Lanting Xu 蘭亭序 （Chinese ancient poetry）

 Translation:

永和九年，歲在癸丑，暮春之初，會於會稽山陰之蘭亭，脩稧事也。

In the ninth year of the Yǒng-hé (353 CE), at the beginning of the third moon, on this late spring day we gathered at the Orchid Pavilion in the Guì-jī, Shanyin (present-day Shaoxing (紹興) of Zhejiang (浙江) province), for the purification ritual.

羣賢畢至，少長咸集。

All the literati have finally arrived. Young and old ones have come together.

此地有崇山峻領（嶺），茂林脩竹；又有清流激湍，映帶左右，引以為流觴曲水，列坐其次。

Overlooking us are lofty mountains and steep peaks. Around us are dense wood and slender bamboos, as well as limpid swift stream flowing around which reflected the sunlight as it flowed past either side of the pavilion. Taking advantage of this, we sit by the stream drinking from wine cups which float gently on the water.

雖無絲竹管弦之盛，一觴一詠，亦足以暢敘幽情。

Despite of the absence of the grandeur of musical accompaniment, drinking wine and chanting poems give us delight and allow us to exchange our deep feelings.

是日也，天朗氣清，惠風和暢。

As for this day, the sky is bright, the air is fresh and the breeze is mild and bracing.

仰觀宇宙之大，俯察品類之盛。

Looking up, we admire the beauty of the sky and wonder at the immensity of the universe. Looking around us, we see the myriad variety and wonder at their extraordinary diversity.

所以遊目騁懷，足以極視聽之娛，信可樂也。

Stretching our sights and freeing our minds, we can stretch the pleasures of our senses (of sight and sound) to the limit. This is really delighting!

 夫人之相與，俯仰一世，或取諸懷抱，悟言一室之內；

People gather together, in a blink, life passes by. Some find relief in freeing their thought and hopes and discuss their ambitions in (the quiet atmosphere of) a study or closet.

或因寄所託，放浪形骸之外。

Some free themselves from the shackles of their body in their search for spiritual refuge.

雖趣（取/趨）舍萬殊，靜躁不同，當其欣於所遇，暫得於己，怏然自足，不知老之將至；

Despite the interests and moods are widely different, tranquillity and recklessness are not the same, we all share one thing: whatever circumstances we meet, we can get some fleeting happiness, and there for just a moment, in self-satisfaction, making us hardly realize how fast we grow old.

及其所之既倦，情隨事遷，感慨係之矣。

When we become tired of our desires and the circumstances changes, disappointment and grief will come.

向之所欣，俛仰之間，已為陳跡，猶不能不以之興懷；

As for all that happiness, in a blink of time, it is already a past tantalizing memory. We cannot help but lament and act in accordance with our emotions.

況脩短隨化，終期於盡。古人云：「死生亦大矣。」豈不痛哉！

Whether life is long or short is up to destiny, but in the end return to nothingness. The ancients said, ‘Birth and death are big events.’ How could it not be agonizing?

每攬（覽）昔人興感之由，若合一契，未嘗不臨文嗟悼，不能喻之於懷。

And look at the cause of sentiment of the ancients, it shows the same origin.  We can hardly not mourn before their scripts although our feelings cannot be verbalized.

固知一死生為虛誕，齊彭殤為妄作。

Of one thing I am quite sure: it is foolish to believe that life and death are one, or that long-life can be equated with early death.

後之視今，亦猶今之視昔，悲夫！

The future generations will look upon us just like we look upon the past. How sad!

故列敘時人，錄其所述，雖世殊事異，所以興懷，其致一也。

So we recorded the people here and their works (poems). Even though time and circumstance will change, the cause for their feelings and moods remain the same.

後之攬（覽）者，亦將有感於斯文。

When people look back on us in the future, they will be moved by this prose.

(English translation done after TC Lai, Monica Lai, Liu Yi Ru and a contributor for Wikipedia.)