It is the ninth year of Yonghe (A.C.353), also knon as the year of Guichou in terms of the Chinese lunar calendar.On one of those late spring days, e gather at the Orchid Pavilion, hich is located in Shanyin County, Kuaiji Prefecture, for dispelling bad luck and praying for good fortune.The attendees of the gathering are all virtuous intellectuals, varying from young to old. Endoed ith great mountains and lofty peaks, Orchid Pavilion has flourishing branches and high bamboo bushes all around, together ith a clear inding brook engirdled, hich can thereby serve the guests by floating the ine glasses on top for their drinking. Seated by the bank of brook, people ill still regale themselves right by poetizing their mixed feelings and emotions ith ine and songs, never mind the absence of melody from string and ind instruments.
永和九年，岁在癸(guǐ）丑。暮春之初，会于会(kuài)稽山阴之兰亭，修禊(xì)事也。群贤毕至，少长(zhǎng)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(shāng)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。
It is such a onderful day, ith fresh air and mild breeze.Facing upards to the blue sky, e behold the vast immensity of the universe; hen boing our heads toards the ground, e again satisfy ourselves ith the diversity of species.Thereby e can refresh our vies and let free our souls, ith luxuriant satisfaction done to both ears and eyes. Ho infinite the cheer is!
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(chěng)怀，足以极视听之娱，信可乐也。
People keep ing and going, and life soon rushes to its end. Some people prefer to share their proud aspiration and lofty goals ith close friends indoors, hile some others choose to follo their interest and free their minds herever and henever they like. May characters vary from person to person, or some ould rather stay peaceful hile others like to live restlessly, they ill all bee delighted and satisfied once they meet something pleasant, so cheerful that they get unaare of their imminent old age.Hoever, hen they get tired of their old fancies that they’ve already experienced, and sentiment correspondingly acpanies the change of situation, all sorts of plicated feelings ill ell up in the heart, too. Isn’t it thought-provoking that the happiness e used to enjoy passes by ithout leaving a single trace, let alone that the length of life is subject to the fate, and death is inevitable for anybody in the end? Just as some ancient man once put it, “Death also deserves our attention, like hat life does.”, so ho can e restrain ourselves from grieving?
夫(fú)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(qǔ)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！
Every time I ponder about the reasons hy our predecessors ould produce orks ith such inenarrable emotions, I find there seem some similarities beteen our minds. Yet I cannot help lamenting their literary masterpieces hile I am struggling for the very cause in my innermost orld. No I e to realize that it has been ridiculous for me to equate death ith life, long life ith short life . The descendents vie us just the ay e look at our predecessors, and ho oeful it is! Hence I rite don all the names of the attendees and put their poetry into record. Conditions may go ith the changes of time, but people’s emotions shall stay the same. I believe the folloing readers ill still have much to mediate about life and death hen appreciating this poetry anthology.
每览昔人兴感之由，若合一契，未尝不临文嗟悼(jiē dào)，不能喻之于怀。固知一死生为虚诞，齐彭殇(shāng)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。
