关雎 Cooing And Wooing
关关雎鸠, By riverside are cooing
在河之洲. A pair of turtledoves;
窈窕淑女, A good young man is wooing
君子好逑. A fair maiden he loves.
参差荇菜, Water flows left and right
左右流之. Of cress long here, short there;
窈窕淑女, The youth yearns day and night
寤寐求之. For the good maiden fair.
求之不得, His yearning grows so strong,
寤寐思服. He can not fall asleep,
悠哉悠哉， But toss all night long,
辗转反侧. So deep in love, so deep!
参差荇菜, Now gather left and right
左右采之. Cress long or short and tender!
窈窕淑女, O lute, play music bright
琴瑟友之 .For the bride sweet and slender!
参差荇菜, Feast friends at left and right
左右芼之. On cress cooked till tender!
窈窕淑女, O bells and drums, delight
钟鼓乐之. The bride so sweet and slender!
垓下歌 XIANG YU’S LAST SONG
项羽 XIANGYU
力拔山兮气盖世， I could pull mountains down, oh! With main and might
时不利兮骓不逝。 But my good fortune wanes, oh! My steed won’t fight.
骓不逝兮可奈何！ Whether my steed will fight, oh! I do not care.
虞兮虞兮奈若何！ What can I do with you, oh! My lady fair!
回乡偶书 HOME-COMING
贺知章 He Zhi zhang
少小离家老大回， Old, I return to the homeland while young,
乡音无改鬓毛衰。 Thinner has grown my hair, though I speak the same tongue.
儿童相见不相识， My children, whom I meet, do not know am I.
笑问客从何处来。 “Where are you from, dear sir?” they ask with beaming eye。
七步诗 WRITTEN WHILE TAKING SEVEN PACES
曹植 Cao Zhi
煮豆燃豆萁，Pods burned to cook peas,
豆在釜中泣。Peas weep in the pot:
本是同根生，“Grown from same root, plea,
相煎何太急。Why boil us so hot?”
归园田居 RETURN TO NATURE
陶渊明 Tao Yuan ming
种豆南山下，I sow beans’ neath southern hill;
草盛豆苗稀。Bean shoots are lost where weeds o’ erthepath grow.
晨兴理荒秽，I weed at dawn though early still;
带月荷锄归。I plod home with my moonlit hoe.
道狭草木长，The path is narrow, grass tall,
夕露沾我衣。With evening dew my clothes wet,
衣沾不足惜，To which I pay no heed at all,
但使愿无违。If my desire can but be met.
登鹳雀楼 ON THE STOCK TOWER
王之涣 Wang Zhi huan
白日依山尽，The sun beyond the mountain glows;
黄河入海流。The Yellow River awards flows.
欲穷千里目，You can enjoy a great sight;
更上一层楼。By climbing to a greater height.
春晓 SPRING MORNING
孟浩然 Meng Haoran
春眠不觉晓，This spring morning in bed I’m lying,
处处闻啼鸟。Not to awake till birds are crying.
夜来风雨声，After one night of wind and showers,
花落知多少。How many are the fallen flowers?
静夜思 A TRANQUIL NIGHT
李白 Li Bai
床前明月光，Before my bed a pool of night
疑是地上霜。Can it be hoarfrost on the ground?
