李白《蜀道难》汉译英 七个版本对比

蜀道难
李白
噫吁嚱，危乎高哉！
蜀道之难，难于上青天！
蚕丛及鱼凫，开国何茫然！
尔来四万八千岁，不与秦塞通人烟。
西当太白有鸟道，可以横绝峨嵋巅。
地崩山摧壮士死，然后天梯石栈方钩连。
上有六龙回日之高标，下有冲波逆折之回川。
黄鹤之飞尚不得过，猿猱欲度愁攀援。
青泥何盘盘，百步九折萦岩峦。
扪参历井仰胁息，以手抚膺坐长叹。
问君西游何时还？畏途巉岩不可攀。
但见悲鸟号古木，雄飞从雌绕林间。
又闻子规啼夜月，愁空山。
蜀道之难，难于上青天，使人听此凋朱颜。
连峰去天不盈尺，枯松倒挂倚绝壁。
飞湍瀑流争喧豗，砯崖转石万壑雷。
其险也若此，嗟尔远道之人，胡为乎来哉。
剑阁峥嵘而崔嵬，一夫当关，万夫莫开。
所守或匪亲，化为狼与豺。
朝避猛虎，夕避长蛇，
磨牙吮血，杀人如麻。
锦城虽云乐，不如早还家。
蜀道之难，难于上青天，侧身西望长咨嗟。
版本一：
Ah, yikes! How dangerously high!
The daunting route into the region of Shu is more daunting than climbing the sky.
The ancestral pioneer, the king figure of Shu,
When he the region reclaimed, how distant into the past was the times.
It was some forty-eight thousand years after that
Before peoples of Shu and Qin came to cross paths.
West of Qin stands the Great White Mountains that only birds can fly past,
Its trails arduous, cutting across even the Emei Mountains' peaks.
The opening of this route sacrificed many heroic men to landslides and earthquakes
Before there was a planked passage built along many a cliff face.
Its highest is the point of return for the Sun God's carriage pulled by six dragons,
Its lowest in the valley gushes and whirls white water between boulders and rocks.
It's a canyon that not even yellow storks can flit across,
A gorge that not even gibbons and monkeys could clamber and climb.
The trail on the Green Mud Peak winds and winds,
Nine turns in a hundred steps along an entangling track in a rocky terrain,
The idea that perhaps a raise of hand could touch heaven above shortens the breath,
Thus the need to take a seat to let out a sigh and calm a heaving chest.
I wonder when you shall return from your journey westwards?
It is such a formidable route next to being insurmountable.
Among soaring ancient trees you'd see birds hum glumly,
The male would take flight followed by the female as they encircle in the woods;
Come night again, there'd be cuckoos warbling under the moon,
Filling the uninhabited mountains with gloom.
The daunting route into the region of Shu is more daunting than climbing the sky,
Hearing of this is enough to ashen any face any time,
Peaks short of touching the sky by a mere foot join to form mountain ranges,
And off abrupt and sheer precipices hang withered pines.
Waterfalls and white water race to uproars create,
Splashing on rocks in thousands of valleys to thunders aggregate.
Such is the route's hazardous nature!
Oh, you are a guest from afar,
Why have you bothered coming this way?
Speaking of the steep and soaring Sword Pass,
One guard at the passage
Could an army of ten thousands ward off;
Whoever garrisons there is either a bandit gang's henchman
Or someone no different to a jackal.
In the daytime there are fierce tigers to flinch from,
And at night there are pythons to avoid,
Who are looking to grind their teeth and suck your blood,
Making kills that they have already done far too many times before.
Although the Magnificent City is said to be a paradise,
It is never as good as home.
The daunting route into the region of Shu is more daunting than climbing the sky,
I turn to look to the west and cannot help but heave sigh after sigh.
——Translated by 28Utsc
版本二：
Perilous Journey to the Land of Shu
         Li Bai
Alas! The height, the staggering height!
The road to Shu, so steep, steeper than Heaven.
Where are those founders of the Shu Kingdom?
Long forgotten in that land, unknown for
Thousands of years, to the outside world!
Mount Tai sitting to the west—a pass
Trying the birds' flight to Emei.
Many a heroic death,
Among collapsing crags and cracking tops,
Paved a human path hanging and threading
Through peaks and rocks.
Overhead, the six-dragon chariot of the Sun
Finds no way round;
Down the cliffs, a swirling torrent tears,
Battering against a ragged land.
What a journey—a despair even to
Noble flying cranes and agile climbing monkeys!
That Grey Earth Ridge, that breath-taking height—
Winding, wringing, coiling—
I could touch the sky on top of it.
But defeated by the climb,
You cannot but give up, with a deep sign.
When are you to return
From your westbound journey, may I ask?
Look at those defiant peaks
And treacherous trails—can you manage?
All ahead is but miserable birds wailing
In the ancient jungles, flying,
Males in front, females following.
Listen, the persuasive cuckoo is calling again,
"Go home, go home!"
We stay in a desolate valley with a bleak moon.
Alas!
The road to Shu, so steep, steeper than Heaven!
A decolouring, youth-draining, courage-wearing trip!
Peak upon peak piling to the sky—a mere foot away.
Pine trees pegged on the precipices
By a thousand years' weathering,
Dashing waterfalls rocking the valleys
With an everlasting thunderstorm.
It couldn't be more dangerous,
But why should you have struggled so far here?
Don't you see that forbidding Sword Pass—
One defender there, and
A whole army's attack would be blocked.
If he is not your man,
You are doomed.
Hide from tigers at dawn,
And look out for snakes at night—in this land of
Teeth-grinding, blood-sucking, murderous beasts.
The capital of Shu may boast a city of joy, but
Isn't it better back home?
The westbound road to Shu, so steep,
Steeper than Heaven!
I plod my way, step by step, sign after sign.
——Translated by Chunshen Zhu
版本三：
The Way To Shu Is Hard
        By Li Bai (699-762)
Woe--! Phew--!
How Steep! How high!
The way to Shu is hard,
harder than scaling the blue sky!
Princes Cancong and Yufu
Opened up the land in the dim past.
Forty-eight thousand years since that time,
Sealed off from the frontier region of Qin!
On the west stands Great White Peak,
with a bird track
Spanning across to the summit of Mount Emei.
Earth tottered, mountains crumbled,
brave men perished,
And then came stone hanging-bridges,
sky-ascending ladders interlocked.
Above, the highest peak
bounced the Six-Dragon chariot back to the sun;
Below, the gushing, churning torrents were also turn around.
Yellow swans cannot fly across,
And gibbons in despair give up their climbs.
How the Mud Mountain twists and turns!
Nine bends within a hundred steps,
zigzagging up the precipice,
To where breathless,
one can touch the stars Shen and Jing!
Beating my breast,
I heave a long sigh and sit down.
May I ask when you expect to return,
traveling so far west?
Terrifying rocks,
inaccessible mountain peaks
don't you try!
One would only see dismal birds
howling in ancient woods
Where the female and the male
fly around and around.
One would also hear cuckoos
crying beneath the moon at night,
Filling the empty mountain with grief.
The way to Shu is hard,
harder than scaling the blue sky;
Just hearing these words turns one's cheeks pale.
Peak upon peak less than a foot from the sky,
Where withered pines hang inverted from sheer cliffs,
Where cataracts and roaring torrents make noisy clamor,
Dashing upon rocks,
a thunderclap from ten thousand glens.
A forbidding place like this--
I sigh and ask
why anyone should undertake such a long journey.
There the Sword Peak stands erect and sharp:
With one man guarding the pass,
Ten thousand cannot break through.
Should those on guard prove untrustworthy,
They could have turned into leopards and wolves.
Mornings, stay away from fierce tigers;
Evenings, stay away from long snakes--
They gnash their fangs, suck human blood,
And maul people down like hemp.
The Brocade City might be a place for pleasure,
But it's far better to hurry home.
The way to Shu is hard,
harder than scaling the blue sky.
Sideways I look westward and heave a long sigh.
——Translated by Qianzhi Wu
版本四：
    HARD ROADS IN SHU
Oh， but it is high and very dangerous！
Such travelling is harder than scaling the blue sky.
……Until two rulers of this region
Pushed their way through in the misty ages，
Forty-eight thousand years had passed
With nobody arriving across the Qin border.
And the Great White Mountain，westward，still has only a bird's path
Up to the summit of Emei Peak ——
Which was broken once by an earthquake and there were brave men lost，
Just finishing the stone rungs of their ladder toward heaven.
……High，as on a tall flag，six dragons drive the sun，
While the river，far below，lashes its twisted course.
Such height would be hard going for even a yellow crane，
So pity the poor monkeys who have only paws to use.
The Mountain of Green Clay is formed of many circles-
Each hundred steps，we have to turn nine turns among its mound ——
Panting，we brush Orion and pass the Well Star，
Then，holding our chests with our hands and sinking to the ground with a groan，
We wonder if this westward trail will never have an end.
The formidable path ahead grows darker，darker still，
With nothing heard but the call of birds hemmed in by the ancient forest，
Male birds smoothly wheeling，following the females；
And there come to us the melancholy voices of the cuckoos
Out on the empty mountain，under the lonely moon……
Such travelling is harder than scaling the blue sky.
Even to hear of it turns the cheek pale，
With the highest crag barely a foot below heaven.
Dry pines hang，head down，from the face of the cliffs，
And a thousand plunging cataracts outroar one another
And send through ten thousand valleys a thunder of spinning stones.
With all this danger upon danger，
Why do people come here who live at a safe distance？
……Though Dagger-Tower Pass be firm and grim，
And while one man guards it
Ten thousand cannot force it，
What if he be not loyal，
But a wolf toward his fellows？
……There are ravenous tigers to fear in the day
And venomous reptiles in the night
With their teeth and their fangs ready
To cut people down like hemp.
Though the City of Silk be delectable，I would rather turn home quickly.
Such travelling is harder than scaling the blue sky……
But I still face westward with a dreary moan.
版本五
    The Sichuan Road
What heights!
It is easier to climb Heaven
Than take the Sichuan Road.
Long ago Can Cong and Yu Fu founded the kingdom of Shu;
Forty-eight thousand years went by,
Yet no road linked it with the land of Qin.
Westward from Taibai Mountain only birds
Wander to the summit of Mount Emei
But not until brave men had perished in the great landslide
Were bridges hooked together in the air
And a path hacked through the rocks.
Above, high peaks turn back the sun's chariot drawn by six dragons;
Below, the charging waves are caught in whirlpools;
Not even yellow cranes dare fly this way,
Monkeys cannot leap those gorges.
At Green Mud Ridge the path winds back and forh,
With nine twists for every hundred steps.
Touching the stars, the traveller looks up and gasps,
Then sinks down, clutching his heart, to groan aloud.
Friend, when will you return from this westward journey?
This is a fearful way.
You cannot cross these cliffs.
The only living things are birds crying in ancient trees,
Male wooing female up and down the woods,
And the cuckoo, weary of empty hills,
Singing to the moon.
It is easier to climb to heaven
Than take the Sichuan Road.
The mere telling of its perils blanches youthful cheeks.
Peak follows peak, each but a hand's breadth from the sky;
Dead pine trees hang head down into the chasms,
Torrents and waterfalls outroar over rocks,
Booming like thunder through a thousand caverns.
What takes you, travelers, this long, weary way
So filled with danger?
Sword Pass is steep and narrow,
One man could hold this pass against ten thousand;
And sometimes its defenders
Are not mortal men but wolves and jackals.
By day we dread the savage tiger, by night the serpent,
Sharp-fanged sucker of blood
Who chops men down like stalks of hemp.
The City of Brocade may be a pleasant place,
But it is best to seek you home.
For it is easier to climb to heaven
Than take the Sichuan Road.
I gaze into the west, and sigh.
版本六
    How Hard to Go to Shu
　　
　　 Li Bai
Oh, how high and dangerous the land of Shu is!
Going there is harder than climbing the heaven.
Many years ago the kingdom of Shu was founded;
Without contacts with Qin for this long period.　
The western snow-white mountain has flying birds,
Its summit known as Emei means Beauty's eyebrows.
This kingdom with its brave men vanished by earthquake,
Then the land rises and towers like a skyscraping ladder.
Above in the sky fire dragons compete with the sun;　　
Below on ground the quake waves turn back any river. 　　
The yellow cranes cannot fly over the high land;
The monkeys cannot climb the hill as they please.
Its green muddy path winds in innumerous circles　　
For every hundred steps are nine turns in the rocky hill.　　
You have to take a rest in high wood and lie beside its well;
Or sit on grass to do massage of chest and take a deep breath　　
Now I wonder when you will return from this trip, Sir?
This path between steep rocks is hard to climb indeed.
Here you can see birds crying in the old tree and　　
Their male wheel among the trees followed by females.
You can also hear the sad cries of cuckoos in the moonlit night
When nobody else but you travel in this empty hill. 　　
Climbing the paths in Shu is harder than climbing the heaven.
Hearing this could make your red cheeks turn pale with fear.　　　　
The highest peak is lower than the sky just a foot
And its dry pines hang, head down, from the cliffs.
Waterfalls and torrents compete in their roarings;　　
Stones rolling down from the cliffs like thunders.　　
If it is so hard and dangerous
Why do the travelers come here? 　　
Because there is famouse steep Dagger Tower,
Where one guard can defeat thousand invaders. 　　
But if the guards are not loyal,
They themselves become wolfs.
Here you must prevent from beasts always
From tigers in the day and venomous reptiles at night;
For they kill people with their teeth and fangs.
Thus the capital of Shu is said to be good,
Yet It would be better to go back home.　　 　　
Climbing the paths in Shu is harder than climbing the heaven. 　　
I'm forced to utter a sigh while looking westward at the hill.
　 　——Translated by Chongmng Zeng
版本七
　Hard Path In Shu
                Li Bai
Oh, it is extremely high and very dangerous!
Taking the path in‘Shu’is harder than reaching the blue sky.
Emperors 'Can Cong' and 'Yu F’founded this country in the misty ages of the past.
Forty eight thousand years had passed before people could cross the border to‘Qin'.
The 'Great White Mountain' to the west only allows birds to fly through
And it reaches up to the summit of the Emei Mountain.
The earth was shook, the mountains startled, and brave men lost.
Then, a narrow stone footway reaching up to heaven was built to connect the two regions.
The imposing mountains, way up high, hold back the chariot of god of the sun driven by six dragons.
While the swirling river, far below, lashes its twisted course.
Such high mountains are even impossible for yellow cranes to fly over or for monkeys to climb through.
The tortuous path along ‘Green Clay Peak’ is formed by many circles.
Following the path, one has to make nine turns for one hundred steps.
Standing on top of it, one could touch the Orion’and the‘Well’Stars.
Looking up at it, one could be forced to fall back to the ground,
placing hand on the chest and uttering a long sigh.
I am wondering when you will return from your trip to the west?
This formidable path is really impossible to travel.
What comes into sight are birds crying out over old trees,
With male birds wheeling among the trees and followed by females.
And there also come the melancholy voices of the cuckoos,
Out on the empty mountains, under the night moon.
Taking the path in Shu is harder than reaching the blue sky.
Hearing this could make one's red cheeks turn pale with shock.
The highest crag is less than a foot below heaven.
And dry pines hang, head down, from the face of the cliffs.
Plunging cataracts and swirling torrents out roar one another.
Rolling waters thunder against rocks in ten thousand valleys.
With all this danger upon danger,
Why do people, who live at a safe distance, come all the way here?
An army of ten thousand could not forece their way inside the lofty,
imposing gateway 'Dagger Tower' even if it was only guarded by one man.
If the guards are not loyal, however,
They could rebel and behave like wolfs or jackals.
There are ravenous tigers to fear in the day,
And venomous reptiles to shun in the night.
With their teeth and fangs ready,
These beasts have killed as many travellers as hemp growing in the wild.
Though one can enjoy fun at the 'City of Silk',
It would be better to go back to where one lived as soon as possible.
Taking the path in 'Shu' is harder than reaching the blue sky.
I often heave a sigh while facing westward looking at the imposing mountains.
——From Internet