桃花源记英语翻译

桃花源记（陶渊明）

1．晋太元中，武陵人捕鱼为业。缘溪行﹐忘路之远近，忽逢桃花林。

2．夹岸数百步，中无杂树﹐芳草鲜美，落英缤纷。

3．渔人甚异之。复前行，欲穷其林。林尽水源，便得一山。山有小口，仿佛若有光；便舍船，从口入。4．初极狭，才通人。复行数十步，豁然开朗。土地平旷，屋舍俨然，有良田美池桑竹之属。

5．阡陌交通，鸡犬相闻。其中往来种作，男女衣着，悉如外人；黄发垂髫，并怡然自乐。

6. 见渔人，乃大惊，问所从来。具答之。便要还家，为设酒杀鸡作食。村中闻有此人，咸来问讯。

7. 自云先世避秦时乱，率妻子邑人来此绝境，不复出焉。遂与外人间隔。

8．问今是何世，乃不知有汉，无论魏晋。此人一一为具言所闻，皆叹惋。

9．余人各复延至其家，皆出酒食。停数日，辞去。此中人语云：“不足为外人道也。”既出，得其船，便扶向路，处处志之。

10．及郡下，诣太守说如此。太守即遣人随其往。寻向所志，遂迷不复得路。

11．南阳刘子骥，高尚士也；闻之，欣然规往。未果，寻病终。后遂无问津者。

Peach Blossom Spring

Tao Yuanming

During the Taiyuan era [1] of the Jin Dynasty [2] there was a man of Wuling who made his living as a fisherman. One day he was fishing up a stream in his boat, heedless of how far he had gone, when he came upon a forest of peach trees in blossom.

On either bank for several hundred yards there were no other kinds of trees. Petals of the dazzling blossoms were falling upon the exquisite carpet of lush grass.

Surprised at what came into his eyes，the fisherman advanced further, in the hope of discovering how far the woods extended. It ended at the stream’s source, where stood a hill. A small cave cut into the hill and a faint light can be seen from within. Leaving his boat, he entered the cave.

At first it was very narrow. There was only room for one man to pass, but after forty or fifty yards he suddenly found himself in the open air. The place he had come to was a wide expanse of level fields, with houses and cottages neatly arranged, surrounded by fine paddies, lovely ponds, mulberry trees, groves of bamboo, and the like.

Under his feet country paths crisscrossed, and crowing of roosters and barking of dogs could be heard around. Men and women working in the fields were all clad in outfits of exotic style, while the elderly and the little both seem to enjoy themselves.

The fisherman was then spotted by a villager, who was greatly amazed and asked where he had come from. The fisherman replied in detail. Then the villager invited him to his home, where he poured wine and prepared chicken to treat him. When the rest of the village heard about the visitor, they flocked over with all kinds of questions.

He was also told by the villagers that their ancestors brought their families and town folks to this isolated land while seeking havens in the troubled times of the Qin [3]. They never went out again, and had since lost contact with the outside.

The folks asked about who was in the reign currently, completely in the dark about the fact that the Qin had long been replaced by the Han [4], let alone that the Han had been succeeded by the Wei [5] and then the Jin. The fisherman went through the history bit by bit with them, which generated a great amount of sighs and regret.

Afterwards all the rest invited him to their homes, where they all treated him to wine and meals. Several days later, the fisherman was about to leave. Upon farewell, the villagers said to him, “It is wise not to tell.” When out, he found his boat and followed the route he had come by, but leaving marks on his way back.

Once back in town, he visited the governor and reported to him his journey. The latter immediately sent people to go back with him, following the marks he had left behind. However, in the end they lost their way and never found the place again.

Translator’s Notes:

[1] 376-396. [2] 265-420 (actually two sequential dynasties, the “Western” and the “Eastern”). [3] 221-206 B.C. [4] 206 B.C. to A.D. 220. [5] A.D. 220-265.

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