曹植《洛神赋》英译

洛神赋

曹植

黄初三年，余朝京师，还济洛川。古人有言，斯水之神，名曰宓妃。感宋玉对楚王神女之事，遂作斯赋。其辞曰：

黄初三年，我来到京都朝觐，归渡洛水。古人曾说此水之神名叫宓妃。因有感于宋玉对楚王所说的神女之事，于是作了这篇赋。全文如下：

In the third year of the Huang-chu era, I attended court at the capital and then crossed the Luo River to begin my journey home Men in olden times used to say that the goddess of the river is named Fufei. Inspired by the example of Song Yu, who described a goddess to the king of Chu, I eventually composed a rhapsody which read:

余从京域，言归东藩。背伊阙，越桓辕，经通谷，陵景山。日既西倾，车殆马烦。尔乃税驾乎蘅皋，秣驷乎芝田，容与乎阳林，流眄乎洛川。于是精移神骇，忽焉思散。俯则末察，仰以殊观，睹一丽人，于岩之畔。乃援御者而告之曰：“尔有觌于彼者乎？彼何人斯？若此之艳也！”御者对曰：“臣闻河洛之神，名曰宓妃。然则君王所见，无乃是乎？其状若何？臣愿闻之。”

我从京都洛阳出发，向东回归封地鄄城，背着伊阙，越过轘辕，途经通谷，登上景山。这时日已西下，车困马乏。于是就在长满杜蘅草的岸边卸了车，在生着芝草的地里喂马。自己则漫步于阳林，纵目眺望水波浩渺的洛川。于是不觉精神恍惚，思绪飘散。低头时还没有看见什么，一抬头，却发现了异常的景象，只见一个绝妙佳人，立于山岩之旁。我不禁拉着身边的车夫对他说：“你看见那个人了吗？那是什么人，竟如此艳丽！”车夫回答说：“臣听说河洛之神的名字叫宓妃，然而君王所看见的，莫非就是她！她的形状怎样，臣倒很想听听。”

Leaving the capital

To return to my fief in the east,

Yi Barrier at my back,

Up over Huanyuan,

Passing through Tong Valley,

Crossing Mount Jing;

The sun had already dipped in the west,

The carriage unsteady, the horses fatigued,

And so I halted my rig in the spikenard marshes,

Grazed my team of four at Lichen Fields,

Idling a while by Willow Wood,

Letting my eyes wander over the Luo

Then my mood seemed to change, my spirit grew restless;

Suddenly my thoughts had scattered

I looked down, hardly noticing what was there,

Looked up to see a different sight,

To spy a lovely lady by the slopes of the riverbank.

I took hold of the coachman's arm and asked, “Can you see her? Who could she be—a woman so beautiful!” The coachman replied, “I have heard of the goddess of the River Luo, whose name is Fufei. What you see, my prince—is it not she? But what does she look like? I beg you to tell me!”

余告之曰：其形也，翩若惊鸿，婉若游龙。荣曜秋菊，华茂春松。仿佛兮若轻云之蔽月，飘飘兮若流风之回雪。远而望之，皎若太阳升朝霞；迫而察之，灼若芙蕖出渌波。浓纤得衷，修短合度。肩若削成，腰如约素。延颈秀项，皓质呈露。芳泽无加，铅华弗御。云髻峨峨，修眉联娟。丹唇外朗，皓齿内鲜。明眸善睐，靥辅承权。瑰姿艳逸，仪静体闲。柔情绰态，媚于语言。奇服旷世，骨像应图。披罗衣之璀粲兮，珥瑶碧之华琚。戴金翠之首饰，缀明珠以耀躯。践远游之文履，曳雾绡之轻裾。微幽兰之芳蔼兮，步踟蹰于山隅。于是忽焉纵体，以遨以嬉。左倚采旄，右荫桂旗。壤皓腕于神浒兮，采湍濑之玄芝。

我告诉他说：她的形影，翩然若惊飞的鸿雁，婉约若游动的蛟龙。容光焕发如秋日下的菊花，体态丰茂如春风中的青松。她时隐时现像轻云笼月，浮动飘忽似回风旋雪。远而望之，明洁如朝霞中升起的旭日；近而视之，鲜丽如绿波间绽开的新荷。她体态适中，高矮合度，肩窄如削，腰细如束，秀美的颈项露出白皙的皮肤。既不施脂，也不敷粉，发髻高耸如云，长眉弯曲细长，红唇鲜润，牙齿洁白，一双善于顾盼的闪亮的眼睛，两个面颧下甜甜的酒窝。她姿态优雅妩媚，举止温文娴静，情态柔美和顺，语辞得体可人。洛神服饰奇艳绝世，风骨体貌与图上画的一样。她身披明丽的罗衣，带着精美的佩玉。头戴金银翡翠首饰，缀以周身闪亮的明珠。她脚著饰有花纹的远游鞋，拖着薄雾般的裙裾，隐隐散发出幽兰的清香，在山边徘徊倘佯。忽然又飘然轻举，且行且戏，左面倚着彩旄，右面有桂旗庇荫，在河滩上伸出素手，采撷水流边的黑色芝草。

And I answered:

Her body soars lightly like a startled swan,

Gracefully, like a dragon in flight,

In splendor brighter than the autumn chrysanthemum,

In bloom more flourishing than the pine in spring;

Dim as the moon mantled in filmy clouds,

Restless as snow whirled by the driving wind

Gaze far off from a distance:

She sparkles like the sun rising from morning mists;

Press closer to examine:

She flames like the lotus flower topping the green wave

She strikes a balance between plump and frail;

The tall and short of her are justly proportioned,

With shoulders shaped as if by carving,

Waist narrow as though bound with white cords;

At her slim throat and curving neck

The pale flesh lies open to view,

No scented ointments overlaying it,

No coat of leaden powder applied.

Cloud-bank coiffure rising steeply,

Long eyebrows delicately arched,

Red lips that shed their light abroad,

White teeth gleaming within,

Bright eyes skilled at glances,

A dimple to round off the base of the cheek—

Her rare form wonderfully enchanting,

Her manner quiet, her pose demure.

Gentle-hearted, broad of mind,

She entrances with every word she speaks;

Her robes are of a strangeness seldom seen,

Her face and figure live up to her paintings.

Wrapped in the soft rustle of silken garments,

She decks herself with flowery earrings of jasper and jade,

Gold and kingfisher hairpins adorning her head,

Strings of bright pearls to make her body shine

She treads in figured slippers fashioned for distant wandering,

Airy trains of mistlike gauze in tow,

Dimmed by the odorous haze of unseen orchids,

Pacing uncertainly beside the corner of the hill.

Then suddenly she puts on a freer air,

Ready for rambling, for pleasant diversion.

To the left planting her colored pennants,

To the right spreading the shade of cassia flags,

She dips pale wrists into the holy river's brink,

Plucks dark iris from the rippling shallows

余情悦其淑美兮，心振荡而不怡。无良媒以接欢兮，托微波而通辞。愿诚素之先达兮，解玉佩以要之。嗟佳人之信修，羌习礼而明诗。抗琼珶以和予兮，指潜渊而为期。执眷眷之款实兮，惧斯灵之我欺。感交甫之弃言兮，怅犹豫而狐疑。收和颜而静志兮，申礼防以自持。

我钟情于她的淑美，不觉心旌摇曳而不安。因为没有合适的媒人去说情，只能借助微波来传递话语。但愿自己真诚的心意能先于别人陈达，我解下玉佩向她发出邀请。可叹佳人实在美好，既明礼义又善言辞，她举着琼玉向我作出回答，并指着深深的水流以为期待。我怀着眷眷之诚，又恐受这位神女的欺骗。因有感于郑交甫曾遇神女背弃诺言之事，心中不觉惆怅、犹豫和迟疑，于是敛容定神，以礼义自持。

My fancy is charmed by her modest beauty,

But my heart, uneasy, stirs with distress:

Without a skilled go-between to join us in bliss,

I must trust these little waves to bear my message

Desiring that my sincerity first of all be known,

I undo a girdle-jade to offer as pledge.

Ah, the pure trust of that lovely lady,

Trained in ritual, acquainted with the Songs;

She holds up a garnet stone to match my gift,

Pointing down into the depths to show where we should meet.

Clinging to a lover's passionate faith,

Yet I fear that this spirit may deceive me;

Warned by tales of how Jiaofu was abandoned,

I pause, uncertain and despairing;

Then, stilling such thoughts, I turn a gentler face toward her,

Signaling that for my part I abide by the rules of ritual

于是洛灵感焉，徙倚彷徨，神光离合，乍阴乍阳。竦轻躯以鹤立，若将飞而未翔。践椒涂之郁烈，步蘅薄而流芳。超长吟以永慕兮，声哀厉而弥长。尔乃众灵杂遢，命俦啸侣，或戏清流，或翔神渚，或采明珠，或拾翠羽。从南湘之二妃，携汉滨之游女。叹匏瓜之无匹兮，咏牵牛之独处。扬轻褂之猗靡兮，翳修袖以延伫。休迅飞凫，飘忽若神，陵波微步，罗袜生尘。动无常则，若危若安。进止难期，若往若还。转眄流精，光润玉颜。含辞未吐，气若幽兰。华容婀娜，令我忘餐。

这时洛神深受感动，低回徘徊，神光时离时合，忽明忽暗。她像鹤立般地耸起轻盈的躯体，如将飞而未翔；又踏着充满花椒浓香的小道，走过杜蘅草丛而使芳气流动。忽又怅然长吟以表示深沉的思慕，声音哀惋而悠长。于是众神纷至杂沓，呼朋引类，有的戏嬉于清澈的水流，有的飞翔于神异的小渚，有的在采集明珠，有的在俯拾翠鸟的羽毛。洛神身旁跟着娥皇、女英南湘二妃，她手挽汉水之神，为瓠瓜星的无偶而叹息，为牵牛星的独处而哀咏。时而扬起随风飘动的上衣，用长袖蔽光远眺，久久伫立；时而又身体轻捷如飞凫，飘忽游移无定。她在水波上行走，罗袜溅起的水沫如同尘埃。她动止没有规律，像危急又像安闲；进退难以预知，像离开又像回返。她双目流转光亮，容颜焕发泽润，话未出口，却已气香如兰。她的体貌婀娜多姿，令我看了茶饭不思。

The spirit of the Luo, moved by my action,

Paces to and fro uncertainly,

The holy light deserting her, then reappearing,

Now darkening, now shining again;

She lifts her light body in the posture of a crane,

As though about to fly but not yet taking wing.

She walks the heady perfume of pepper-scented roads,

Strides through clumps of spikenard, scattering their fragrance.

Wailing distractedly, a sign of endless longing,

Her voice, sharp with sorrow, growing more prolonged.

Then a swarm of milling spirits appears,

Calling companions, whistling to their mates,

Some sporting in the clear current,

Some hovering over sacred isles,

Some searching for bright pearls,

Some collecting kingfisher plumes.

The goddess attends the two queens of Xiang in the south,

Joins hands with Wandering Girl from the banks of the Han,

Sighs that the Gourd Star has no spouse,

Laments that the Herdboy must live alone.

Lifting the rare fabric of her thin jacket,

She makes a shield of her long sleeve, pausing in hesitation,

Body nimbler than a winging duck,

Swift, as befits the spirit she is;

Traversing the waves in tiny steps,

Her gauze slippers seem to stir a dust

Her movements have no constant pattern,

Now unsteady, now sedate;

Hard to predict are her starts and hesitations,

Now advancing, now turning back.

Her roving glance flashes fire;

A radiant warmth shines from her jadelike face

Her words, held back, remain unvoiced,

Her breath scented as though with hidden orchids;

Her fair face all loveliness—

She makes me forget my hunger!

于是屏翳收风，川后静波。冯夷鸣鼓，女娲清歌。腾文鱼以警乘，鸣玉鸾以偕逝。六龙俨其齐首，载云车之容裔，鲸鲵踊而夹毂，水禽翔而为卫。于是越北沚，过南冈，纡素领，回清阳，动朱唇以徐言，陈交接之大纲。恨人神之道殊兮，怨盛年之莫当。抗罗袂以掩涕兮，泪流襟之浪浪。悼良会之永绝兮，哀一逝而异乡。无微情以效爱兮，献江南之明珰。虽潜处于太阳，长寄心于君王。忽不悟其所舍，怅神宵而蔽光。

在这时风神屏翳收敛了晚风，水神川后止息了波涛，冯夷击响了神鼓，女娲发出清泠的歌声。飞腾的文鱼警卫着洛神的车乘，众神随着叮当作响的玉鸾一齐离去。六龙齐头并进，驾着云车从容前行。鲸鲵腾跃在车驾两旁，水禽绕翔护卫。车乘走过北面的沙洲，越过南面的山冈，洛神转动白洁的脖颈，回过清秀的眉目，朱唇微启，缓缓地陈诉着往来交接的纲要。只怨恨人神有别，彼此虽然都处在盛年而无法如愿以偿。说着不禁举起罗袖掩面而泣，止不住泪水涟涟沾湿了衣襟，哀念欢乐的相会就此永绝，如今一别身处两地，不曾以细微的柔情来表达爱慕之心，只能赠以明珰作为永久的纪念。自己虽然深处太阴，却时时怀念着君王。洛神说毕忽然不知去处，我为众灵一时消失隐去光彩而深感惆怅。

Then the god Bingyi calls in his winds,

The River Lord stills the waves,

While Pingyi beats a drum,

And Nu Wa offers simple songs

Speckled fish are sent aloft to clear the way for her carriage,

Jade bells are jangled for accompaniment;

Six dragon-steeds, solemn, pulling neck to neck,

She rides the swift passage of her cloudy chariot.

Whales dance at the hubs on either side,

Water birds flying in front to be her guard.

And when she has gone beyond the northern sandbars,

When she has crossed the southern ridges,

She bends her white neck,

Clear eyes cast down,

Moves her red lips,

Speaking slowly;

Discussing the great principles that govern friendship,

She complains that men and gods must follow separate ways,

Voices anger that we cannot fulfill the hopes of youth,

Holding up her gauze sleeve to hide her weeping,

Torrents of teardrops drowning her lapels

She laments that our happy meeting must end forever,

Grieves that, once separated, we go to different lands

 “No way to express my unworthy love,

 I give you this bright earring from south of the Yangtze.

 Though I dwell in the Great Shadow down under the waters,

 My heart will forever belong to you, my prince!”

Then suddenly I could not tell where she had gone;

To my sorrow the spirit vanished in darkness, veiling her light.

于是背下陵高，足往神留，遗情想象，顾望怀愁。冀灵体之复形，御轻舟而上溯。浮长川而忘反，思绵绵而增慕。夜耿耿而不寐，沾繁霜而至曙。命仆夫而就驾，吾将归乎东路。揽𬴂辔以抗策，怅盘桓而不能去。

于是我舍低登高，脚步虽移，心神却仍留在原地。余情绻缱，不时想象着相会的情景和洛神的容貌；回首顾盼，更是愁绪萦怀。满心希望洛神能再次出现，就不顾一切地驾着轻舟逆流而上。行舟于悠长的洛水以至忘了回归，思恋之情却绵绵不断，越来越强，以至整夜心绪难平无法入睡，身上沾满了浓霜直至天明。我不得已命仆夫备马就车，踏上向东回返的道路，但当手执马缰，举鞭欲策之时，却又怅然若失，徘徊依恋，无法离去。

With this I turned my back on the lowland, climbed the height;

My feet went forward but my soul remained behind

Thoughts taken up with the memory of her image,

I turned to look back, a heart full of despair.

Hoping that the spirit form might show itself again,

I embarked in a small boat to journey upstream,

Drifting over the long river, forgetting to return,

Wrapped in endless remembrances that made my longing greater

Night found me fretful, unable to sleep;

Heavy frosts soaked me until the break of day

I ordered the groom to ready the carriage,

Thinking to return to my eastern road,

But though I seized the reins and lifted up my whip,

I stayed lost in hesitation and could not break away.

英译：Burton Watson