Mao Zedong’s poetry

沁园春·雪

SNOW—to the tune of Chin Yuan Chun

北国风光，North country scene，

千里冰封， A hundred leagues locked in ice,

万里雪飘。A thousand leagues of whirling snow.

望长城内外，Both sides of the Great Wall，

惟余莽莽； One single white immensity.

大河上下，The Yellow River’s swift current.

顿失滔滔。Is stilled from end to end.

山舞银蛇，The mountains dance like silver snakes，

原驰腊象，And the highlands charge like wax-hued elephants,

欲与天公试比高。Vying with heaven in stature.

虽晴日，On the fine day, the land,

看红装素裹，Clad in white, adorned in red,

分外妖娆。Grows more enchanting.

江山如此多娇，This land so rich in beauty.

引无数英雄竞折。Has made countless heroes bow in homage.

惜秦皇汉武，But alas! Chi Shih-huang and Han Wu-ti.

略输文采；Were lacking in literary grace,

唐宗宋祖，And Tang Tai-tsung and Sung Tai-tsu,

稍逊风骚，Had little poetry in their souls;

一代天骄， And Genghis Khan,

成吉思，Proud Son of Heaven for a day,

只识弯弓射大雕。Knew only shooting eagles, bow outstretched.

俱往矣，All are past and gone!

数风流人物，For truly great men，

还看今朝。Look to this age alone.

沁园春 长沙

CHANGSHA—to the tune of Chin Yuan Chun

独立寒秋，Alone I stand in the autunm cold

湘江北去， On the tip of Orange Island,

橘子洲头。The Hsiang flowing northward;

看万山红遍，I see a thousand hills crimsoned through

层林尽染；By their serried woods deep-dyed，

漫江碧透，And a hundred barges vying，

百舸争流。Over crystal blue waters.

鹰击长空，Eagles cleave the air,

鱼翔浅底，Fish glide in the limpid deep;

万类霜天竞自由。Under freezing skies a million creatures contend in freedom.

怅寥廓，Brooding over this immensity,

问苍茫大地，I ask, on this boundless land

谁主沉浮？Who rules over man’s destiny?

携来百侣曾游。I was here with a throng of companions,

忆往昔峥嵘岁月稠。Vivid yet those crowded months and years.

恰同学少年，Young we were, schoolmates,

风华正茂；At life’s full flowering，

书生意气，Filled with student enthusiasm

挥斥方遒。Boldly we cast all restraints aside.

指点江山，Pointing to our mountains and rivers,

激扬文字，Setting people afire with our words,

粪土当年万户侯。We counted the mighty no more than muck.

曾记否，Remenber still

到中流击水，How, venturing midstream, we struck the waters，

浪遏飞舟？And waves stayed the speeding boats?

*英文译文出自1976年外文出版社出版的《MAO TSETUNG POEMS》