天有不测风云，人有旦夕祸福。蜈蚣百足，行不及蛇；雄鸡两翼，飞不过鸦。马有千里之程，无骑不能自往；人有冲天之志，非运不能自通。盖闻：人生在世，富贵不能淫，贫贱不能移。
文章盖世，孔子厄于陈邦；武略超群，太公钓于渭水。颜渊命短，殊非凶恶之徒；盗跖年长，岂是善良之辈。尧帝明圣， 却生不肖之儿；瞽叟愚顽，反生大孝之子。张良原是布衣，萧何称谓县吏。晏子身无五尺，封作齐国宰相；孔明卧居草庐，能作蜀汉军师。楚霸虽雄，败于乌江自刎；汉王虽弱，竟有万里江山。李广有射虎之威，到老无封；冯唐有乘龙之才，一生不遇。韩信未遇之时，无一日三餐，及至遇行，腰悬三尺玉印，一旦时衰，死于阴人之手。
有先贫而后富，有老壮而少衰。满腹文章，白发竟然不中；才疏学浅，少年及第登科。深院宫娥，运退反为妓妾；风流妓女，时来配作夫人。青春美女，却招愚蠢之夫；俊秀郎君，反配粗丑之妇。蛟龙未遇，潜水于鱼鳖之间；君子失时，拱手于小人之下。衣服虽破，常存仪礼之容；面带忧愁，每抱怀安之量。时遭不遇，只宜安贫守份；心若不欺，必然扬眉吐气。初贫君子，天然骨骼生成；乍富小人，不脱贫寒肌体。天不得时，日月无光；地不得时，草木不生；水不得时，风浪不平；人不得时，利运不通。注福注禄，命里已安排定，富贵谁不欲？人若不依根基八字，岂能为卿为相？
吾昔寓居洛阳，朝求僧餐，暮宿破窖，思衣不可遮其体，思食不可济其饥，上人憎，下人厌，人道我贱，非我不弃也。今居朝堂，官至极品，位置三公，身虽鞠躬于一人之下，而列职于千万人之上，有挞百僚之杖，有斩鄙吝之剑，思衣而有罗锦千箱，思食而有珍馐百味，出则壮士执鞭，入则佳人捧觞，上人宠，下人拥。人道我贵，非我之能也，此乃时也、运也、命也。
嗟呼！人生在世，富贵不可尽用，贫贱不可自欺，听由天地循环，周而复始焉。
《寒窑赋》译文如下：
天气有预测不到的风和云，人也会有早晚遇到的灾祸与喜事。蜈蚣有上百只足，但却不如蛇行走得好。家鸡翅膀虽然很大，却不能像鸟一样飞行。马虽然能行走千里之遥，但没有人驾驭也不能自己到达目的地。人有远大的理想，但缺乏机遇就不能实现。
孔子的文章写得没有人能够超过却被围困于陈国。拥有文韬武略的姜子牙也曾迫于生计在渭水垂钓。而盗跖虽然是成年人，却不是善良人。孔子的学生颜回虽然早亡，但并不是凶恶的人。尧、舜虽然英明，却生下顽劣不肖的儿子。舜的父亲瞽叟顽固又愚蠢，反而生下舜这样圣贤的儿子。张良原来只是一个老百姓，箫何也仅是县里的吏员。晏子的身高没有达到五尺，却承担了齐国首相的职务。孔明居住在茅草屋里，却担任了蜀国的军师。韩信没有什么力气，确受封为汉朝的大将。冯唐虽有治国安邦的才能，但到老都没有做官的机会。汉将李广虽有射虎（虎石）的威名，却终身都未获得封侯。项羽虽然强大，但却在乌江自杀；刘邦虽然弱小，最后却取得了国家政权。具有高深学问的人，头发白了都得不到任用；能力差学问浅的人，很年轻就被任命了重要的官职。
有的人先富裕后贫穷，也有人先贫穷后富裕。蛟龙没有获得机遇，只能藏身于鱼和虾的群体里。正直的人没有机会时，只能屈从与小人。天气不好时，就见不到太阳和月亮的光辉；土地没有合适的气候条件时，草木都不会生长。水得不到恰当的环境时，就会掀起疾风巨浪；人若得不机遇时，利益和运气都不畅通。
以前，我在洛阳，白天到寺庙里吃斋饭，晚上住在寒冷的窑洞里。所穿衣服不能避寒，吃的粥饭抵御不了饥饿。上等人憎恨我，下等人厌恶我，都说我很贱。我说：不是我贱，是我没有机遇啊。当我获得功名，职位达到官职最高层，地位达到三公（丞相、御史大夫、太尉），拥有制约百官的能力，也有惩罚卑鄙、吝啬的权力，出门时前呼后拥，回到家里则有美女侍奉，穿衣服是绫罗锦缎，吃的则是山珍海味，皇上宠爱我，下面的人拥载我，所有的人都恭敬、羡慕我，都说我是贵人。我说：不是我贵，是因为我获得了好的机遇啊。
所以人活在世上，对于富贵的人不要去追捧他，对于贫贱的人不可去欺辱他。这就是为人处世周而复始的规律。
The translation of Han Kiln Fu (reference) is as follows:
The weather has unpredictable winds and clouds, and people will encounter disasters and happy events sooner or later. The centipede has hundreds of feet, but it doesn’t walk as well as the snake. Although the wings of domestic chickens are large, they cannot fly like birds. Although a horse can walk thousands of miles, it cannot reach its destination without being controlled. People have lofty ideals, but they cannot realize them without opportunities.
Confucius wrote articles that no one could surpass but were besieged by the State of Chen. Jiang Ziya, who has a strong and strategic background, was forced to make a living fishing in the Weishui River. Although the thief Zhi is an adult, he is not a kind person. Although Yan Hui, a student of Confucius, died early, he was not a vicious man. Although wise, Yao and Shun gave birth to wicked sons. Shun’s father, the blind old man, was stubborn and stupid. Instead, he gave birth to the son of a sage like Shun. Zhang Liang was just a common man, and Xiao He was just an official in the county. Yan Zi was not five feet tall, but he assumed the post of Prime Minister of the State of Qi. Kongming lived in a thatched hut, but he served as a military adviser in Shu. Han Xin did not have much strength. He was indeed appointed the general of the Han Dynasty. Although Feng Tang had the ability to govern the country, he had no chance to be an officer when he was old. Although Li Guang, the general of the Han Dynasty, has a reputation for shooting tigers (tiger stones), he has not been granted a marquis all his life. Although Xiang Yu was powerful, he committed suicide in Wujiang; Although Liu Bang was weak, he finally gained state power. People with profound knowledge cannot be appointed even when their hair is gray; People with poor abilities and shallow knowledge are appointed to important positions at a very young age.
Some people are rich first and then poor, while others are poor first and then rich. Jiaolong didn’t get the opportunity but hid in the group of fish and shrimp. When honest people have no chance, they can only yield to villains. When the weather is bad, the sun and the moon will not shine; When the land has no suitable climatic conditions, the plants will not grow. When the water can not get the proper environment, it will set off strong winds and waves; If people don’t have opportunities, their interests and luck are blocked.
In Luoyang, I used to eat fast in temples during the day and live in cold caves at night. The clothes you wear cannot protect you from the cold, and the porridge you eat cannot protect you from hunger. The superior hate me, while the inferior hates me. They all say that I am cheap. I said: I am not cheap, but I have no opportunity. When I got an official position, I reached the highest level of the official position and reached the rank of Sangong (Prime Minister, Imperial Doctor, and Grand Lieutenant). I had the ability to restrict all officials, and also had the power to punish meanness and stinginess. When I went out, I was welcomed by others. When I returned home, I was served by a beautiful woman. I wore silk, brocade, and satin, and ate delicious food. The emperor loved me, and the people below me supported me. All people respected and envied me, saying that I was a noble person. I said: It is not because I am expensive, but because I have gained good opportunities.
Therefore, if a person lives in the world, do not pursue the rich and noble, and do not humiliate the poor. This is the law of the life cycle.
]]>West River Moon: Traveling on Yellow Sand Rover at Nighttime (Xin Qiji)
明月别枝惊鹊，
Bright moonlight wakes perched magpies.
清风半夜鸣蝉。
Deep into night, breeze brings cicadas’ chirping.
稻花香里说丰年，
Miles of paddy scent tell of a bumper crop year.
听取蛙声一片。
Take it from a mix of frogs’ croaking.
七八个星天外，
Seven to eight stars are faraway in sky.
两三点雨山前。
Drizzle sprinkles in front of mountain.
旧时茅店社林边，
Long ago, a straw inn sat beside temple’s woods.
路转溪桥忽见。
It pops up after road’s bend at creek and bridge.
translated text：
The bright moon in the sky rose to the treetops,
Starked away the magpies living on the branches.
The cool evening wind seems to blow to the distant cicadas cry.
In the aroma of the rice, People talk about the good harvest year,
I heard the cries of frogs, As if to talk about the bumper harvest year.
Light clouds are floating in the sky, The twinkling stars fade and appear,
A falling light rain fell in front of the mountain,
I hurried across the small bridge to take shelter from the rain.
In the past, where was the hut shop near the woods near the Land Temple?
Turning a corner, the thatched shop suddenly appeared in front of him.
]]>野塘花落，
又匆匆过了清明时节。
铲地东风期限客梦，
一枕云屏寒怯。
曲岸持觞，
垂杨系马，
此地曾经别。
楼空人去，
旧游飞燕能说。
闻道绮陌东头，
行人曾见，
帘底纤纤月。
旧恨春江流不尽，
新恨云山千叠。
料得明朝，
尊前重见，
镜花难折。
也应惊问：
近来多少华发？
(To the Tune of Niannujiao)
Xin Qiji
Wild pear blossoms start falling again,
so soon, the Qingming festival over.
The cruel eastern wind, for no reason,
Interrupts a traveler’s dream.
I awake, the brocade curtain
Devastatingly cold. Once,
she held the drink to me
on the winding river bank,
and we bade farewell to each other
under a weeping willow tree
with my horse tethered to it.
Now, the pavilion deserted,
there is no trace of her,
only the swallows twittering about bygones.
She’s been seen, people say,
east of the bustling thoroughfare,
behind the curtain, still as graceful
as the new moon. Old regrets
run like the endless spring water.
New griefs pile up
like the clouds over the mountains.
If we were going to meet again,
at a banquet, to tell her all this
would be as impossible
as to pluck the flower from a mirror.
She would say, perhaps,
How white your hair has grown!
]]>薄雾浓云愁永昼，
瑞脑销金兽。
佳节又重阳，
玉枕纱橱，
半夜凉初透。
东篱把酒黄昏后，
有暗香盈袖。
莫道不消魂，
帘卷西风，
人比黄花瘦！
————————————————————————————————
To the Tune of Intoxicated Under the Shadow of Flowers
The Double Ninth Festival
Light mists and heavy clouds,
melancholy the long dreary day.
In the golden censer
the burning incense is dying away.
It is again time
for the lovely Double-Ninth Festival;
The coolness of midnight
penetrates my screen of sheer silk
and chills my pillow of jade.
After drinking wine at twilight
under the chrysanthemum hedge,
My sleeves are perfumed
by the fragrance of the plants.
Oh, I cannot say it is not endearing,
Only, when the west wind stir the curtain,
I see that I am more gracile
than the yellow flowers.
]]>生当作人杰，死亦为鬼雄。
至今思项羽，不肯过江东！
————————————————————————————————
Xu Jingcheng Translation：
A Summer Verse
Live, be a man’s sage;
Dead, be a wights’ priest.
Xiang Yu, mused, with rage,
Spurned sails to Ri’er East.
————————————————————————————————
Xu Yuanchong translation：
The Black River
Be man of men while you’re alive,
Be soul of souls e’en if you’re dead!
Think of Xiang Yu who’d not survive
His men whose blood for him was shed!
————————————————————————————————
Translation by Zhao Yanchun：
A quatrain in Summer
On earth, stand as a hero true;
In hell, become a gallant ghost.
To come back east Xiang wouldn’t do;
Today I think of him the most.
————————————————————————————————
Zhuo Zhenying Translation：
A Four-Line Poem Composed in Summer
Be a man of men with mettle while alive,
And a soul of souls even if doom’d to die!
Xiang Yu, who would rather perish than survive
By crossing th’ River, is held in esteem high!
————————————————————————————————
Zhang Zhizhong translation：
Be a Man
Alive, be a man of men;
dead, be a ghost of ghosts.
Xiang Yu is my idol,
who did disdain to outlive his underlings.
————————————————————————————————
Tr. Stefan Abeysekera translation ：
A Quatrain in Summer
To be, one should be a rare fellow.
Not to be, one should be a ghost hero.
We have revered Xiangyu till today,
For he rejected alive as a loser way.
]]>李清照
红藕香残玉簟秋，
轻解罗裳，独上兰舟。
云中谁寄锦书来？
雁字回时，月满西楼。
A Spray of Plum Blossoms
Li Ch’ing-Chao
The fragrant red lotuses have withered away,
My jade-like mat turns cool on autumn day.
Lightly putting off my silky coat,
Alone I boarded on the pretty boat.
Looking back, the wild geese fly,
Who’s to send me a letter through clouds’ sky?
My west chamber window’s full of moonlight.
花自飘零水自流，
一种相思，两处闲愁。
此情无计可消除，
才下眉头，却上心头。
Flowers drift alone out of the smell,
The creek running alone is natural.
There’s one kind of lovesickness,
Coming from two places with sadness.
No way could cure such a sickness,
Just falling down from my eyebrows,
into my heart with sorrows.
——————————————————————————————————————————
如梦令
昨夜⾬疏风骤，浓睡不消残酒。
试问卷帘⼈，却道“海棠依旧”。
知否，知否?
应是绿肥红瘦。
Last night the strong wind blew with a rain fine;
Sound sleep did not dispel the aftertaste of wine.
I ask the maid rolling up the screen.
The same crab apple，”says she，“can be seen.”
“But don‘t you know，Oh，don‘t you know
The red should languish and the green should grow?“
红酥手，
黄縢酒。
满城春色宫墙柳。
东风恶，
欢情薄。
一怀愁绪，
几年离索。
错，错，错!
春如旧，
人空瘦。
泪痕红浥鲛绡透。
桃花落，
闲池阁。
山盟虽在，
锦书难托。
莫，莫，莫!
Tune: “Phoenix Hairpin”
Lu You
Pink hands so fine,
Gold-branded wine,
Spring paints green willows palace walls cannot confine.
East wind unfair,
Happy times rare.
In my heart sad thoughts throng:
We’ve severed for years long.
Wrong, wrong, wrong!
Spring is as green,
In vain she’s lean,
Her silk scarf soak’d with tears and red with stains unclean.
Peach blossoms fall
Near desert’d hall.
Our oath is still there, lo!
No word to her can go.
No, no, no!——————————————————————————————————————————
唐婉 《钗头凤》
世情薄，
人情恶，
雨送黄昏花易落。
晓风乾，
泪痕残。
欲笺心事，
独语斜阑。
难，难，难！
人成各，
今非昨，
病魂常似秋千索。
角声寒，
夜阑珊。
怕人询问，
咽泪装欢。
瞒，瞒，瞒！
Chai Tou Feng
Tang wan
The world callous,
And people mean,
Rain at twilight hastens flowers’ fall.
Morning wind dry,
Smeared tears stains.
Letters about heartaches,
Soliloquyes by the balustrade.
Hard, hard, hard!
Everyone for himself,
Today not yesterday,
Ghost of sickness like swing ropes haunts.
Horns chilling,
Night receding.
Scared of people inquiring,
Swallowing tears and to look merry pretending.
Hide, hide, hide!——————————————————————————————————————————
陆游 《诉衷情·当年万里觅封候》
当年万里觅封候，
匹马戍梁州。
关河梦断何处？
尘暗旧貂裘。
胡未灭，
鬓先秋，
泪空流。
此生谁料，
心在天山，
身老沧洲！
Tune: “Telling of Innermost Feelings”
Lu You
Years ago I travelled ten thousand miles in search of honour;
Riding alone, I guarded the Liangzhou frontier.
Where are my broken dreams of mountain passes and rivers?
Dust has darkened my old stable coat.
The Tartars have not been defeated,
My hair has turned grey first.
My tears flow in vain.
Who would have thought that in this life
My heart should be with the Tian Mountains
And my body grow old by the seashore!
——————————————————————————————————————————
十一月四日风雨大作
陆游—《剑门道中遇微雨》
衣上征尘杂酒痕，远游无处不消魂。
此身合是诗人未？细雨骑驴入剑门。
Running into Light Rain on the Road to Sword Gate Pass
Lu You
On my clothes the dust of travel mingled with wine stains;
a distant journey — no place that doesn’t jar the soul!
And I — am really meant to be a poet?
In fine rain straddling a donkey I enter Sword Gate Pass.
——————————————————————————————————————————
陆游—《游山西村》
莫笑农家腊酒浑，丰年留客足鸡豚。
山重水复疑无路，柳暗花明又一村。
箫鼓追随春社近，衣冠简朴古风存。
从今若许闲乘月，拄杖无时夜叩门。
A Trip to Mountain West Village
Lu You
Don’t laugh because it’s muddy — year-end wine brewed in country homes;
harvests were good — to make the guest linger, fowl and pork plenty.
Mountains multiply, streams double back — I doubt there’s even a road;
willows cluster darkly, blossoms shine — another village ahead!
Pipe and drum sounds tagging me — spring festival soon;
robe, cap of plain and simple cut — they honor old ways here.
From now on, if I may, when time and moon-light allow,
I’ll take my stick and, uninvited, come knock at your gate.
——————————————————————————————————————————
陆游—《示儿》
死去原知万事空，但悲不见九州同。
王师北定中原日，家祭毋忘告乃翁。
To My Son
(The Last Poem)
Lu You
That after death everything
Becomes void, I sure perceive;
Yet, not to have seen my country unified is still what makes me grieve.
When the King’s northward-bound Army
The Central Plains does reacquire,
In your ancestral sacrifices
Forget not tell your sire!
——————————————————————————————————————————
陆游—《十一月四日风雨大作》
僵卧孤村不自哀，尚思为国戍轮台。
夜阑卧听风吹雨，铁马冰河入梦来。
Written in a Storm
Lu You
A bed, motionless, in a lonely village,
For myself I sorrow not.
All I seek’s defence of my country’s frontier,
And to me a station there allot.
Lying in the depth of the night I listen
To the winds blowing the rain,
And iron-clad horses o’er frozen rivers,
As of old, invade my dreams again.
]]>陆游
驿外断桥边，
寂寞开无主。
已是黄昏独自愁，
更著风和雨。
无意苦争春，
一任群芳妒。
零落成泥碾作尘，
只有香如故。
Bǔsuànzǐ ·Yǒng Méi
Lù Yóu
Yì wài duànqiáo biān，
Jìmò kāi wúzhǔ.
yǐ shì huánghūn dúzì chóu，
gèngzhuó fēng hé yǔ.
Wúyì kǔ zhēngchūn ，
Yírèn qúnfāng dù.
Língluò chéng ní niǎnzuò chén ，
Zhīyǒu xiāng rú gù .
Ode to the Plum Blossom
—to the tune of Bu Suan Zi
Lu You
Outside the post-house, beside the broken bridge,
Alone, deserted, a flower blooms.
Saddened by her solitude in the falling dusk,
She is assailed by wind and rain.
Let other flowers be envious!
She craves not Spring for herself alone.
Her petals may be ground in the mud,
But her fragrance will endure.
]]>明月几时有?把酒问青天。不知天上宫阙，今夕是何年?我欲乘风归去，又恐琼楼玉宇，高处不胜寒。起舞弄清影，何似在人间。
转朱阁，低绮户，照无眠。不应有恨，何事长向别时圆?人有悲欢离合，月有阴晴圆缺，此事古难全。但愿人长久，千里共婵娟。
————————————————————————————————
Translation written by Mr.Xu Yuanchong：
How long will the full moon appear?
Wine cup in hand, I ask the sky.
I do not know what time of the year
’Twould be tonight in the palace on high.
Riding the wind, there I would fly,
Yet I’m afraid the crystalline palace would be
Too high and cold for me.
I rise and dance, with my shadow I play.
On high as on earth, would it be as gay?
The moon goes round the mansions red
Through gauze-draped window soft to shed
Her light upon the sleepless bed.
Why then when people part, is the oft full and bright?
Men have sorrow and joy; they part or meet again;
The moon is bright or dim and she may wax or wane.
There has been nothing perfect since the olden days.
So let us wish that man
Will live long as he can!
Though miles apart, we’ll share the beauty she displays.
————————————————————————————————
As translated by Mr.Lin Yutang:
How rare the moon, so round and clear!
With cup in hand, I ask of the blue sky,
”I do not know in the celestial sphere
What name this festive night goes by?”
I want to fly home, riding the air,
But fear the ethereal cold up there,
The jade and crystal mansions are so high!
Dancing to my shadow,
I feel no longer the mortal tie.
She rounds the vermilion tower,
Stoops to silk-pad doors,
Shines on those who sleepless lie.
Why does she, bearing us no grudge,
Shine upon our parting, reunion deny?
But rare is perfect happiness–
The moon does wax, the moon does wane,
And so men meet and say goodbye.
I only pray our life be long,
And our souls together heavenward fly!
]]>First Visit to the Red Cliff
赤壁赋
壬戌之秋，七月既望，苏子与客泛舟游于赤壁之下。清风徐来，水波不兴。举酒属客，诵明月之诗，歌窈窕之章。
In the autumn of the year Renxu, at the time of the full moon in the seventh month, I went by boat with some friends to the Red Cliff. There was a fresh, gentle breeze, but the water was unruffled. I raised my winecup to drink to my friends, and we chanted the poem on the bright moon, singing the stanza about the fair maid.
少焉，月出于东山之上，徘徊于斗牛之间。白露横江，水光接天。纵一苇之所如，凌万顷之茫然。浩浩乎如冯虚御风，而不知其所止；飘飘乎如遗世独立，羽化而登仙。于是饮酒乐甚，扣舷而歌之。歌曰：
Soon the moon rose above the eastern mountain, hovering between the Dipper and the Cowherd. The river stretched white, sparkling as if with dew, its glimmering water merging with the sky. We let our craft drift over the boundless expanse of water, feeling as free as if we were riding the wind bound for some unknown destination, as light as if we had left the human world and become winged immortals. Drinking, we became very merry; and we sang a song, beating time on the side of the boat. This was the song:
“桂棹兮兰桨，击空明兮溯流光。渺渺兮予怀，望美人兮天一方。”
Our rudder and oars, redolent of cassia and orchids;
Strike the moon’s reflection, cleaving the glimmering water;
But my heart is far away,
Longing for my dear one under a different sky.
客有吹洞箫者，倚歌而和之。其声呜呜然，如怨如慕，如泣如诉，余音袅袅，不绝如缕。舞幽壑之潜蛟，泣孤舟之嫠妇。苏子愀然，正襟危坐而问客曰：“何为其然也？
One friend, who was a good flutist, played an accompaniment to this song. The notes rang out nostalgic, mournful and plaintive, trailing on and on like a thread of gossamer, arousing the serpents lurking in dark caverns, drawing tears from a widow in her lonely boat. Sad at heart, I sat up straight to ask my friend why the music was so mournful.
”客曰：“月明星稀，乌鹊南飞，此非曹孟德之诗乎？西望夏口，东望武昌，山川相缪，郁乎苍苍，此非孟德之困于周郎者乎？方其破荆州，下江陵，顺流而东也，舳舻千里，旌旗蔽空，酾酒临江，横槊赋诗，固一世之雄也，而今安在哉？
He replied, “Didn’t Cao Cao describe a scene like this in his poem: ‘The moon is bright, the stars are scattered, the crows fly south…?’ And isn’t this the place where he was defeated by Zhou Yu? See how the mountains and streams intertwine, and how darkly imposing they are with Xiakou to the west and Wuchang to the east. When Cao Cao took Jingzhou by storm and conquered Jiangling, then advanced eastward along the river, his battleships stretched for a thousand li, his armies’ pennons and banners filled the sky. When he offered a libation of wine on the river and lance in hand chanted his poem, he was the hero of his times. But where is he now?
况吾与子渔樵于江渚之上，侣鱼虾而友麋鹿，驾一叶之扁舟，举匏樽以相属。寄蜉蝣于天地，渺沧海之一粟。哀吾生之须臾，羡长江之无穷。挟飞仙以遨游，抱明月而长终。知不可乎骤得，托遗响于悲风。”
We are mere fishermen and woodcutters, keeping company with fish and prawns and befriending deer. We sail our skiff, frail as a leaf, and toast each other by drinking wine from a gourd. We are nothing but insects who live in this world but one day, mere specks of grain in the vastness of the ocean. I am grieved because our life is so transient, and envy the mighty river which flows on forever. I long to clasp winged fairies and roam freely, or to embrace the bright moon for all eternity. But knowing that this cannot be attained at once, I give vent to my feelings in these notes which pass with the sad breeze.”
苏子曰：“客亦知夫水与月乎？逝者如斯，而未尝往也；盈虚者如彼，而卒莫消长也。盖将自其变者而观之，则天地曾不能以一瞬；自其不变者而观之，则物与我皆无尽也，而又何羡乎!
Then I asked him, “Have you considered the water and the moon? Water flows away but is never lost; the moon waxes and wanes, but neither increases nor diminished. If you look at its changing aspect, the universe passes in the twinkling of an eye; but if you look at its changeless aspect, all creatures including ourselves are imperishable. What reason have you to envy other things?
且夫天地之间，物各有主,苟非吾之所有，虽一毫而莫取。惟江上之清风，与山间之明月，耳得之而为声，目遇之而成色，取之无禁，用之不竭，是造物者之无尽藏也，而吾与子之所共适。”
Besides, everything in this universe has its owner; and if it does not belong to me nor a tiny speck can I take. The sole exceptions are the cool breeze on the river, the bright moon over the hills. These serve as music to our ears, as colour to our eyes; these we can take freely and enjoy forever; these are inexhaustible treasures supplied by the Creator, and things in which we can delight together.
客喜而笑，洗盏更酌。肴核既尽，杯盘狼籍。相与枕藉乎舟中，不知东方之既白。
My friend was pleased and laughed. Then we rinsed our cups and filled them with wine again. When we had finished the dishes, and cups and plates lay about us in disorder, we stretched out in the boat and did not notice the coming of dawn in the east.
]]>