Continuing What I Composed in a Dream續夢中作
乙亥三月日。夢遊深山。迷路至一洞。樓臺明麗頗異。問傍人云。是何處也。曰。仙女臺也。俄有美女六七人開戶出迎。入座苦請詩。予卽唱云。路入玉臺呀碧戶。翠娥仙女出相迎。女等頗不肯之。予雖未知其故。遽改曰。明眸皓齒笑相迎。始識仙娥亦世情。女等請續下句。予讓於女等。有一女續之云。不是世情能到我。爲憐才子異於常。予曰。神仙亦誤押韻耶。遂拍手大笑。因破夢追續之。
On a day in the third month of the eulhae year, I roamed deep in the mountains in a dream, lost my way, and came to a valley. The towers and terraces were bright and lovely, quite out of the ordinary. I asked a man beside me, “Where is this place?” and he said, “It is the Terrace of the Immortal Maidens (仙女臺).”
Presently six or seven beautiful women opened the door and came out to greet me. When we had taken our seats they pressed me for a poem, so I chanted at once: “The road enters the Jade Terrace (玉臺) and the blue gate swings wide; immortal maidens with lovely brows come out to greet me.” The women were rather displeased with it.
I could not tell why, but I quickly changed it: “With clear eyes and white teeth they smile and greet me; now I know that immortal maidens too have the feelings of this world.” The women asked me to add the closing lines, and when I yielded them to the women, one woman went on: “It is not that the feelings of this world can reach us; it is that we pity a man of talent for being unlike the rest.”
I said, “Do immortals too mistake their rhymes?” and then clapped my hands and laughed aloud. With that the dream broke, and I write on to continue it.
Interlinear notes 1
幷序
A preface is attached as well.
明眸皓齒笑相迎。始識仙娥亦世情。一句才成驚破夢。故留餘債約尋盟。
With clear eyes and white teeth they smile and greet me; now I know that immortal maidens too have the feelings of this world Scarcely was one line made when I was startled and the dream broke, so I leave the rest as a debt unpaid and make it a promise to meet again