A Trip to the Slanting River
游斜川
On the fifth day of the first month in the year of Xinchou, the day was mild and clear with a scenery of tranquil beauty. I took a trip to the Slanting River with a couple of friends from my neighbourhood. By the on-flowing river,we commanded a fine view of the Zengcheng Mountain.The bream and carp leaped in the setting sun while gulls glided in the mild breeze. As the Lushan Mountain in the south had a long-standing fame, there was no need for us to dwell on its beauty. As to the Zengcheng Mountain, it rose by itself in single beauty on the marshes. At the thought of the other Zengcheng Mountain in the Kunlun Mountains, we admired the name still more. Not contented with merely enjoying the scene, we wrote poems on the spot. Regretting the swift passage of time and the brevity of our life-span, each of us put down our time and place of birth and the date of this trip.
辛酉正月五日，天气澄和，风物闲美，与二三邻曲，同游斜川。临长流，望曾城；鲂鲤跃鳞于将夕，水鸥乘和以翻飞。彼南阜者，名实旧矣，不复乃为嗟叹；若夫曾城，傍无依接，独秀中皋；遥想灵山，有爱嘉名。欣对不足，率尔赋诗。悲日月之遂往，悼吾年之不留；年疏年纪乡里，以记其时日。
I’ve reached fifty in the opening year;
The end of my dear life is drawing near.
This very thought has filled my heart with woe,
And so on springtime trip I gladly go.
开岁倏五日，吾生行归休。
念之动中怀，及辰为兹游。
Bathed in the air so mild, the skies serene,
We sit and watch the flowing river scene.
The bream are swimming in the gentle stream
While in the vales the gulls soar and scream.
气和天惟澄，班坐依远流；
弱湍驰文鲂，闲谷矫鸣鸥。
When we look beyond the boundless lake，
We gaze at Zengcheng, musing for its sake.
Although it's less impressive than Kunlun,
Nothing nearby can surpass this one.
迥泽散游目，缅然睇曾丘；
虽微九重秀，顾瞻无匹俦。
We pass the goblet from one to the other,
To fill our cups and drink to one another.
A sudden thought occurs to me by then:
Can we enjoy such pleasant feasts again?
提壶接宾侣，引满更献酬；
未知从今去，当复如此不？
Half-drunk, we make funs in a thousand ways,
Forgetting endless sorrows of our days.
Make merry and forget about our sorrow,
For we don’t care about what comes tomorrow
中觞纵遥情，忘彼千载忧。
且极今朝乐，明日非所求。