苏轼·《记承天寺夜游》英译

元丰六年十月十二日，夜。解衣欲睡。月色入户，欣然起行。念无与为乐者，遂至承天寺，寻张怀民。怀民亦未寝，相与步于中庭。庭下如积水空明，水中藻荇交横，盖竹柏影也。何夜无月，何处无竹柏，但少闲人如吾两人者耳。黄州团练副使苏某书。

Record of a Nightout at Cheng Tian Temple

Sushi

On the night of 12^th 10^th month in the 6^th year of the Yuanfeng reign, I took off my clothes to sleep. As moonlight showered into the room, I got up at its invitation and ventured out. For someone to share the fun, I proceeded to Cheng Tian Temple to look for Zhang Huaimin (1). Huaimin, too, has yet to retire for the night, and together we went to the center courtyard. Down there, the yard glittered bright as if from pools of water crisscrossed with aquatic plants, which turned out to be shadows of bamboos and cypresses. Is there ever a night without a moon, or any place without bamboos and cypresses? But there is definitely a dearth of idlers like us two. Written by a certain Deputy Officer Su of the Village Militia of Huangzhou (2).

Notes:

(1) Zhang Huaimin, native of Qinghe in Hubei Province, at the time also a banishee in Huangzhou.

(2) “Deputy Officer of the Village Militia” was a sinecure job title. The sarcasm is obvious if viewed with the preceding sentence.