吴激·《诉衷情》英译

夜寒茅店不成眠，

残月照吟鞭。

黄花细雨时候，

催上渡头船。

鸥似雪，

水如天。

忆当年。

到家应是，

童稚牵衣，

笑我华颠。

Suzhongqing

Wu Ji

On a cold night, no sleep comes to a village inn;

The whip glows in the waning moon as I ride and sing.

A drizzle sprinkles the yellow flowers and my coat;

In a hurry, I board a ferry boat.

Gulls are white as snow,

Water is sky blue—

Same as years ago.

When travel I have done,

The kids will sure tug my clothes and run,

And laugh at my hoary hair in great fun.¹

1. Hoary hair is symbolic of the old. He Zhizhang, poet of the early Tang Dynasty, ever wrote the poem On Home Coming: I returned home old while left still a lad, local accent is unchanged, hoary hair I had. Kids I meet on the way regard me a stranger, ask politely, “Where are you from, dear sir?”

（陈君朴、冯修文 译）