千秋岁 . 次韵少游 A New Poem to Echo Shaoyou’s Ci Rhymes

Julia Min
4 minutes ago
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A New Poem to Echo Shaoyou’s Ci Rhymes

（to the tune ‘Live a Thousand Years’）

written by Su Shi (11th AC, social name 'Dongpo')

En. trans. by Julia Min (May.2025)

To the end of the world I’m driven;

Across this strait is Hainan Island.

Tears, the last gift of loyalty, are drained,

With a dim hope of being resummoned.

This gentleman is still in reasonable shape.

Spotless is his gold belt and jade pendant.

With Chang’an’s vibes this sunset rhymes,

A thousand miles towards the mainland.

The Emperor’s order can be a challenge,

But I warrant his courtier’s value retained.

To quiet my voice, the distance functions.

My ‘Sins’ are contained, so no concern.

Maybe no luck to change an old-school nut,

Even if I could be so blessed and pardoned.

Better go floating on the sea, like Confucius.

I’m done with ambition and done with illusion.

For Appreciation:

This was composed in the year 1100, just before Su Shi crossed Qiongzhou Strait. There, he received a sentimental ci-poem newly written by Shaoyou. It was a downturn period when all his followers of the Old Party were banished further away from the Capital.

The ci-lyric is recognised as the last spark of his heroic poems. It feels a bit hard-stretched, though, if we compare it with his other heroic poems like “ Hunting at Mizhou”《密州出猎》or “Meditating on the Past at Red Cliff” 《念奴娇.赤壁怀古》. The political punishment had taken its toll on his ambitious spirit, though he made an effort to comfort Shaoyou (Qin Guan, his favourite student). The fire in his spirit went from waning to robust, and to detached in the end, enriched with a cynical taste of self-ridicule humour. A similar scenario often appears in other artistic forms, particularly in Chinese calligraphy, where even a subtle change in style can reveal some fundamental shifts in the artist’s mental state, as calligraphy can not be disguised with colours or other properties.

The last two lines enrich our association with the great saint figure Confucius, highlighting Su Shi’s mindset of living a detached life as a commoner.

千秋岁 . 次韵少游

原作: 苏轼（字子瞻, 号东坡居士; 11世纪北宋）

英译及赏析: 闵晓红(2025)

岛外天边，未老身先退。

珠泪溅，丹衷碎。

身摇苍玉佩，色重黄金带。

一万里，斜阳正与长安对。

道远谁云会，罪大天能盖。

君命重，臣节在。

新恩犹可觊，旧学终难改。

吾已矣，乘桴且凭浮于海。

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