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I recently got an old Japanese Orihon (folding book) which has a lengthy passage in seal script - my assumption was that Japanese seal script would be the same as Chinese seal script, but if I'm wrong about that please correct me! I managed to translate one title (not pictured) within the book as '將進酒', so given that the book contains a Li Bai poem I'm assuming it may be a collection of Chinese poems.

I know that these things are very hard to translate, so if anyone is able to do it I am very thankful in advance. I don't necessarily need the whole thing translated into English too; just if someone could let me know roughly what it is (e.g a poem, a story, a description etc.).

Thanks, Thomas.

Seal Script Passage

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    This is the full text of 西亭春望.
    – dROOOze
    Commented May 13, 2019 at 8:07
  • Wow @droooze, thanks for the quick answer! I guess it must be some kind of Chinese poem compilation, then.
    – TKNZ
    Commented May 13, 2019 at 8:22

1 Answer 1

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In modern script:

唐　賈至　《西亭春望》

日長風暖柳青青　北雁歸飛人窅冥

岳陽城上聞吹笛　能使春心滿洞庭

With the character variants inserted in their place:

enter image description here

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    Looks like there's an English translation here (poemhunter.com/best-poems/luo-zhihai/…), but it's not great. I'll post it here in case the link dies: Long day, warm wind and green willows / Northern geese fly into the gloom / On the wall of the Yueyang City someone flutes / Full of Dongting with the spring moods
    – Mou某 ♦
    Commented Jan 10, 2020 at 8:04
  • @user3306356 oh come on...it's not that bad. I've given worse translations on this site.
    – dROOOze
    Commented Jan 10, 2020 at 8:08
  • Haha, well it was "the gloom," that really got me.
    – Mou某 ♦
    Commented Jan 10, 2020 at 8:11

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