Li Bai, Tax Official / 李白稅吏

Li Bai, Tax Official 李白稅吏
Li Bai, 李白
Sitting in a high-rise office 正经高坐
Filled his mind with navigating 满脑想的是
Thorny tax issues for his government, 这棘手的税收困惑
Building cases of who-owed what 断定谁欠钱
And who didn’t owe at all 而谁又能分文不缴
Scanning the forests of spreadsheets 浏览如林般的税单
And respecting the pavilions of power. 顾及权贵的亭台
Li Bai, 李白
Suffered from a mind that wandered, 思绪万千
But which he tamed in order 但又不得不顺应
To make the civil service 工职的要求
And avoid long trips to the countryside, 避开乡间远行
Great pastoral journeys of sacrifice 那久违的田园之旅
And resurrection of character, 天性复活
A character that benefited little 不得志的天性
From great throngs of people 来自熙熙攘攘的人群
Chanting aloud in public places, 在户外大声叫嚷
As much as that spirited part 他的心向往
Of his heart yearned for them 他的思绪在那逗留
And his mind lingered there. 在那逗留,在那逗留
Lingered there. Lingered there.
Li Bai 李白
Remembering a trip with his co-workers 忆起与同僚的出行
Forgot about his forest of spreadsheets 遗忘眼前的税林
And pavilions of plenty, 和那严实的亭台
Thinking about the late night drinking, 想起深夜的畅饮
The toasting – shot after shot, 敬酒-干了一杯又一杯
The hazing of the colorful dresses of the women 彩衣妙曼的女子
Paid to sit by his side, 收钱坐于一旁
Feeding him words to songs he knew 启发他为熟知的老歌填写歌词
From so long ago. 很久很久以前
Li Bai, 李白
Remembered these things, 记起这一切
But did not linger on them. 然而他不曾逗留
He was lost in a different place, 迷失于另一个地方
That moment when everyone had left 众人退场的那一刻
And the woman by his side was gone 身旁的女子已离去
Forgetting to close the window shade, 却忘记关上那道窗
Letting the moon shine in. 让明月照进来
Li Bai, 李白
Lost himself in that frosty glow 迷失在如霜的光亮中
That puddled beneath his feet 洒落在他脚下
That took him back ages 带他回到从前
That made him drown in nostalgia 令他沉寂在思乡情愫之中
Bringing words to his lips 将诗词送到他唇边
He never knew he had, 不敢执笔写下的诗词
Words he’d dare not write down. 举头仰望,思绪万千
Looking up, his mind reeled 独自一人
And all alone 他举杯敬月
He toasted the moon.

Poet/诗人: Tom Mangione

Translator/翻译: 郑方源 (F.Y. Zheng)

Read at United Verses 1, Jul 23, 2011 / 2012年07月23日第一个译站朗诵

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One thought on “Li Bai, Tax Official / 李白稅吏

  1. C. says:

    You have a fabulous sense of poem!:-)

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