(101) Song Of the Beautiful Yuan-Yuan
圆圆曲
Wu Wei-ye (1609-1672)
吴伟业
The emperor left the human world on a gloomy day;
鼎湖当日弃人间，
The General to the imperial palace fought his way.
破敌收惊下玉关；
The royal armies dressed in mourning shed their tears;
恸哭六军俱缟素，
The wrathful general for his lady wielded his spears.
冲冠一怒为红颜。
"Not that I love my lady captured by the foe,
红颜流落非吾恋，
But that I hate to death the rebels spreading woe.
逆贼天亡自荒宴。
Like lightning sweeping them away at Mountain Black,
电扫黄巾定黑山，
O'er father's death I'll weep and bring my lady back."
哭罢君亲再相见。
Remember their first meeting in a nobleman's bower:
相见初经田窦家，
She sang and danced as beautifully as a flower.
侯门歌舞出如花。
The nobleman promised to bestow the songstress fair
许将戚里空侯伎，
On General Wu, who carried her home in sedan chair.
等取将军油壁车。
Born near the Flower-Washing Stream, she was a maid
家本姑苏浣花里，
Narmed Yuan-yuan, whose charm outshone silk and brocade.
圆圆小字娇罗绮；
She dreamed of roving in the royal garden where
梦向夫差苑里游，
She met the king surrounded by his maidens fair.
宫娥拥入君王起；
In previous life she must have been the Fairy Queen;
前身合是采莲人，
Before her door there stretched a sea of water green.
门前一片横塘水。
On water green two oars propelled a boat in flight:
横塘双桨去如飞，
A nobleman had carried her away by might.
何处豪家强载归？
Who knows on such occasion what her fate would be?
此际岂知非薄命，
Her tear-soaked robe was all that one could see.
此时只有泪沾衣。
Her bitterness ascended as high as the skies,
薰天意气连宫掖，
But no one pitied her pearly teeth, her crystal eyes.
明眸皓齿无人惜。
She was ravished and shut up inside all day long,
夺归永巷闲良家，
Where she was taught to sing every ravishing song.
教就新声倾座客。
The general came and drank his fill till sunset.
座客飞殇红日暮，
To whom could she complain and sing her deep regret?
一曲哀弦向谁诉？
With our young general bright no gallant could ever vie:
白晰通侯最少年，
While plucking flowers of the turned to her his eye.
拣取花枝履回顾。
He freed the singing bird caged behind stout bars.
早携娇鸟出樊笼，
How many times they crossed the Stream of Silver Stars!
待得银河几时渡？
But military orders commanded him to fight;
恨杀军书抵死催，
He promised to be back and left her in sad plight.
苦留后约将人误。
How deep his love for her! How hard again to meet
相约恩深相见难，
When rebels trampled the capital beneath their feet!
一朝蚁贼满长安。
Alas! the lovesick mistress in the tower high
可怜思妇楼头柳，
Was taken like the willow catkin in the sky.
认作天边粉絮看。
Her inner chamber was surrounded all about;
遍索绿珠围内第，
From the carved balustrade she's compelled to come out.
强呼绛树出雕栏。
Had not our general beaten the rebel force,
若非壮士全师胜，
How could his lady fair be rescued on a horse?
争得娥眉匹马还。
The lady on a horse was summoned to appear,
蛾眉马上传呼进，
Her hair like tousled cloud, unrecovered from fear.
云鬟不整惊魂定；
Two giant candles lit her to the battlefield;
蜡炬迎来在战场，
Her pretty face was clouded with her tears congealed,
啼妆满面残红印。
The general's force, while beating drums, marched its way;
庄征萧鼓向秦川，
A thousand chariouts drove southwest without delay.
金牛道上车千乘；
In cloud-veiled valley rose a painted tower high;
斜谷云深起画楼，
The setting moon became a mirror to her eye.
散关月落开妆镜。
To her homeland by riverside the news soon spread
传来消息满江乡，
Though ten times maples bitten by frost had turned red.
乌桕红经十度霜；
The master who taught her to sing felt fortunate;
教曲伎师怜尚在，
Th washerwomen still remembered their lucky mate.
浣纱女伴忆同行。
"We're swallows pecking clods of clay to build our nest:
旧巢共是衔泥燕，
One flying up the tree becomes a phoenix blest.
飞上枝头变凤凰。
Before a cup of wine we grieve that old we've grown;
长向尊前悲老大，
We're glad she's married General Wu who wears a crown.
有人夫婿擅侯王。
Alas! the lady's compromised by far-flung fame:
当时只受声名累，
Her beauty earned for her all noblemen's acclaim.
贵戚名豪尽延致。
One casket of bright pearls brought ten caskets of grief:
一斛珠连万斛愁，
Her slender waist now wafted for miles like a leaf.
关山漂泊腰肢细。
Blame not the breeze that blows flowers far and nigh!
错怨狂风扬落花，
For boundless spring has come from the earth and the sky.
无边春色来天地。
A peerless beauty brings a country's up and down
尝闻倾国与倾城，
And earns for a gallant hero his lasting renown.
翻使周郎受重名。
How could a woman care about the state affair?
妻子岂应关大计，
How could our general forsake his lady fair?
英雄无奈是多情。
His family were slain and turned to dust and clay;
全家白骨成灰土，
Her rosy dress will shine in history for aye.
一代红妆照汗青。
Have you not sen
君不见，
In Golden Palace where the lovebirds passed the night.
馆娃初起鸳鸯宿，
The lady was too lovely to be kept out of sight?
越女如花看不足。
On dusty fragrant path now only cries blackbird,
香径尘生鸟自啼，
No beauty's steps are heard
屧廊人去苔空绿。
Where moss in vain grows green.
换羽移宫万里愁，
With palace music changed, for miles and miles grief reigns:
珠歌翠舞古梁州。
Still pearly teeth and green sleeves dance on Western Plains.
为君别唱吴宫曲，
If for the conquered Southern Land I sing new lay,
汉水东南日夜流。
Like River Han will grief overflow night and day.