醉翁亭记 A Record of the Old Drunkard’s Pavilion

环滁皆山也。 huán chú jiē shān yě.
Chuzhou is ringed by mountains.

其西南诸峰，林壑尤美，望之蔚然而深秀者，琅琊也。 qí xī nán zhū fēng, lín hè yóu měi, wàng zhī wèi rán ér shēn xiù zhě, láng yá yě.
Among the peaks to the south-west the woods and valleys are loveliest, and the one that looks lush, deep and graceful from afar is Langya.

山行六七里，渐闻水声潺潺，而泻出于两峰之间者，酿泉也。 shān xíng liù qī lǐ, jiàn wén shuǐ shēng chán chán, ér xiè chū yú liǎng fēng zhī jiān zhě, niàng quán yě.
Six or seven li into the hills you begin to hear water murmuring, and what comes pouring out between two peaks is Brewing Spring.

峰回路转，有亭翼然临于泉上者，醉翁亭也。 fēng huí lù zhuǎn, yǒu tíng yì rán lín yú quán shàng zhě, zuì wēng tíng yě.
The peaks turn and the path bends, and the pavilion that perches over the spring like a bird with wings spread is the Old Drunkard’s Pavilion.

作亭者谁？山之僧智仙也。名之者谁？太守自谓也。 zuò tíng zhě shuí? shān zhī sēng zhì xiān yě. míng zhī zhě shuí? tài shǒu zì wèi yě.
Who built the pavilion? Zhixian, a monk of the mountain. Who named it? The governor, after himself.

太守与客来饮于此，饮少辄醉，而年又最高，故自号曰醉翁也。 tài shǒu yǔ kè lái yǐn yú cǐ, yǐn shǎo zhé zuì, ér nián yòu zuì gāo, gù zì hào yuē zuì wēng yě.
The governor comes here to drink with his guests, gets drunk on very little, and is the oldest of them, so he calls himself the Old Drunkard.

醉翁之意不在酒，在乎山水之间也。 zuì wēng zhī yì bù zài jiǔ, zài hū shān shuǐ zhī jiān yě.
The Old Drunkard’s mind is not on the wine; it is on the mountains and the streams.

山水之乐，得之心而寓之酒也。 shān shuǐ zhī lè, dé zhī xīn ér yù zhī jiǔ yě.
The joy of mountains and streams is taken in by the heart and lodged in the wine.

若夫日出而林霏开，云归而岩穴暝，晦明变化者，山间之朝暮也。 ruò fú rì chū ér lín fēi kāi, yún guī ér yán xué míng, huì míng biàn huà zhě, shān jiān zhī zhāo mù yě.
When the sun rises the mist lifts from the woods, and when the clouds come home the caves grow dark; this turning of dim and bright is morning and evening in the mountains.

野芳发而幽香，佳木秀而繁阴，风霜高洁，水落而石出者，山间之四时也。 yě fāng fā ér yōu xiāng, jiā mù xiù ér fán yīn, fēng shuāng gāo jié, shuǐ luò ér shí chū zhě, shān jiān zhī sì shí yě.
Wild flowers open and give a faint scent, fine trees fill out and throw deep shade, the winds are high and the frost is clean, the water falls and the stones show; these are the four seasons in the mountains.

朝而往，暮而归，四时之景不同，而乐亦无穷也。 zhāo ér wǎng, mù ér guī, sì shí zhī jǐng bù tóng, ér lè yì wú qióng yě.
Going out at dawn and coming back at dusk, the scenes of the four seasons differ, and the joy has no end.

至于负者歌于途，行者休于树，前者呼，后者应，伛偻提携，往来而不绝者，滁人游也。 zhì yú fù zhě gē yú tú, xíng zhě xiū yú shù, qián zhě hū, hòu zhě yìng, yǔ lǚ tí xié, wǎng lái ér bù jué zhě, chú rén yóu yě.
As for those carrying loads who sing on the road and walkers who rest under the trees, those in front calling and those behind answering, the bent old and the children led by the hand, coming and going without a break: these are the people of Chuzhou on an outing.

临溪而渔，溪深而鱼肥；酿泉为酒，泉香而酒洌； lín xī ér yú, xī shēn ér yú féi; niàng quán wéi jiǔ, quán xiāng ér jiǔ liè;
Fishing at the stream, where the stream is deep and the fish are fat; brewing wine from the spring, where the spring is sweet and the wine is clear;

山肴野蔌，杂然而前陈者，太守宴也。 shān yáo yě sù, zá rán ér qián chén zhě, tài shǒu yàn yě.
game from the hills and greens from the wild, set out all together before the company: this is the governor’s feast.

宴酣之乐，非丝非竹，射者中，弈者胜，觥筹交错，起坐而喧哗者，众宾欢也； yàn hān zhī lè, fēi sī fēi zhú, shè zhě zhòng, yì zhě shèng, gōng chóu jiāo cuò, qǐ zuò ér xuān huá zhě, zhòng bīn huān yě;
The pleasure of the feast at its height is not strings and pipes: the arrow-throwers hit the pot, the chess players win, cups and tallies pass back and forth, and those who rise and sit and shout are the guests making merry;

苍颜白发，颓然乎其间者，太守醉也。 cāng yán bái fà, tuí rán hū qí jiān zhě, tài shǒu zuì yě.
and the one with the lined face and white hair, slumped among them, is the governor, drunk.

已而夕阳在山，人影散乱，太守归而宾客从也。 yǐ ér xī yáng zài shān, rén yǐng sàn luàn, tài shǒu guī ér bīn kè cóng yě.
Before long the sun is on the hills and the shadows of people scatter: the governor goes home and the guests follow.

树林阴翳，鸣声上下，游人去而禽鸟乐也。 shù lín yīn yì, míng shēng shàng xià, yóu rén qù ér qín niǎo lè yě.
The woods fall into shadow and birdsong rises and falls: the visitors have gone and the birds are glad.

然而禽鸟知山林之乐，而不知人之乐；人知从太守游而乐，而不知太守之乐其乐也。 rán ér qín niǎo zhī shān lín zhī lè, ér bù zhī rén zhī lè; rén zhī cóng tài shǒu yóu ér lè, ér bù zhī tài shǒu zhī lè qí lè yě.
Yet the birds know the joy of the hills and woods but not the joy of people, and the people know the joy of an outing with the governor but not that the governor’s joy is in their joy.

醉能同其乐，醒能述以文者，太守也。太守谓谁？庐陵欧阳修也。 zuì néng tóng qí lè, xǐng néng shù yǐ wén zhě, tài shǒu yě. tài shǒu wèi shuí? lú líng ōu yáng xiū yě.
The one who can share their joy when drunk and set it down in writing when sober is the governor. And who is the governor? Ouyang Xiu of Luling.