水浒传: 浔阳楼题反诗
1 心在山东身在吴,
2 飘蓬江海谩嗟吁。
3 他时若遂凌云志,
4 敢笑黄巢不丈夫!
Water Margin: Writing a Poem of Rebellion at Xúnyáng Tavern
1 My heart's in Shandong though I'm in Wu,
2 Wandering hither thither uncomplaining;
3 One day when I've realised the heroic quest,
4 Dare you mock Huangchao that he's a weakling!
Remarks:
The poem is found in the novel Water Margin (or Outlaws of the Marsh) 水浒传, one of the four famous classical novels in China, written by Shi Nai'an 施耐庵 (1296-1371) of the late Yuan and early Ming dynasties. In the novel, Sòngjiāng 宋江, in a fit of uncontrollable emotion, wrote the poem on the wall of a tavern in Xúnyáng 浔阳 after getting drunk.
Line 1:
Songjiang was a native of Shandong 山东 but was banished to Wu 吴 for manslaughter (please watch CCTV's production of the novel on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lnshzmF6sY4&list=PLIj4BzSwQ-_sEAJsZnbcxV7sBc51XE8Z5 ).
Line 2:
江海 means 四方各地 ie everywhere.
谩 has several meanings. Here it means 莫, ie do not.
嗟吁 means sigh, ie express dissatisfaction.
Hence 谩嗟吁 is translated as ‘uncomplaining’.
Line 3:
凌云志 a lofty ambition.
Line 4:
黄巢 was a famous peasant rebel during the Tang Dynasty who even managed to occupy the capital for a short while.
丈夫 here means 大丈夫, someone who is brave, honourable. I have therefore translated 不丈夫 as 'weakling'.
Line 4, I feel, can also be translated "Dare I mock Huangchao that he's a weakling!" That's the beauty of classical Chinese poetry, so rich in meaning.
Pinyin:
Shuǐhǔ Zhuàn: xún yáng lóu tí fǎn shī
1 Xīn zài shāndōng shēn zài wú,
2 piāo péng jiānghǎi mán jiē xū (màn jiē yù);
3 Tā shí ruò suì língyún zhì,
4 gǎn xiào huángcháo bù zhàngfū!
Reference:
https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E5%BF%83%E5%9C%A8%E5%B1%B1%E4%B8%9C%E8%BA%AB%E5%9C%A8%E5%90%B4/3792822
谩 has several meanings. Here it means 莫, ie do not.
嗟吁 means sigh, ie express dissatisfaction.
Hence 谩嗟吁 is translated as ‘uncomplaining’.
Line 3:
凌云志 a lofty ambition.
Line 4:
黄巢 was a famous peasant rebel during the Tang Dynasty who even managed to occupy the capital for a short while.
丈夫 here means 大丈夫, someone who is brave, honourable. I have therefore translated 不丈夫 as 'weakling'.
Line 4, I feel, can also be translated "Dare I mock Huangchao that he's a weakling!" That's the beauty of classical Chinese poetry, so rich in meaning.
Pinyin:
Shuǐhǔ Zhuàn: xún yáng lóu tí fǎn shī
1 Xīn zài shāndōng shēn zài wú,
2 piāo péng jiānghǎi mán jiē xū (màn jiē yù);
3 Tā shí ruò suì língyún zhì,
4 gǎn xiào huángcháo bù zhàngfū!
Reference:
https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E5%BF%83%E5%9C%A8%E5%B1%B1%E4%B8%9C%E8%BA%AB%E5%9C%A8%E5%90%B4/3792822
Songjiang writing the poem (extracted from CCTV's 1998 production of the novel):