唐詩三百首英譯 杜甫：古柏行

七言古詩

杜甫

古柏行

孔明廟前有老柏， 柯如青銅根如石；

雙皮霤雨四十圍， 黛色蓡天二千尺。

君臣已與時際會， 樹木猶爲人愛惜。

雲來氣接巫峽長， 月出寒通雪山白。

憶昨路繞錦亭東， 先主武侯同閟宮。

崔嵬枝乾郊原古， 窈窕丹青戶牖空。

落落磐踞雖得地， 冥冥孤高多烈風。

扶持自是神明力， 正直元因造化功。

大廈如傾要梁棟， 萬牛廻首丘山重。

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志士幽人莫怨嗟， 古來材大難爲用。

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Seven-character-ancient-verse

Du Fu

A SONG OF AN OLD CYPRESS

Beside the Temple of the Great Premier stands an ancient cypress

With a trunk of green bronze and a root of stone.

The girth of its white bark would be the reach of forty men

And its tip of kingfish-blue is two thousand feet in heaven.

Dating from the days of a great ruler's great statesman，

Their very tree is loved now and honoured by the people.

Clouds come to it from far away， from the Wu cliffs，

And the cold moon glistens on its peak of snow.

……East of the Silk Pavilion yesterday I found

The ancient ruler and wise statesman both worshipped in one temple，

Whose tree， with curious branches， ages the whole landscape

In spite of the fresh colours of the windows and the doors.

And so firm is the deep root， so established underground，

That its lone lofty boughs can dare the weight of winds，

Its only protection the Heavenly Power，

Its only endurance the art of its Creator.

Though oxen sway ten thousand heads， they cannot move a mountain.

……When beams are required to restore a great house，

Though a tree writes no memorial， yet people understand

That not unless they fell it can use be made of it……

Its bitter heart may be tenanted now by black and white ants，

But its odorous leaves were once the nest of phoenixes and pheasants.

……Let wise and hopeful men harbour no complaint.

The greater the timber， the tougher it is to use.