Drinking at Night in Youzhou


 
Search
 
About us
Contact us
 
 

 


Cocktail party in Gugong, Forbidden City, Beijing

Slideshow  Google Map  Timeline  Timemap  Text Mode  Comments (0)

Drinking at Night in Youzhou
Zhang Yue 667-731

A cold wind fills the night with rain
And whistles through a leafless wood
Attending a sumptuous banquet
We can forget old age
Soldiers are fond of a sword dance
But favor the flute on the border
If I never served as a frontier general
How could I know the extent of grace
 
Yōuzhōu Yè Yǐn
Zhāng Yuè 667-731

Liáng fēng chuī yè yǔ,
Xiāo sè dòng hán lín.
Zhèng yǒu gāo táng yàn,
Néng wàng chí mù xīn?
Jūn zhōng yí jiàn wǔ,
Sài shàng zhòng jiā yīn.
Bú zuò biān chéng jiàng,
Shuí zhī ēn yù shēn!
 
Translator: Red Pine-Bill Porter 赤松

Notes:
古九州及汉十三刺史部之一;隋唐时北方的军事重镇、交通中心和商业都会。据《周礼·职方》载,“东北曰幽州”。其范围大至包括今河北北部及辽宁一带。周武王平殷,封召公于幽州故地,号燕。战国时,燕与其他六国并为七雄。秦始皇灭燕,在燕地置渔阳、上谷、右北平、辽西、辽东等郡。汉高祖时分上谷置涿郡;此外又设燕国。汉武帝设幽州刺史部,部刺燕地诸郡国。武帝开边,置玄菟、乐浪等郡,亦属幽州。东汉时,辖郡、国十一,县九十。幽州治所在蓟县,治所蓟县,故址在今北京市城区大兴县西南部的广安门附近。辖境相当于今北京市、河北北部、辽宁南部及朝鲜西北部。 魏晋以后,幽州辖境日渐缩小,至北魏时仅领燕、范阳、渔阳三郡。隋炀帝大业初罢州置郡,故改幽州为涿郡。唐武德元年(618)复为幽州,天宝元年(742)改为范阳郡,乾元元年(758)又为幽州。州治蓟县。另有范阳县,本幽州或范阳郡属县,大历四年(769)后为涿州治所,故治即今河北涿县,与此不同。

From the book Poems of the Masters, China's Classic Anthology of Tang and Song Dynasty verse. One of the best, if not "the best", books of general translations of Chinese poetry. Wonderfully detailed notes on each poem and all poems are displayed in the original Chinese.

Translated by Red Pine, published by Copper Canyon Press.

 
 
Related Items:
Běijīng 北京
Gùgōng (Zǐjìnchéng) 故宮 (紫禁城)