儿童出版社《唐诗三百首》（4）

野  望

—— 王绩

东皋薄暮望，徙倚欲何依。

树树皆秋色，山山唯落晖。

牧人驱犊返，猎马带禽归。

相顾无相识，长歌怀采薇。   

【作者简介】

　　王绩（585 - 644），字无功，号东皋子，绛州龙门（今山西河津）人。唐初诗人。王绩是隋末大儒王通的弟弟。除一度作过六合县丞、太乐丞等卑职外，一生大部分时间隐居乡里。生平不拘礼教，豪放纵酒，自比嵇康、阮籍、刘伶和陶渊明。作品多以山水田园为题材，有避世的思想和抑郁的感慨，与唐初流行的浮靡诗风显然有别。

【诗篇大意】　

黄昏时我在东皋眺望山野，徘徊中感到十分寂寞。树林都染上了秋天的枯黄色，群山间只剩下夕阳的余辉。牧童赶着牛群回家，猎马驮着鸟兽归来。四处环顾，没一个相识的朋友，我只有怀念古代隐士伯夷和叔齐了。

【解题】

这是一首描写秋天山野景致的五言律诗。诗风疏朴自然，于平淡中表现出诗人“相顾无相识”的抑郁苦闷的心情，同齐梁以来绮靡浮艳的文学风习大异其趣。全诗洗尽铅华，为唐初诗苑吹进一股清新的气息，是王绩的代表作之一。

【注释】

①东皋（gāo）：诗人隐居的地方。

②薄暮：傍晚。

③徙倚：徘徊。

④依：归依。

⑤落晖：落日。

⑥犊（dú)：小牛。

⑦怀采薇：用伯夷、叔齐隐于首阳山采薇而食的典故，表达避世隐身之意。薇，是一种植物

另：采薇最初见于《诗经》的《小雅.采薇》当中首章：“采薇采薇，薇亦作止。曰归曰归，岁亦莫止” 。传说周武王灭商以后，伯夷、叔齐不愿作周的臣子，在首阳山采薇而食，最后饿死。——《从接受理论谈古诗英译》 罗庆

(cited from internet)

Gazing into the Wilderness

By Wang Ji（585 - 644 A.D. Tang Dynasty）

Tr. Rhapsodia_晚枫

I gaze from my abode far in dusk glints,

Feel lost in seeking my destiny’s cue.

The trees are all tinged with the autumn tints,

And hills but hooded with setting sun’s hue;

The shepherd herding calves back to the pen,

The hunting horse returns with birds and games.

I look round and find no familiar men,

But left in chanting old time hermits’ names.

(Jan 19, 2011, revised Jan 28, 2011)

Note:

1. The old time hermits refer to Bo Yi and Shu Qi brothers from the Shang Dynasty (16 - 11 century B.C.). The history tells that when King Wu of Zhou (1046 – 256 B.C.) overthrew the Shang Dynasty, Bo Yi and Shu Qi refused to serve in King Wu’s government and so they chose to live in reclusion. They lived on wild plants and eventually starved to death. This poet, Wang Ji, was a brother of a scholar served in the Sui Dynasty (581 – 618 A.D.) which was later overthrown by the Tang Dynasty (618 – 907 A.D.). By saying that he would chant the two hermits’ names, he refers to his own unyielding character though he was lonely and lost.

2. This translation adopts iambic pentameter to reflect the neat style of classical poems. Rhyming scheme is abab, cdcd.