An Inscription of My Humble Cottage

Liu Yuxi

Translated by江霞

A mountain gets fame not for its height,

but for its noble fairies.

A sea gets anima not for its depth,

but for its living beings.

My humble cottage achieves honor,despite its shabbiness,

for my decent qualities.

Emerald moss cover the stonesteps,

and green grass color my eyes.

I talk with the talented,

and associate without the unlearned.

Being far from the disturbing noise,

I play the plain musical instrument leisurely.

Getting rid of the exhausting document,

I enjoy the classic Buddhist Scripture carefreely.

There stands Zhu Geliang’s famous hut in Nan Yang,

and Yang Ziyun’s well-known pavilion in Xi Shu.

Considering this,even Confucius wonders,

“Why are these humble cottages not humble at all?”

The Appreciation of My Translation

Generally speaking, it is not easy to translate this Chinese classic poem into English. I find the 8th line the most difficult. How to arrange the sentence structure which includes two names of place within one sentence? And how to connect naturally this line with the former lines both in meaning and in form? I think and think, write and write, correct and correct,and finally, it is set down in plain English.( There stands Zhu Geliang’s famous hut in Nan Yang, and Yang Ziyun’s well-known pavilion in Xi Shu.)