The Sichuan Road
蜀道难
libai
李白
What heights!
It is easier to climb Heaven
Than take the Sichuan Road.
噫吁戏，危乎高哉!蜀道之难难于上青天。
Long ago Can Cong and Yu Fu founded the kingdom of Shu;
蚕丛及鱼凫，开国何茫然。
Forty-eight thousand years went by,
Yet no road linked it with the land of Qin.
尔来四万八千岁，不与秦塞通人烟。
Westward from Taibai Mountain only birds
Wander to the summit of Mount Emei
西当太白有鸟道，可以横绝峨眉巅。
But not until brave men had perished in the great landslide
Were bridges hooked together in the air
And a path hacked through the rocks.
地崩山摧壮士死，然后天梯石栈相勾连。
Above, high peaks turn back the sun's chariot drawn by six dragons;
Below, the charging waves are caught in whirlpools;
上有六龙回日之高标，下有冲波逆折之回川。
Not even yellow cranes dare fly this way,
Monkeys cannot leap those gorges.
黄鹤之飞尚不得，猿猱欲度愁攀援。
At Green Mud Ridge the path winds back and forh,
With nine twists for every hundred steps.
青泥何盘盘，百步九折萦岩峦。
Touching the stars, the traveller looks up and gasps,
Then sinks down , clutching his heart ,to groan aloud.
扪参历井仰胁息，以手抚膺坐长叹!
Friend, when will you return from this westward journey?
This is a fearful way.
You cannot cross these cliffs.
问君西游何时还?畏途巉岩不可攀。
The only living things are birds crying in ancient trees,
Male wooing female up and down the woods,
但见悲鸟号古木，雄飞雌从绕林间。
And the cuckoo, weary of empty hills,
Singing to the moon.
又闻子规啼夜月，愁空山。
It is easier to climb to heaven
Than take the Sichuan Road.
The mere telling of its perils blanches youthful cheeks.
蜀道之难难于上青天，使人听此凋朱颜!
Peak follows peak, each but a hand's breadth from the sky;
Dead pine trees hang head down into the chasms,
连峰去天不盈尺，枯松倒挂倚绝壁。
Torrents and waterfalls outroar over rocks,
Booming like thunder through a thousand caverns.
飞湍瀑流争喧豗，砯崖转石万壑雷。
What takes you, travelers, this long, weary way
So filled with danger?
其险也如此，嗟尔远道之人。
Sword Pass is steep and narrow,
胡为乎来哉!剑阁峥嵘而崔嵬，
One man could hold this pass against ten thousand;
一夫当关，万夫莫开。
And sometimes its defenders
Are not mortal men but wolves and jackals.
所守或匪亲，化为狼与豺。
By day we dread the savage tiger ,by night the serpent,
朝避猛虎，夕避长蛇，
Sharp-fanged sucker of blood
Who chops men down like stalks of hemp.
磨牙吮血，杀人如麻。
The City of Brocade may be a pleasant place,
But it is best to seek you home.
锦城虽云乐，不如早还家。
For it is easier to climb to heaven
Than take the Sichuan Road.
I gaze into the west, and sigh.
蜀道之难难于上青天，侧身西望长咨嗟!
创作背景：
关于《蜀道难》的创作背景，从唐代开始人们就多有猜测，学界主要有四种说法：甲、此诗系为房琯、杜甫二人担忧，希望他们早日离开四川，免遭剑南节度使严武的毒手；乙、此诗是为躲避安史之乱逃亡至蜀的唐玄宗李隆基而作，劝喻他归返长安，以免受四川地方军阀挟制；丙、此诗旨在讽刺当时蜀地长官章仇兼琼想凭险割据，不听朝廷节制；丁，此诗纯粹歌咏山水风光，并无寓意。
这首诗最早见录于唐人殷璠所编的《河岳英灵集》，该书编成于唐玄宗天宝十二载（753），由此可知李白这首诗的写作年代最迟也应该在《河岳英灵集》编成之前。而那时，安史之乱尚未发生，唐玄宗安居长安，房琯、杜甫也都还未入川，所以，甲、乙两说显然错误。至于讽刺章仇兼琼的说法，从一些史书的有关记载来看，也缺乏依据。章仇兼琼镇蜀时一直想去长安做官。相对而言，还是最后一种说法比较客观，接近于作品实际。
唐孟棨《本事诗》及五代王定保《唐摭言》均有贺知章在太子宾客任上读到此诗的记载，据此，则李白此诗当作于天宝元年（742）奉诏入京供奉翰林之时。这可能是一首赠友诗。詹锳认为此诗是李白天宝年间在长安时为送友人王炎入蜀而写的，目的是规劝王炎不要羁留蜀地，早日回归长安，避免遭到嫉妒小人不测之手；也有学者认为此诗是开元年间李白初入长安无成而归时，送友人寄意之作。