| 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