車轔轔,馬蕭蕭;行人弓箭各在腰。車轔轔1,馬蕭蕭2;行人弓箭各在腰。兵車隆隆響,戰馬蕭蕭鳴,遠征的士兵腰間都掛上了弓箭。
The war-chariots rattle,
The war-horses whinny.
Each man of you has a bow and a quiver at his belt.
耶孃妻子走相送,塵埃不見咸陽橋。耶孃3妻子走相送,塵埃不見咸陽橋4。爹娘妻兒奔跑來送行,揚起的塵土遮天蔽日以致看不見咸陽橋。
Father, mother, son, wife, stare at you going,
Till dust shall have buried the bridge beyond Changan.
牽衣頓足攔道哭,哭聲直上干雲霄。牽衣頓足攔道哭,哭聲直上干雲霄。送行的人牽着士兵衣服,攔在路上頓腳痛哭,哭聲直上天空衝入雲霄。
They run with you, crying, they tug at your sleeves,
And the sound of their sorrow goes up to the clouds;
道旁過者問行人,行人但云點行頻。道旁過者問行人,行人但云點行5頻。路旁經過的人問正在行走的士兵,士兵只說因為徵兵很頻繁。
And every time a bystander asks you a question,
You can only say to him that you have to go.
或從十五北防河,便至四十西營田。或從十五北防河6,便至四十西營田7。有的人十五歲便到黃河以北去戍守,到了四十歲還要到西部邊疆去屯田。
...We remember others at fifteen sent north to guard the river
And at forty sent west to cultivate the campfarms.
去時里正與裹頭,歸來頭白還戍邊。去時里正與裹頭8,歸來頭白還戍邊。出發時里長替他包裹頭巾,回來時頭髮已白,還要再去防守邊疆。
The mayor wound their turbans for them when they started out.
With their turbaned hair white now, they are still at the border,
邊庭流血成海水,武皇開邊意未已。邊庭流血成海水,武皇9開邊意未已。邊疆無數士兵流血像海水般,但武皇開拓邊疆的念頭仍未停止。
At the border where the blood of men spills like the sea --
And still the heart of Emperor Wu is beating for war.
君不聞漢家山東二百州,千村萬落生荊杞。君不聞漢家山東二百州10,千村萬落生荊杞。您沒聽說漢家華山以東二百個州,萬千村落都長滿了荊棘嗎?
...Do you know that, east of China's mountains, in two hundred districts
And in thousands of villages, nothing grows but weeds,
縱有健婦把鋤犁,禾生隴畝無東西。縱有健婦把鋤犁,禾生隴畝無東西。即使有健壯的婦女拿着鋤犁耕種,莊稼也在田裏長得雜亂無章。
And though strong women have bent to the ploughing,
East and west the furrows all are broken down?
況復秦兵耐苦戰,被驅不異犬與雞。況復秦兵耐苦戰,被驅不異犬與雞。何況秦地的士兵能夠經得起苦戰,被驅使去作戰與雞犬沒有分別。
...Men of China are able to face the stiffest battle,
But their officers drive them like chickens and dogs.
長者雖有問,役夫敢申恨?長者雖有問,役夫敢申恨?長者雖然有所問,服役的人怎敢申訴怨恨?
Whatever is asked of them,
Dare they complain?
且如今年冬,未休關西卒。且如今年冬,未休關西11卒。就像今年冬天,函谷關以西的士兵也不得休息。
For example, this winter
Held west of the gate,
縣官急索租,租稅從何出?縣官急索租12,租稅從何出?縣官緊急地催逼百姓交租稅,租稅可從哪裏拿出?
Challenged for taxes,
How could they pay?
信知生男惡,反是生女好。信知生男惡,反是生女好。實在知道生男孩是壞事情,反而生女孩更好。
...We have learned that to have a son is bad luck-
It is very much better to have a daughter
生女猶得嫁比鄰,生男埋沒隨百草。生女猶得嫁比鄰,生男埋沒隨百草。生女孩還能夠嫁給近鄰,生男孩只會死於沙場埋沒在荒草裏。
Who can marry and live in the house of a neighbour,
While under the sod we bury our boys.
君不見青海頭,古來白骨無人收。君不見青海頭13,古來白骨無人收。您沒有看見嗎?青海的邊上,自古以來戰死士兵的白骨沒有人收殮。
...Go to the Blue Sea, look along the shore
At all the old white bones forsaken --
新鬼煩冤舊鬼哭,天陰雨濕聲啾啾!新鬼煩冤舊鬼哭14,天陰雨濕聲啾啾15!新鬼喊冤舊鬼哭泣,天陰下雨時便有淒厲的哭叫聲!
New ghosts are wailing there now with the old,
Loudest in the dark sky of a stormy day.