白居易《真娘墓》诗英译

真娘墓 “Zhenniang's Tomb”

真娘墓，虎丘道。

不識真娘鏡中面，

唯见真娘墓頭草。

霜摧桃李風折蓮，

真娘死時猶少年。

脂肤荑手不牢固，

世间尤物難留連。

難留連，易銷歇。

塞北花，江南雪。

Zhenniang's tomb,

Tiger Hill Road.

Having no chance to see Zhenniang's face in the mirror,

I see only the grasses on top of her tomb.

Like peach and plum blossoms destroyed by frost and lotuses broken by wind,

When Zhenniang died, she was still a teen.

Sleek skin and reed-like fingers could not be finally preserved,

For exceptional Beauty, it is hard to linger in this world.

Hard to linger, easy to perish,

Like flowers north of the Great Wall or snow south of the Yangzi River.

       (8-30-2021)