桃花源记英文译文

　　【1】桃花源记英文译文

　　晋太元中，武陵人捕鱼为业，缘溪行，忘路之远近。忽逢桃花林，夹岸数百步，中无杂树，芳草鲜美，落英缤纷；渔人甚异之。复前行，欲穷其林。

　　Amid the Taiyuan era of Eastern Jin Dynasty, there was a fisherman, a native of Wuling. He rowed his boat along a brook, not mindful of how far he had toured, when suddenly he came across a blossoming peach grove flanking the banks continuously for hundreds of footsteps. The peach grove with no other sundry trees permeated with sweet fragrance, fresh green grass, and falling and fallen blossoms. Amazed by what he saw, the fisherman rowed further, with a desire to explore how far it extended.

　　林尽水源，便得一山。山有小口，仿佛若有光，便舍船，从口入。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，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，并佁然自乐。

　　When the grove faded away at the end of the brook, he found himself in front of a mountain with a small opening through which a light loomed. He thus left his boat and walked into the opening which at first was found to be so narrow that only one could pass through it. After walking forward for a few footsteps, he discovered that it led to an open air where flat and wide was the land with well-arranged houses, rich fields, beautiful ponds, mulberries, bamboos and the like. He saw the paths intersecting the fields in all directions, and heard cocks crowing and dogs barking. Here, men and women passing back and forth or working in the fields, were dressed like people outside. The grizzled-haired elders and the children with uncoiled hairs looked happy and self-contentede.

　　见渔人，乃大惊，问所从来；具答之。便要还家，设酒、杀鸡、作食。村中闻有此人，咸来问讯。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。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。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。"

　　People were so astonished to see this outsider, and asked him where he came from. After the fisherman answered all the questions, he was invited to their homes where they served wine and killed chicken to offer a feast. When the news of the fisherman’ visit spread out to other villagers, they all came to greet him. Then, they told the outsider that their ancestors, fleeing from disorders and chaos during the Qin Period, had come with their wives and children to this idyllic land, and had never gone out since, leaving themselves secluded from outsiders. When they asked what dynasty it was at present, they had no idea there had been dynasties such as Han, Wei and Jin. The outsider related all he knew in detail, event by event, and they heaved frequent sighs and sorrows. The villages by turns invited him to their houses where he was entertained with wine and food. He stayed for a few days. When he decided to leave, people of this place reminded him, "It's better not to reveal this place to others."

　　既出，得其船，便扶向路，处处志之。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。

　　After he came out and got his boat, he retraced and marked the route via which he had come. When he reached the town, he visited the prefect, and narrated the whole story to him who immediately sent his pawns to go with the fisherman to look for that place. They followed the marks but got lost and never found the way.

　　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。

　　At this news, Liu Ziji from Nanyang, a gentleman, gleefully decided to seek for that place, but he ailed and died before he could fulfill his plan. From then on, no one else ever quested for that land.

　　【2】桃花源记英文译文

　　During the Tai-yuan period of the China dynasty a fisherman of Wu-ling once rowed upstream, unmindful of the distance he had gone, when he suddenly came to a grove of peach trees in bloom. For several hundred paces on both banks of the stream there was no other kind of tree. The wild flowers growing under them were fresh and lovely, and fallen petals covered the ground———it made a great impression on the fisher-man. He went on for away with the idea of finding out how far the grove extended.

　　It came to an end at the foot of a mountain whence issued the spring that supplied the streams. There was a small opening in the mountain and it seemed as though light was coming through it. The fisherman left his boat and entered the cave, which at first was extremely narrow, barely admitting his body, after a few dozen steps it suddenly opened out onto a broad and level plain where well-built houses were surrounded by rich fields and pretty ponds. Mulberry, bamboo and other trees and plants grew there, and criss-cross paths skirted the fields. The sounds of cocks crowing and dogs barking could be heard from one courtyard to the next. Men and women were coming and going about their work in the fields. The clothes they wore were like those of ordinary people. Old men and boys were carefree and happy.

　　When they caught sight of the fisherman, they asked in surprise how he had got there. The fisherman told the whole story, and was invited to go to their house, Where he was served wine while they killed a chicken for a feast. When the other villagers heard about the fisherman’s arrival, they all came to pay him a visit. They told him that their ancestors had fled the disorders of Ch'in times and, having taken refugee here with wives and children and neighbours, had never ventured out again consequently they had lost all contact with the out-side world. They asked what the present ruling dynasty was, for they had never heard of the Han, Let alone the Wei and the Jin. They sighed unhappily as the fisherman enumerated the dynasties one by one and recounted the vicissitudes of each.

　　The visitors all asked him to come to their houses in turn, and at every house he had wine and food. He stayed several days. As he was about to go away, the people said, "There’s' no need to mention our existence to outsiders.” After the fisherman had gone out and recovered his boat, he carefully marked the route. On reaching the city, he reported what he had found to the magistrate, who at once sent a man to follow him back to the place. They proceed according to the marks he had made, but went astray and were unable to find the cave again.

　　A high-minded gentleman of Nan-yang named LiuTzu-chi heard the story and happily made preparations to go there, but before he could leave he fell sick and died. Since then there has been no one interested in trying to find such a place.