晉太元中，武陵人捕魚為業。緣溪行，忘路之遠近。忽逢桃花林，夾岸數百步，中無雜樹，芳草鮮美，落英繽紛，漁人甚異之。復前行，欲窮其林。

In the era of Tai Yuan, the Jin Dynasty. one day, a fisherman from Wuling County rowed his fishing boat along a stream. He sailed so farther that he forgot the distance. Suddenly, he reached a patch of peach blossoms: flanking both sides of the stream as long as several hundred steps wide. There were no others but the peach trees, with fresh grasses and colorful flowers on the trees or fallen on the grounds. The fishman was surprised, but he continued rowing and trying to find what else was ahead. 

　　林盡水源，便得一山，山有小口，彷彿若有光。便捨船，從口入。初極狹，才通人。復行數十步，豁然開朗。土地平曠，屋舍儼然，有良田美池桑竹之屬。阡陌交通，雞犬相聞。其中往來種作，男女衣著，悉如外人。黃發垂髫，並怡然自樂。

The end of the trees was also the start of the stream, where a mountain stood. There seemingly were lights from a small hole, so the fisherman alighted from his boat and entered the mountain. To start with, the cave was so narrow that it allowed only one person to pass. After dropping his way forward about decades of steps, suddenly, into his sight were bright lights and a stretch of flat land and neat houses, surrounded by fair fields, beautiful ponds, and the kinds of mulberry trees and bamboo clumps. The paths crisscrossed on the field, and the rising and falling sound of dogs and chickens was in succession. Those men and women working in the fields were all clad in clothes similar to the outsiders. The kids and seniors were all happy and content. 

　　見漁人，乃大驚，問所從來。具答之。便要還家，設酒殺雞作食。村中聞有此人，鹹來問訊。自雲先世避秦時亂，率妻子邑人來此絕境，不復出焉，遂與外人間隔。問今是何世，乃不知有漢，無論魏晉。此人一一為具言所聞，皆歎惋。餘人各復延至其家，皆出酒食。停數日，辭去。此中人語云：「不足為外人道也。」

Some villagers were astonished when they saw the fisherman. They asked where he was from. He confided the truth to them. So they invited him to their home, preparing a spread for him, including chicken and wine, to entertain him. Upon hearing a stranger was here, the other inquiring villagers came to meet him. They told him that to evade the tumult of the late Qin Dynasty, their ancestors brought their wives and children to this secluded place to settle down, and never had they gone outside, and they isolated themselves from the outsiders ever since. They then asked the fisherman what the era was now, not knowing since Qin time had elapsed through the Han dynasty, let alone Wei, and now was Jin. The fisherman told them everything he had in detail. Upon hearing the changes in the world, they all sighed a sigh of pity. The other villagers vied to entertain the fisherman wholeheartedly. After staying there for a couple of days, he bid farewell to the villagers, who reminded him that the secret of this place was not worthy of telling anyone else.

　　既出，得其船，便扶向路，處處志之。及郡下，詣太守，說如此。太守即遣人隨其往，尋向所志，遂迷，不復得路。

After leaving the place, the fisherman found his boat and doubled back. He made marks on every spot en route. When returned to the county, he made an audience with the magistrate and recounted the experiences he had encountered. The magistrate then sent his men with the fisherman, relying on the marks, to discover the place again. Eventually, the team lost its way in search of the paradise. 

　　南陽劉子驥，高尚士也，聞之，欣然規往。未果，尋病終，後遂無問津者。

When a virtuous hermit of learning, Liu Ziji of Nanyang, heard of this story, he planned to visit the place with expectation, but to no avail. Before long, he died of disease. Since then, no one else had intended to find the paradise again.  

PS: The article is listed as one of the four greatest essays of travel in Chinese classical writings. The other three are:

試譯 柳宗元 小石潭記 - kkuo0810的部落格 - udn部落格

試譯 歐陽修"醉翁亭記" - kkuo0810的部落格 - udn部落格 

試譯: 范仲淹 "岳陽樓記" - kkuo0810的部落格 - udn部落格