兰亭集序（English version）

王羲之

永和九年，岁在癸丑，暮春之初，会于会稽山阴之兰亭，修禊事也。群贤毕至，少长咸集。此地有崇山峻岭，茂林修竹，又有清流激湍，映带左右，引以为流觞曲水，列坐其次。虽无丝竹管弦之盛，一觞一咏，亦足以畅叙幽情。

In the ninth year of Yonghe, it is also the year of Gui and Chou.  The time is in the first days of late spring, and the location is in Lanting, Shanyin of Kuaiji. We are here to practice a traditional river bathing ritual.  All of the good men, whether old or young have gathered here.  We have high mountains, thick woods and tall bamboo here.  We also have clear river and rushing spindrifts.  The river water reflects its both banks.  We draw the water to play the "Drifting Wine Cup" game.  People sit beside the river one by one. There is no music, but we could have the greatest fun by drinking and making poems. 

是日也，天朗气清，惠风和畅。仰观宇宙之大，俯察品类之盛，所以游目骋怀，足以极视听之娱，信可乐也。

It is a bright clear day, with warm wind embracing us pleasantly.  It is real joy to look up to the universe and see how big it is; and also to look down to the earth and know how various the kinds of things are.  We could free our eyes to look at the whole world and let the heart go wherever it wants.  The pleasure of the eyes and ears are peaked.

夫人之相与，俯仰一世。或取诸怀抱，悟言一室之内；或因寄所托，放浪形骸之外。虽趣舍万殊，静躁不同，当其欣于所遇，暂得于己，快然自足，不知老之将至；及其所之既倦，情随事迁，感慨系之矣。向之所欣，俯仰之间，已为陈迹，犹不能不以之兴怀，况修短随化，终期于尽！古人云：“死生亦大矣。”岂不痛哉！

The time of the being of humans, it is very short.  Some talk and think about their innermost emotions and thoughts with their friends in a room, while some others would chase their pursuit and care about nothing else.  People's  interstate vary, and some of them are quiet while others are energetic.  But, when they meet something that make them the happiest, even only for a moment, they would be so self-content and would even forget that time is making people older.  But when they are tired of what they used to be fond of, and when their emotions change by what they have experienced, they would all be very sorrowful. Those that used to be so vigorous have become old stale things within so short a time.  Even this makes us sigh for them, so how can we not feel grieved that, for us, to live long or short is decided only by nature and anyway everything will come to an end at last.  There's an old saying:"To live and to die are big things."

每览昔人兴感之由，若合一契，未尝不临文嗟悼，不能喻之于怀。固知一死生为虚诞，齐彭殇为妄作。后之视今，亦犹今之视昔，悲夫！故列叙时人，录其所述，虽世殊事异，所以兴怀，其致一也。后之览者，亦将有感于斯文。

When I am reading, every time I see something that arouses the feelings of the people in the past, if I have the same feelings, I would always sigh beside the article.  That feeling couldn't be spoken out in my heart. We all know that to see living and death, longevity and dying young the same is impossible.  Those who come after us will see us the way we see those who came before us.  What sadness! So I am making this collection in which people of my time could write down what they themselves want to say.  Even if the situation and time will change, the feelings that are aroused are the same.  I guess those ones who read this collection in the future would also feel something.

注：

游目骋怀：骋：驰骋，指任意洒脱；怀：应理解为心灵。骋怀：使心灵自由驰骋，故翻译为：Let the heart go wherever it wants.