《蘭亭集序》林語堂英譯文欣賞

蘭亭集序

It is the ninth year of Yonghe (A.C.353), also known as the year of Guichou in terms of the Chinese lunar calendar.On one of those late spring days, we gather at the Orchid Pavilion, which is located in Shanyin County, Kuaiji Prefecture, for dispelling bad luck and praying for good fortune.The attendees of the gathering are all virtuous intellectuals, varying from young to old. Endowed with great mountains and lofty peaks, Orchid Pavilion has flourishing branches and high bamboo bushes all around, together with a clear winding brook engirdled, which can thereby serve the guests by floating the wine glasses on top for their drinking. Seated by the bank of brook, people will still regale themselves right by poetizing their mixed feelings and emotions with wine and songs, never mind the absence of melody from string and wind instruments.

永和九年，歲在癸(guǐ)丑。暮春之初，會于會(kuài)稽山陰之蘭亭，修禊(xì)事也。群賢畢至，少長(zhǎng)咸集。此地有崇山峻嶺，茂林修竹，又有清流激湍，映帶左右,引以為流觴(shāng)曲水，列坐其次。雖無絲竹管弦之盛，一觴一詠，亦足以暢敘幽情。

It is such a wonderful day, with fresh air and mild breeze.Facing upwards to the blue sky, we behold the vast immensity of the universe; when bowing our heads towards the ground, we again satisfy ourselves with the diversity of species.Thereby we can refresh our views and let free our souls, with luxuriant satisfaction done to both ears and eyes. How infinite the cheer is!

是日也，天朗氣清，惠風和暢。 仰觀宇宙之大，俯察品類之盛。所以游目騁(chěng)懷，足以極視聽之娛，信可樂也。

People keep coming and going, and life soon rushes to its end. Some people prefer to share their proud aspiration and lofty goals with close friends indoors, while some others choose to follow their interest and free their minds wherever and whenever they like. May characters vary from person to person, or some would rather stay peaceful while others like to live restlessly, they will all become delighted and satisfied once they meet something pleasant, so cheerful that they get unaware of their imminent old age.However, when they get tired of their old fancies that they’ve already experienced, and sentiment correspondingly accompanies the change of situation, all sorts of complicated feelings will well up in the heart, too. Isn’t it thought-provoking that the happiness we used to enjoy passes by without leaving a single trace, let alone that the length of life is subject to the fate, and death is inevitable for anybody in the end? Just as some ancient man once put it, “Death also deserves our attention, like what life does.”, so how can we restrain ourselves from grieving?

夫(fú)人之相與，俯仰一世?；蛉≈T懷抱，悟言一室之內;或因寄所托，放浪形骸之外。雖趣(qǔ)舍萬殊，靜躁不同，當其欣于所遇，暫得于己，快然自足，不知老之將至;及其所之既倦，情隨事遷，感慨系之矣。向之所欣，俯仰之間，已為陳跡，猶不能不以之興懷，況修短隨化，終期于盡!古人云：“死生亦大矣”，豈不痛哉!

Every time I ponder about the reasons why our predecessors would produce works with such inenarrable emotions, I find there seem some similarities between our minds. Yet I cannot help lamenting their literary masterpieces while I am struggling for the very cause in my innermost world. Now I come to realize that it has been ridiculous for me to equate death with life, long life with short life . The descendents view us just the way we look at our predecessors, and how woeful it is! Hence I write down all the names of the attendees and put their poetry into record. Conditions may go with the changes of time, but people’s emotions shall stay the same. I believe the following readers will still have much to mediate about life and death when appreciating this poetry anthology.

每覽昔人興感之由，若合一契，未嘗不臨文嗟悼(jiē dào)，不能喻之于懷。固知一死生為虛誕，齊彭殤(shāng)為妄作。后之視今，亦猶今之視昔，悲夫!故列敘時人，錄其所述，雖世殊事異，所以興懷，其致一也。后之覽者，亦將有感于斯文。