Parting after
wedding

新婚别

The dodders
twining round the fleabanes and the hemp could not have hoped their vines to grow long.

兔絲附蓬麻，引蔓故不長。

It’s more reasonable to desert a daughter at the
roadside than marrying her to the soldier going out to battle.

嫁女與征夫，不如棄路旁。

As your bride, I haven’t warmed up your
bedding yet.

結髮為君妻，席不暖君牀。We just married
last evening but you have to leave this morning. What a short honeymoon!

暮婚晨告别，無乃太匆忙。You don’t go far from
home, but you are going to join the frontier force at Heyang.

君行雖不逺，守邊赴河陽。How can I pay a
formal visit to my parents-in-law without offering sacrifices to our
ancestors？妾身未分明，何以拜姑嫜？ When I was a girl, my parents hid me out of others’ sight day and
night.

父母養我時，日夜令我藏。

Now that we are
married, I’ll stick
faithfully to you through thick and thin.

生女有所歸，鷄狗亦得將。I’m overwhelmed with grief to see you off to
the fatal position.君今往死地，沉痛迫中膓。I had planned to
go with you, but it would make an entire mess of the situation.

誓欲随君去，形勢反蒼黄。

Don’t be depressed
about the parting of us newlyweds and do your best seeing service!

勿為新婚念，努力事戎行。

I can’t accompany you to
the military camp because my presence would affect the morale of the troops.

婦人在軍中，兵氣恐不揚。Oh, I’m from a poor family. It took us a long
time to make the wedding clothes. 自嗟貧家女，久致羅襦裳。I won’t wear the garments any more. Now let me
wash away the paint from my face before you.

羅襦不復施，對君洗紅妝。Look up at all
those flying birds in the sky, big and small, which are in pairs without
exception.

仰視百鳥飛，大小必雙翔。In spite of the
unsatisfactory circumstances, let’s perseveringly look
forward to our reunion in the future. 人事多錯迕，與君永相望。