Su Dongpo: Cold Bitter Days, Receive a Letter From My Brother Ziyou

Cold Bitter Days, Receive a Letter From My Brother Ziyou

和 子 由 苦 寒 见 寄

人 生 不 满 百
一 别 费 三 年。
三 年 吾 有 几
弃 掷 理 五 还。

长 恐 别 离 中
摧 我 鬓 与 颜。
念 昔 喜 著 书
别 来 不 成 篇。

细 思 平 时 乐
乃 为 忧 所 缘。
吾 从 天 下 士
莫 如 与 子 欢。

羡 子 久 不 出
读 书 虱 生 毡。
丈 夫 重 出 处
不 退 要 当 前。

西 羌 解 仇 隙
猛 士 忧 塞 壖。
庙 谟 虽 不 战
虏 意 久 欺 天。

山 西 良 家 子
锦 缘 貂 裘 鲜。
千 金 买 战 马
百 宝 状 刀 镮。
何 时 逐 汝 去
与 虏 试 周 旋 。

He Zi You Ku Han Jian Ji

Ren sheng bu man bai
Yi bie fei san nian
San nian wu you ji
Qi zhi li wu huan

Chang kong bie li zhong
Cui wo bin yu yan
Nian xi xi zhu shu
Bie lai bu cheng pian

Xi si ping shi le-yue
Nai wei you suo yuan
Wu cong tian xia shi
Mo ru yu zi huan

Xian zi jiu bu chu
Du shu shi sheng zhan
Zhang fu chong chu chu
Bu tui yao dang qian

Xi qiang jie chou xi
Meng shi you sai ruan
Miao mo sui bu zhan
Lu yi jiu qi tian

Shan xi liang jia zi
Jin yuan diao qiu xian
Qian jin mai zhan ma
Bai bao zhuang dao xuan.
He shi zhu ru qu
Yu lu shi zhou xuan.

Bitter Cold Days, Receive a Letter From My Brother Ziyou

Human life less than a century
We have been apart now for three years.
Wonder how many more three-year periods we have left
Long afraid our departures not beneficial.

Hair on my temples gone, appearance haggard
Miss the happiness of former days writing letters.
But with another departure, more difficult to write them.
Thinking of happy times, the only happiness now.

I have made friends with a wide range of people
But compared to you, you are the best.
Covet your ability to stay home for a long time
You read books so intently, the bugs move about without fear.

You have yet to really go outside and travel all over
When you finally have this chance, no one will be your equal.
Western Qiang people signed an armistice
Yet smart intellectuals still fear for our strategic border outposts.

Imperial inner circle without invasion fears
Yet for a long time they took advantage of us by capturing prisoners and hostages.
From the western mountains, the well-dressed aristocracy with their mounds of gold buy themselves war horses
And one hundred finely-adorned swords.
Some time I would like to accompany them
To take back all the people and treasure they have taken.

Notes:

Three-year periods: The usual length of time for a government official’s assignment.  It was done on purpose so that the most ambitious ones would not create a power base outside of the capital.

Western Qiang people: Ancient and ethnic tribe. The original Tibetan people.