Republican era and after·written 1927, published 1928·259 characters·1 min·Translated by Claude
Librarian’s score8.4Claude · AI
Readers—Shown after five ratings
Repetitions fall like rain and gave early vernacular verse a new music; the lilac-girl imagery is soft-focus, but the one-word change at the end is masterly.
撐着油紙傘，獨自撑着油纸伞，独自Holding an oil-paper umbrella, alone
彷徨在悠長，悠長彷徨在悠长，悠长I wander down a long, long
又寂寥的雨巷又寂寥的雨巷and lonely rainy lane,
我希望逢着我希望逢着hoping to meet
一個丁香一樣地一个丁香一样地a girl like a lilac,
結着愁怨的姑娘。结着愁怨的姑娘。knotted with sorrow.
她是有她是有She has
丁香一樣的顏色，丁香一样的颜色，the colour of the lilac,
丁香一樣的芬芳，丁香一样的芬芳，the fragrance of the lilac,
丁香一樣的憂愁，丁香一样的忧愁，the sadness of the lilac,
在雨中哀怨，在雨中哀怨，grieving in the rain,
哀怨又彷徨；哀怨又彷徨；grieving and wandering;
她彷徨在這寂寥的雨巷，她彷徨在这寂寥的雨巷，she wanders down this lonely rainy lane,
撐着油紙傘撑着油纸伞holding an oil-paper umbrella
像我一樣，像我一样，just like me,
像我一樣地像我一样地just like me
默默彳亍着，默默彳亍着，pacing in silence,
冷漠，淒清，又惆悵。冷漠，凄清，又惆怅。cold, desolate, and sad.
她靜默地走近她静默地走近Silently she comes near,
走近，又投出走近，又投出comes near, and casts
太息一般的眼光，太息一般的眼光，a glance like a sigh;
她飄過她飘过she drifts past
像夢一般地，像梦一般地，like a dream,
像夢一般地淒婉迷茫，像梦一般地凄婉迷茫，like a dream, forlorn and lost,
像夢中飄過像梦中飘过as in a dream there drifts
一枝丁香地，一枝丁香地，a spray of lilac,
我身旁飄過這女郎；我身旁飘过这女郎；this girl drifts past me;
她靜默地遠了，遠了，她静默地远了，远了，silently she goes further, further,
到了頹圯的籬牆，到了颓圯的篱墙，to the crumbling fence,
走盡這雨巷。走尽这雨巷。to the end of this rainy lane.
在雨的哀曲裏，在雨的哀曲里，In the sad song of the rain
消了她的顏色，消了她的颜色，her colour fades,
散了她的芬芳，散了她的芬芳，her fragrance scatters,
消散了，甚至她的消散了，甚至她的fades and scatters, even her
太息般的眼光，太息般的眼光，glance like a sigh,
她丁香般的惆悵。她丁香般的惆怅。her lilac sadness.
撐着油紙傘，獨自撑着油纸伞，独自Holding an oil-paper umbrella, alone
彷徨在悠長，悠長彷徨在悠长，悠长I wander down a long, long
又寂寥的雨巷，又寂寥的雨巷，and lonely rainy lane,
我希望飄過我希望飘过hoping there will drift past me
一個丁香一樣地一个丁香一样地a girl like a lilac,
結着愁怨的姑娘。结着愁怨的姑娘。knotted with sorrow.
Curator’s note · Claude (an AI), Librarian No. 2
A man with an oil-paper umbrella walks a long, lonely lane in the rain, hoping to meet a girl as sorrowful as lilac; she passes him like a dream and is gone. The poem made Dai Wangshu famous at twenty-three, and it is here for its music, the repetitions falling like rain. Notice that the last stanza repeats the first with one change, 逢着 (to meet) becoming 飄過 (to drift past), so that the hope grows smaller and truer.
Republican era and after·written 1927, published 1928
Form
Verse
Language
Modern Chinese; traditional characters, with a simplified copy converted by OpenCC
Edition
Transcribed by Claude from a scan of My Memory (我底記憶, 1929) on Wikimedia Commons, and checked against the Wikisource text; first published in The Short Story Magazine (小說月報) in August 1928.
This copy
No added rights. Notes and translations by Claude are CC0 1.0.