “obtains”, one can always use such expressions as “prevails”, “emerges”, “holds good”, “comes into currency”, etc. or simply “there is goodness/trust”.  I have added the word “thus” (not in the original) to end lines 4 and 7 to make my interpretation of this chapter crystal clear: it is only by being good also to the bad and by trusting also in the untrustworthy that goodness and trust can emerge.
  

*    Lines 9 and 10:  I have taken 歙 in 歙歙焉 to mean 收縮 (shrink), hence, 收斂 (restrain) and my rendition of “restrains himself”.  Although, in line 10, the word 其 in 渾其心 is missing in the MWD manuscripts, I have nonetheless retained it and have, unlike most other translators, taken it to refer to the heart/cravings of the ruler, and not of the people, echoing the “no cravings of his own” sentiments in line 1.

*    Line 11:  I have added “on his rule” (not in the original) as the people’s watchful eyes and ears must be on whether the ruler’s rule is good, not just 劉殿爵 D.C. Lau’s “all have something to attach their eyes and ears” or  辜正坤 Gu Zhengkun’s “are all preoccupied with their eyes and ears”.

*    Line 12:  I had considered but rejected “The sage treats them all as children” which is literal but, at best, ambiguous and, at worst, misleading.  I have now decided to use “regards” instead of “treats” and “babies” instead of “children” with the adjective “innocent” (not in the original) added to make plain the people’s cravings, like the baby’s cravings, are (or, at least, can be) basic, instinctual and innocent.

      

老子 Lao Zi: 道德經 17章 Dao De Jing Chapter 17 (Lao Tzu: Tao Te Ching 17)

Wishing you a most successful 2013!  At this new year, I am posting a piece very different from the ones I have been posting in the last 5 years.  Today, I am posting Chapter 17 of 老子 Lao Zi (Lao Tzu)'s 道德經 Dao De Jing (Tao Te Ching) which begins with 太上下知有之 "Best of all, the ruler is only known to be there."

Unlike the lyricism of the quatrains and long-short-line verses I have been posting, the Dao De Jing is philosophical, political and didactic, being (in my view, at least) practical advice to those who are in authority.  

Although the Dao De Jing is largely rhymed (e.g. the word 之 ending the first 4 lines and the 焉、言、然 of the next 4 lines) probably in order to ease memorization, there is no systematic rhyme scheme to speak of and it is, therefore, more prose than poetry.

For these reasons, I have decided to adopt free verse (or perhaps just prose divided into lines) in my rendition of Lao Zi's Dao De Jing.

I had for long been preaching Chapter 17 and others in my speeches and lectures before my retirement. Last October, I was invited by the Hong Kong Institute of Education to speak at their Conference on "Trust Building and Governance in Hong Kong and Macau".  The main thrust of my presentation was line 5.  As the session was held in English, I used Stephen Mitchell's translation which goes "If you don't trust the people, you make them untrustworthy."  This I changed, according to my interpretation, into "If you don't trust the people, the people will not trust you."  劉殿爵 D.C. Lau's has translated the line as "Only when there is not enough faith is there a lack of faith."  This I find too ambiguous.  This is the genesis of my rendition.  I hope you will enjoy it.    

Lao Zi (circa 500 BCE):  Dao De Jing Chapter 17

(Lao Tzu:  Tao Te Ching 17)

1    Best of all, the ruler is only known to be there;

2    Next, he is loved and praised;

3    Further next, he is feared;

4    Furthest down, he is slighted.

5    It is the ruler’s lack of trust in the people that creates their mistrust.

6    He should be cautious and sparing in whatever he says or orders.

7    With good rule established and his task complete,

8    The people will say, “We ourselves have done it so naturally.”

Translated by Andrew W.F. Wong (Huang Hongfa)          譯者: 黃宏發

9^th November 2012
Translated from the original - 老子:  道德經  17章

1    太上，下知有之；

2    其次，親而譽之；

3    其次，畏之；

4    其次，侮之。

5    信不足焉，有不信焉。

6    悠兮其貴言。

7    功成事遂，

8    百姓皆謂我自然。

Notes:

*    I am indeed most grateful to my friend the late Prof. D.C. Lau 劉殿爵 from whose works I have borrowed rather heavily: (1) his rendition of Lao Tzu’s “Tao Te Ching” (Penguin 1963, p.73 for Chapter 17), and (2) his slightly revised rendition of the same (The Chinese University Press, probably 1981, pp. 290-291 for Chapter 17) with the 2 oldest extant Ma Wang Dui (MWD) 馬王堆 manuscripts (unearthed in 1973) covered in the revised translation.

*   The late D.C. Lau’s renditions are the best of all renditions I have encountered.  I have, however, found it necessary to venture my own translation primarily because I wish to attempt to render the work in a less ambiguous manner.  For example, line 5 in Chapter 17 has been rendered by Lau in 1963 as “When there is not enough faith, there is a lack of good faith” and, in the 1980’s, as “Only when there is not enough faith is there a lack of faith”.  These rather literal translations have failed to depict the implicit causal relationship between the ruler and the people.  The line in the context of the whole chapter should, in my view, mean “If the ruler lacks faith in the people, the people will have no faith in him”.  Hence, my “It is the ruler’s lack of trust in the people that creates their mistrust.”

*    Line 1:  I have stuck to the 下知有之 version instead of the 不知有之 and 下不知有之 versions.

*    Line 4:  I have translated the line according to the MWD version of 其下(down) instead of the more popular 其次(next).

*    Line 5:  I have translated the line following Lau’s moving the comma from after to before the first焉 and taking this first 焉 to have a substantive meaning of 乃(be, is; so, therefore) and his punctuating the line after 信不足 with a comma before this first 焉.  The second 焉 at the end of the line remains an “auxiliary word” 助詞/助語詞  meaning 也 or 矣 .  In short, both Lau and myself interpret the line as “信不足，乃(焉)有不信也(焉)”.  That said, even the popular version of “信不足焉，有不信焉” (with both 焉’s taken as auxiliary words meaning 也) is capable of this interpretation.  I have added “ruler” and “people” in the English rendition so as to make clear the message which is central to this whole chapter.

*    Line 6:  I have adopted for my translation the MWD version of 猶 “hesitant” instead of the popular version of 悠 “leisurely” but which can also mean 猶.  While Lau has rendered the line as “Hesitant, he does not utter words lightly”, I find “hesitant” negative and prefer to use “cautious and sparing” partly borrowing from Chapter 23’s concept of 希言 “sparing of words”.  I have added the word “orders” as whatever the ruler “says” would most likely be acted upon by his officials.

*    Line 7:  Although in the MWD manuscripts, 功成事遂  is shown as成功遂事; the 2 versions more or less mean the same.  I have rendered 功成 or 成功 as “good rule is established” to echo and conclude the “best” state of affairs introduced in line 1 where “the ruler is only known to be there”.  I hope this is an acceptable improvement on Lau’s rather literal rendition of “his task is accomplished”.

*    Line 8:  皆 “all” is not translated as I consider it unimportant and is not found in the MWT manuscripts     and some other versions.  我 is translated not simply as “we” but as “we ourselves” so as to emphasize “we the people (not the ruler) have done it”.  自然 is translated as “naturally” in the sense of “in a natural way/manner”.  The word “so” is added so as to exclude from the word “naturally” the meaning of “of course” or “as would be expected” or “needless to say”. 

李白 Li Bai: 秋浦歌 17首 其15 Song of Qiupu 15 of 17 (白髮三千丈) (My hoary hair, a full three-furlong)

China's poet immortal Li Bai of the Tang dynasty had written in his early fifties (around 753) a total of 17 Songs of Qiupu while visiting Qiupu (in current day Anhui province).  In August 2011, I posted my rendition of his rather unusual Song XIV (14th) on the subject of smelters (Their furnace fire illumes both earth and sky). Li Bai: Song of Qiupu 14 (Their furnace fire illumes both earth and sky)  I do hope you had enjoyed it.  Today, I am posting my rendition of his most popular Song 15.  This beautiful little poem is on his melancholia.  As you will see, if my rendition has done him justice, the way his sentiments are expressed is subdued, subtle, yet lasting.  

Li Bai (701-762):  Song of Qiupu 15 of 17 (My hoary hair, a full three-furlong)

1    My hoary hair, a full three-furlong,

2    Its cause, my sorrow, equally long.

3    O autumn frosts in my mirror clear, from  

4    Where have you come, my hair to throng?

Translated by Andrew W.F. Wong (Huang Hongfa)     譯者: 黃宏發

11^th June 2012 (revised 12.6.12; 13.6.12; 11.12.12)
Translated from the original - 李白: 秋浦歌 17首 其15 (1- 白髮三千丈)

1   白髮三千丈

2    缘(離)愁似箇長

3    不知明鏡裏

4    何處得秋霜

Notes:-

*    This English rendition is in tetrameter (4 metrical feet) while the original is in 5-character lines.  The rhyme scheme is AAXA as in the original.

*    Line 1:  三千丈 “three thousand zhang” equals 9.9 kilometres (1,000 zhang measures 3,300 metres) is obviously a hyperbole out of all proportions.  I have reduced this length to 3 furlongs which is slightly less than half a mile or slightly more than half a kilometre (1 furlong being 220 yards or roughly 200 metres) though primarily for the rhyme, but should be an acceptable hyperbole for the length of any person’s hair.  Instead of penning it as “three furlongs”, I have used “a full three-furlong” without the “s” to complete the “furlong-long-throng” rhyme, stealing from Shakespeare’s “Full fathom five thy father lies” in “The Tempest”.

*    Line 2:  I had considered “likewise” but have now decided for “equally” which gives a better alliterative effect.

*    Lines 3 and 4:  I have scrambled these 2 lines in my rendition: first, by moving 秋霜 “autumn frosts” (echoing the “hoariness” in line 1) from the end of line 4 to the beginning of line 3 to be associated immediately with the person in the 明鏡  “clear mirror” (which being a synecdoche for the person, hence “my clear mirror”), and second, by translating 不知 “know not” (line 3) and 何處 “where” (line 4) as a rhetorical question: “O …, from (line 3)/ Where have you come (line 4) …?”

*    Line 4:  Following from the previous note, I had considered the term 何處 "from/ Where" to mean 何時 "since/ When" but have decided to stick to the literal meaning.  I had considered translating 得 "acquired" as "to me belong" but have decided for the more expressive and straightforward "my hair to throng" with the implied word "hair" added.

  

杜牧 Du Mu: 寄楊州韓綽判官 Sent to Magistrate Han Chuo in Yangzhou

This is a re-posting of my October post (6.10.12) of this Du Mu poem which I inadvertently deleted while trying to enlarge the font yesterday (4.11.12).  Here, I have put down a fictitious date of 31.10.2012 in the hope that it will appear on the blog as my October post replacing the deleted one.  Below is the introduction to my original post:-

Here is yet another beautiful little poem by the late Tang dynasty poet Du Mu. As I have said in my notes, Han Chuo and Du Mu were great friends and fellow officials when Du was in post in Yangzhou, and 玉人 here refers to Han Chuo and means "handsome fellow", not "beautiful lady". What I have not mentioned in my notes was the story that Du and Han used to frequent pleasure houses together. This known, does line 4 refer to the noble pleasure of teaching flotists (flutists) or other pleasures? I do hope my translation has done Du Mu justice. Please enjoy this ambiguity.

In my original post, my rendition of the poem ran:-

1    In haze the green hills half hidden, to afar the waters flow; 

2    Though late in autumn in Southland, its grass is yet to yellow.

3    A night of bright moonlight o'er Bridges Twenty-Four, just

4    Where are you flaunting your flute, my handsome good fellow.

Subsequently, I made some revisions in the "Comments" section.  These and other comments are reproduced below:-

My own 24.10.12 - Although I am still awaiting a comment on my "flaunting your flute" (line 4) from my pub friend Bill Late, I must now ask him to also kindly comment on my decision to revise it to read "paying your pipers" (meaning: calling your tunes) which accords more with my interpretation of 教 (please see my note on line 4).  I also take this opportunity to revise line 1 to read "Green hills in haze half hidden, waters to afar do flow," which formulation better accords with the original Chinese. I have effected these revisions on the post. 

My own 25.10.12 - I have decided to revise the first half of my line 2 to read "This Southland though late in autumn" which sounds better. In so foing, I have inverted the order of 秋盡(autumn end) and 江南(river south). I have effected the revision in my post.
 

Frank 31.10.12 - hi, andrew,  thank you for your rendition and i like the first 3 lines of your rendition best.  allow me to be v frank: i must say i find your translating (玉人何處) '教吹簫' as (Where are you) 'paying your pipers' most odd, if not totally inappropriate. from my high school dictionary, 'pay the piper (and call the tune)' means 'bear the cost of an undertaking (and have control of what is done)'. to me, this appears to be 風馬牛 to '教吹簫'。  i sincerely hope you'll perhaps kindly re-consider using your former version for line 4.

Frank 31.10.12 - and, having given you a broadside, i'm now sticking out my neck with my attempted translation below (for you to have a chance at getting even with me!) ... hehe!

  

    青山隱隱水迢迢，  

    秋盡江南草未(木)凋。 

    二十四橋明月夜， 

    玉人何處教吹簫。

    Sent to Magistrate Han Chuo in Yangzhou -- by Du Mu   

    With green hills blurred by mists, the stream flows afar forever;  

    Autumn grows old but the grass is still green south of the River.  

    At the Bridges-Twenty-Four City beneath the bright Moon,  

    My handsome friend --somewhere-- is teaching someone the flute's tune.

Frank 31.10.12 - o in order not repeat the word "green" on both lines 1 and 2 of my rendition, i'd like to revise line 1 thereof to read:  With blue hills blurred by mists, the stream flows afar forever

My own revisions are now consolidated in the rendition below.  The notes have also been revised to reflect the revisions:-

Du Mu (803-852):  Sent to Magistrate Han Chuo in Yangzhou

1        Green hills in haze half hidden, waters to afar do flow;

2        This Southland though late in autumn, its grass is yet to yellow,

3        A night of bright moonlight o’er Bridges Twenty-Four, just

4        Where are you paying your pipers, my handsome good fellow?

Translated by Andrew W.F. Wong (Huang Hongfa)    譯者: 黃宏發

20^th August 2012 (revised 6.10.12; 24.10.12; 25.10.12)
Translated from the original - 杜牧:  寄楊州韓綽判官

1        青山隱隱水迢迢

2        秋盡江南草未(木)凋

3        二十四橋明月夜

4        玉人何處教吹簫

Notes:

*    Title:  判官 in Tang dynasty China was a high ranking staff officer under the Provincial Governor (辭源: 地方長官的僚属,佐理政事) and is, here, translated as “Magistrate” not in the sense of a judge but of a high ranking official.  (Shorter Oxford: Magistrate - a civil officer charged with the administration of the laws, a member of the executive government.  Middle English)

*    Line 1:  I had considered but abandoned “lie hidden” as I take 隐隐 to mean 若隱若現, hence, “half hidden” which makes more sense than “lie/all hidden”.  I have added “in haze” (not in the original) to make a 6-foot line and to make this sense possible.  To translate the repeated sounds of 隱隱 and 迢迢 I have used the alliteration of “h” (hills, haze, half, hidden) and “f” (afar, flow) respectively.

*    Line 2:  I have adopted the 未 version (草未凋 grass not withered yet) which makes more sense than the 木 version (草木凋 grass and trees all withered) and have added “though” to accompany “yet” to complete the sense.  .  I have taken 秋盡 to mean “approaching” and not quite “the end of autumn”, hence “late in autumn”. I had considered but dropped the alternative of “’Tis the end of autumn in Southland …”  江南 can be transliterated as “Jiangnan” but is, here, translated as “Southland” in the interest of those who do not know 南 means “south”.

*    Line 3:  二十四 “Twenty-Four” is not taken to be the name of one single “Bridge” but as numerals referring to the “Twenty-Four Bridges” of Yangzhou city which name, by tradition, stands for Yangzhou.  I have capitalized “Bridges Twenty-Four” to make clear the line refers to the city of Yangzhou.

*    Line 4:  玉人 is not taken to mean “beautiful girls” but a “handsome man”.  Du Mu wrote this poem in jest to Han Chuo who was his fellow official when Du was in post in Yangzhou and was his good friend, hence, “good fellow” (Shorter Oxford: “boon companion”).  In 教吹簫 “teaching how to play the flute”, the idea of “teach” is deliberately omitted as 教 can also mean 使  “to make, let” as. in 金昌绪 春怨 “莫教枝上啼” Jin Changxu  A Spring Plaint “Not to (let it) trill on my garden boughs all day”.  This omission, in effect, preserves the ambiguity of the original which many believe is of a sexual nature.  I had originally rendered it as “flaunting your flute” meaning “showing off your flute skills”, but have now decided for “paying your pipers” meaning “calling your tunes”.  (He who pays the piper calls the tune.)

李白 Li Bai: 怨情 Plaintful Sentiments

Following my July 2012 post of Li Bai's 玉階怨 "Sentiments on the Steps of Marble", I now present to you another beautiful little "plaint" or "complaint" by that great Tang poet Li Bai.

In my July post, I gave you Ezra Pound's rendition of 玉階怨 which he entitled "The Jewel Stairs' Grievance" for comparison with mine.  In this post of Li Bai's 怨情, I would like to give you the rendition of this poem by the great Chinese translator Prof. Xu Yuan-Zhong 許淵冲 (aka XYZ) of Peking University.  The following is found on p. 127 of a translated anthology "300 Tang Poems - A New Translation" (Commercial Press, 1987):-

Waiting in Vain    Li Bai    Tr. X.Y.Z.

1    A lady fair uprolls the screen,

2    With eyebrows knit she waits in vain.

3    Wet stains of tears can still be seen.

4    Who, heartless, has caused her the pain?

What a beautiful rendition!  XYZ is indeed a true master of the art of translation.  I do not intend to enter into a long discussion of whether his or mine or any other's is a better translation, but simply wish to bring out some of the words/phrases he and I have added or omitted, varied or explicated, so that one may begin to appreciate the very difficult choices the translator faces:- 

Line 1:  While XYZ prefers "lady fair" for 美人, I have omitted 美 "fair" as I take 美人 to simply mean a woman or lady.  XYZ has rendered 珠簾 as "screen" omitting 珠 "beads" (perhaps regarding it as inconsequential)  while I have used "beaded curtain" as I regard "beaded" to be of significance and do like the sound of "curtain" more than XYZ's "screen" or other alternatives, e.g. "drape" .

Line 2:  XYZ has altogether omitted 深坐 (my rendition "For long she sits") and has added "waits in vain" (which is also his translation of the title).  He must have taken 深坐 to mean "sitting for long, waiting" with "in vain" inferred from the next 2 lines.  I am grateful to XYZ for inspiring and inviting me to the idea of "waiting" which I have added in my own rendition.

Line 3:  但見 is hard to interpret.  XYZ has taken it to mean 仍可見 "can still be seen" while I take it to be 只見 "Seen ... are but".  While I have added "on her face" after "Seen" and have omitted translating   濕 "wet", XYZ's rendition has succeeded in not having to add "on her face" and keeping the word "wet".  This is probably due to our different interpretation of 但見.

Line 4:  This line is where XYZ and I differ the most.  XYZ's rendition of line 4 bears no resemblance to the original.  心 "her heart" is varied into "the heartless person" and 恨誰 "who ... she hates" is explicated as "Who ... has caused her the pain".  Yet, XYZ is able to retain all the ambiguities of the original.  What a great master!

With this tribute to XYZ, may I invite you to enjoy his rendition above and mine below:- 

Li Bai (701-762):  Plaintful Sentiments

1  The lady rolls up her beaded curtain;

2  For long she sits, brows knit, she waits.

3  Seen on her face are but traces of tears,

4  Know not who, in her heart, she hates.

Translated by Andrew W.F. Wong (Huang Hongfa)    譯者:  黃宏發

25^th June 2012 (revised 26.6.12; 27.6.12; 30.10.12)
Translated from the original - 李白:  怨情

1  美人卷珠簾

2  深坐蹙(颦)娥眉

3  但見淚痕濕

4  不知心恨誰

Notes:-

*    This English rendition is in tetrameter (4 metrical feet) while the original is in 5-character lines.  The rhyme scheme is XAXA as in the original.

*    Line 1:  I had considered “Fair lady” but have decided for “The lady”.  I had first penned “bead strung” but have now decided for “beaded”.

*    Line 2:  In my view, the word 深 should be taken to mean “for a long time” and not “deep inside the room”.  I have added “waits” (not in the original) primarily for the “waits-hates” rhyme, but also to paint a picture of “a lady rolling up the curtain, sitting for long, unhappy, obviously because she is waiting without success for the return of her husband/lover”.  娥眉 refer to “eyebrows” and both 蹙 and 颦 mean “frowning” or “knitting (the eyebrows)”.  Of these 2 words, I prefer 蹙 pronounced as 促 (Pinyin “cu”, Cantonese “tsuk”) which sounds better than 颦 pronounced as 貧 (Pinyin “pin”, Cantonese “pan).

*    Line 3:  I have translated 但見 “can only see” as “Seen … are but traces of tears” with “on her face” added “.  This, though not in the original is.  I have not literally translated 濕 “wet” but have hoped that “tears” would suffice.

*    Line 4:  I have translated the whole line rather literally, with 恨 translated simply as “hates”, thereby, retaining all the ambiguities.  She might be “hating” the husband who left home seeking fame and/or fortune or, even, for another woman, but still wanting him to come home.  She might “hate” the emperor for sending her husband to war, or even God, the gods, fate, or the heavens that her husband should be away no matter for what.  She might even “hate” herself for having been unkind, unloving to her husband no matter how few a time.  I agree with 喻守真 who said, “This poem in on the word ‘hate’.  As for whom to hate and what to hate, it is for the interpreter (reader) to interpret (read) for himself.” 此詩寫個恨字，恨誰恨甚麽？在解人自解。  This is the magic of ambiguity.  My literal translation of 恨 as “hate/hates” is, therefore, imperative.