SU SHI

On the birth of a son

人皆養子望聰明，

我被聰明誤一生；

惟願孩子愚且魯，

無災無難到公卿。

Families when a child is born

Hope it will turn out intelligent.

I, through intelligence

Having wrecked my whole life,

Only hope that the baby will prove

Ignorant and stupid.

Then he'll be happy all his days

And grow into a cabinet minister.

Riverside Daffodils

自笑平生 为口忙，老来事业转荒唐。

长江绕郭知鱼美，好竹连山觉笋香。

逐客不妨 员外置，诗人例做水曹郎。

只 惭无补丝毫事，尚费官家压酒囊。

My whole world’s like an eventful stage

Getting strangely funny now I’ve aged.

A busy life with the mouth, for the mouths,

And a lousy outcome by my big silly mouth.

Oh well, the Yangtse embraces the town in a loop,

Where the river fish should taste just as good.

There are also bamboo groves over the hills,

Where I should find many sweet and earthy shoots.

An attendant role cannot do much harm anyway.

Banished poets are seen to do great on waterways.

And the work I do can hardly touch the pay I get.

The bag of wine grain my Lord gave is such a waste!

The Beautiful Lady Yu by Su Shi

中文原文

波声拍枕 长淮晓，隙月窥人小。

无情汴水自 东流，只载一船离恨、向西州。

竹溪花浦曾同醉，酒味多于泪。

谁教风鉴在尘埃？

酝造一场烦恼、送人来。

River Huai's waves seem to beat my pillow till dawn;

A ray of moonbeam peeps at me forlorn.

The heartless River Bian flows eastward down,

Laden with parting grief, you've left the town.

Once we got drunk by riverside bamboo and flower,

My tears made sweet wine sour.

How could a mirror not be stained with dust?

Who could predict the trouble brewing up in gust?