Corrections · 2
Sharing a verse with you guys(Chinese and English editions)
袖底风· 绿袖Green Sleeves---love in dismay
我思断肠,伊人不臧。Alas my love, you thou dost me wrong
弃我远去,抑郁难当。 To cast me off discourteously
我心相属,日久月长。I have loved you thee all oh so long
与卿相依,地老天荒。Delighting in your thy company
绿袖招兮,我心欢朗。Green sleeves was all my joy
绿袖飘兮,我心痴狂。Green sleeves wast my delight
绿袖摇兮,我心流光。Green sleeves wast my heart of gold
绿袖永兮,非我新娘。And to whom but to my Lady Greensleeves
我即相偎,柔荑纤香。I Have I been ready at your thy hand
我自相许,舍身何妨。To grant whatever you thou wouldst crave
欲求永年,此生归偿。I have both waged both life and land
回首欢爱,四顾茫茫。For your thy love and good will for to have
伊人隔尘,我亦无望。Thou couldst desire no earthly thing
彼端箜篌,渐疏渐响。But still thou hadst it readily
人既永绝,心自飘霜。Thy music still to play and sing
斥欢斥爱,绿袖无常。And yet thou wouldst not love me
绿袖去矣,付与流觞。Green sleeves now farewell I bid adieu
我燃心香,寄语上苍。And God I pray I to prosper favor thee
我心犹炽,不灭不伤。For I am I still thy lover true
伫立垅间,待伊归乡。Come once again and love me
Absolutely lovely! I made several minor changes: you are granting to Lady Greensleeves, so grammatically you must use "to whom but to my Lady...". "Prosper" is an intransitive verb so cannot take the direct object "thee", so I substituted "favor". I moved "both" to "I have waged both life and land" because it fits better metrically. "All" is incorrect here, but I understand you need an intensifier, so I substituted "oh" which has the added benefit of the sound of lament. I'm really impressed at your correct use of antiquated forms -- "thee", "didst" etc. Thou couldst more consistant be. For example "your" should be "thy" throughout. I corrected this. Was the original Chinese similarly antiquated in its language? In the third last and second last lines I transposed "I" to make it scan better. Also this usage is quite common in Elizabethan English. What I love about your translation is that it's quite smooth and lovely 15th Century English, but it still retains it Chineseness. Really lovely.
Want to progress faster?
Join this learning community and try out free exercises!
Don’t miss out on the opportunity to learn a language from the comfort of your own home. Browse our selection of experienced language tutors and enroll in your first lesson now!
Start Learning Today
