guī yuán tián jū qí yī
归 园 田 居 · 其 一
Return to the Garden Farmstead, Part One
wèi jìn táo yuān míng
( 魏 晋 ) 陶 渊 明
(Wei Jin) Tao Yuanming
shào wú shì sú yùn
少 无 适 俗 韵 ,
In my youth, I had no taste for worldly ways,
xìng běn ài qiū shān
性 本 爱 丘 山 。
My nature always loved hills and mountains.
wù luò chén wǎng zhōng
误 落 尘 网 中 ,
I mistakenly fell into the worldly net,
yī qù sān shí nián
一 去 三 十 年 。
And left for thirty years.
jī niǎo liàn jiù lín
羁 鸟 恋 旧 林 ,
A caged bird longs for its old forest,
chí yú sī gù yuān
池 鱼 思 故 渊 。
A pond fish misses its former deep waters.
kāi huāng nán yě jì
开 荒 南 野 际 ,
I cleared wasteland at the edge of the southern fields,
shǒu zhuō guī yuán tián
守 拙 归 园 田 。
Returning to my simple garden and farm.
fāng zhái shí yú mǔ
方 宅 十 余 亩 ,
My square home covers more than ten acres,
cǎo wū bā jiǔ jiān
草 屋 八 九 间 。
With eight or nine thatched cottages.
yú liǔ yìn hòu yán
榆 柳 荫 后 檐 ,
Elm and willow trees shade the back eaves,
táo lǐ luó táng qián
桃 李 罗 堂 前 。
And peach and plum trees stand before the hall.
ài ài yuǎn rén cūn
暧 暧 远 人 村 ,
Warm and distant is the village of people,
yī yī xū lǐ yān
依 依 墟 里 烟 。
Smoke gently rises from the ruins inside.
gǒu fèi shēn xiàng zhōng
狗 吠 深 巷 中 ,
Barking dogs in the deep alleyways,
jī míng sāng shù diān
鸡 鸣 桑 树 颠 。
Rooster crowing atop the mulberry trees.
hù tíng wú chén zá
户 庭 无 尘 杂 ,
My household courtyard is free of dust and clutter,
xū shì yǒu yú xián
虚 室 有 余 闲 。
An empty room has plenty of leisure.
jiǔ zài fán lóng lǐ
久 在 樊 笼 里 ,
Long confined in a cage,
fù dé fǎn zì rán
复 得 返 自 然 。
Once again returning to nature.