秦大川英译:王绩(唐)《野望》
东皋薄暮望,
徙倚欲何依。
树树皆秋色,
山山唯落晖。
牧人驱犊返,
猎马带禽归。
相顾无相识,
长歌怀采薇。
Gazing on the Wilderness
By Wang JI
Tr. Qin Dachuan
Over the dusky swamp my eyes roam,
Where else should my wandering be bound?
Each and every tree bears autumn tone,
The setting sun gleams from mount to mount.
Herdsmen driving flocks are heading home,
Hunters with the game have come back ’round.
Of these people none to me is known,
I’d sing aloud the Vetch Fetching Song.
Translator’s Note:
“Vetch Fetching” or Vetch Picking, is an ancient song which tells a story about the two brothers -- Bo Yi and Shu Qi. As men of integrity, they refused to serve the Imperial Court and eat the cereals offered by the emperor of the Zhou Dynasty (256 B.C.). They went to the mountain to live as hermits instead. They lived on vetches and other edible wild herbs, later died of hunger, but with dignity. However, the singing of the song here is in a sense an expression of detachment from the material world.
“Vetch Fetching” or Vetch Picking, is an ancient song which tells a story about the two brothers -- Bo Yi and Shu Qi. As men of integrity, they refused to serve the Imperial Court and eat the cereals offered by the emperor of the Zhou Dynasty (256 B.C.). They went to the mountain to live as hermits instead. They lived on vetches and other edible wild herbs, later died of hunger, but with dignity. However, the singing of the song here is in a sense an expression of detachment from the material world.

