如果下雨
If it rains
在紫禁城內
in the Forbidden City
皇上
your majesty
可以聆聽
may listen
飛簷與斗拱之間的
to the raindrops
淅瀝
among cornices and brackets,
墁磚上一片華彩
cadenzas on the colored tiles.
青石板下
Under green slate,
涓涓的細流
thin streams
汩汩迴旋
gurgle and whirl
繞過武英殿
by Wuying Palace,
繞過文淵閣
by Wenyuan Chamber.
淙淙的地下水
Water murmurs underground
像潛龍
like a buried dragon’s
生機勃勃的
beating pulse.
脈息
On rainy days
皇上
your majesty
可以吟詠
may chant
雨天種種
your own imperial poems.
御製詩
Floods crest in far off places.
洪水在遠方氾濫
Floods crest in far off places.
洪水在遠方氾濫
Mountain cities, stairways
山城與階梯
drown in the riptide.
沒入激流
Ordinary people
庶民
pole their boats by Jing Mountain on the Han.
於荊漢市上撑船
If rain keeps up
如果繼續下雨
in the Forbidden City,
在紫禁城內
your majesty
皇上
may admire the sight
可以觀賞
of a thousand one hundred forty-two
環抱太和殿
delicately carved hornless dragon heads
中和殿以及
embracing the Hall of Supreme Harmony,
保和殿
the Hall of Central Harmony,
那一千一百四十二個
the Hall of Preserved Harmony,
雕刻精緻的螭首
watch them spit out
看它們吐出
torrential flying spring.
滂沱的飛泉
Beholding this
對於這個
exquisite great fountain,
玲瓏的大水法
your majesty,
皇上
do you feel agreeable?
可還感到愜意嗎
Big rivers surge in far off places.
大河在遠方暴漲
Big rivers surge in far off places.
大河在遠方暴漲
River water flows backward
江水倒流
to Bashu.
入巴蜀
On the Longyang Gorge
龍羊峽上
waves rise up.
起波濤
Heavy rain
更大的雨
in the Forbidden City
在紫禁城中
is no more than
不外是
a strangely sheer landscape.
奇峻的風景
Rainwater complies
雨水
with the forbidden palace’s topography:
依據禁宮
higher in the north, lower in the south,
北高南低的地勢
converging swiftly, branching
迅速滙瀉
toward the Chamber of Spreading Righteousness, the Right-wing Gate,
流向弘義閣、右翼門
toward the Chamber of Body Benevolence, the Left-wing Gate,
流向體仁閣、左翼門
down the steps
流向台階下
through the arched hollows of the white-stone bridges,
白石的券洞
pouring into the Inner Golden Water River,
注入
the Tonghui River,
內金水河
the Outer Golden Water River,
通惠河
the Tongzi River.
外金水河
The Forbidden City, enclosed by moats,
筒子河
the one
護城河內的紫禁城
and only place
在我國的地圖上
on our whole nation’s map
是一處
that never sees
是唯一處
a flood.
從來沒有水患的
地方