御街行
yù jiē xíng
Walking on imperial streets
御(imperial)街(streets)行(walk)
秋日怀旧
qiū rì huáijiù
Autumn nostalgia
秋(autumn)日(day)怀(Harbor in mind)旧(past/old days)
范仲淹
Fàn Zhòngyān
Fan Zhongyan (范仲淹) (989-1052) was a prominent politician and literary figure in Song Dynasty of China. He was also a famous strategist and educator.
纷纷坠叶飘香砌，夜寂静，寒声碎。
fēnfēn zhuì xié piāo xiāng qì ，yè jìjìng ，hán shēng suì 。
One after another, falling leaves were floating down to fragrant brick-layered stairs.
纷纷(one after another / in succession / one by one)坠(falling)叶(leaves)飘(float)香(fragrant)砌(the stairs built by laying bricks or stones)夜(night)寂( solitary)静(quiet)，寒(cold)声(sound)碎(broke)。
* This line tells us the time, the scene and the mood of the poet. The time was an autumn season, and the hours of the visit was at a very late night. The poet felt cold and broke physically or maybe at heart too?
真珠帘卷玉楼空，天淡银河垂地。
zhēnzhū lián juǎn yù lóu kōng ，tiān dàn yínhé chuí de
Pearl curtains were rolled up and the jade-like storied building was empty. In the light sky, Milky Way bended down to the ground.
真珠(pearl)帘(curtain)卷(roll up)玉(jade)楼(building)空(empty)，天(sky)淡(light)银河(Milky Way)垂(hang down/bend down)地(ground)。
*Walking on the imperial street, the poet was seeing the deserted beautiful storied house and the vast Milky Way seemed bending down to the earth and was so close. We can tell the people/person who used to live in the house have long gone, and so here comes the nostalgia.It is said that there are a weaving girl and cow boy live at the opposite side of Chinese Milky Way, they can only meet each other one night a year by the help of
magpies that make bird bridge. So, maybe the poet was missing his significant other?
年年今夜，月华如练，长是人千里。
niánnián jīnyè ，yuèhuá rú liàn ，cháng shì rén qiānlǐ 。
This same night of every year, their moonlight all were like shimmering white silk. As usual, people were thousand miles apart once again.
年年(every year)今夜(tonight)，月华(moonlight)如(like)练(white silk)，长(always)是(is/are)人(people)千(thousand)里(mile)。
Every year this night, all with beautiful moonlight shone like shimmering white silk. This tells the reader, this is a special night which the poet went out this night of every year due to his remembrance /missing about a certain person, and he and that person had been thousand miles apart for many many years. As for what caused the parting, the poet did not mention at all. Was this person alive or dead? We could not tell.
愁肠已断无由醉，酒未到，先成泪。
chóucháng yǐ duàn wú yóu zuì ，jiǔ wèi dào ，xiān chéng lèi 。
Miserable intestines broke and (I) was not able to get drunk. The wine had not yet arrived, and the tears had already formed.
愁(miserable/ worrisome)肠(intestine)已(already)断(broke)无由(not able to)醉(got drunk)，酒(wine)未(not yet)到(come/arrive)，先(first)成(become)泪(tears)。
The poet thought his miserable self had broken and there was no way he would got drunken due to his malfunctional status. However, when the best getaway elixir of all time, wine, arrived, his tears could not help coming and coming.
残灯明灭枕头敧，谙尽孤眠滋味。
cán dēng míngmiè zhěntou qǐ ，ān jǐn gū mián zīwèi 。
Remnant lamps were flicking, and my head was lying askew on the pillow. I have known so well about the taste of sleeping alone.
残(remnant)灯(lamp)明灭(flicker)枕头(pillow)敧(lay askew)，谙尽(know well)孤(alone)眠(sleep)滋味(taste)。
After the strolling on the imperial streets, the poet returned to his home and tried his best to sleep, but was he able to sleep? The answer is a clear NO. What he saw was the flicking lamp light, and he was adjusting his head on his lonely pillow again and again.
He knew the tastes of sleeping alone, so his loneliness was not a new experience, but could trace back many many years ago.
都来此事，眉间心上，无计相回避。
dōu lái cǐ shì ，méijiān xīn shàng ，wú jì xiāng huíbì 。
As I figured out, this thing, even not showing on the brows will be in the heart, and there is no way to escape it.
都来(figured out)此(this)事(thing/matter)，眉(brow)间(in between)心(heart)上(on top/above)，无(no)计(plan/way)相(one another/each other)回避(escape)。
In the end, he succumbed to helplessness and comforted himself by thinking: this thing, this nostalgia or missing, was no way to escape, so accepted the reality and do whatever it takes to live on?
Translated and analyzed by Shu
This poem was translated due to a reader’s request.