試譯: 白居易《小歲日喜談氏外孫女孩滿月》

今日夫妻喜，他人豈得知。

No one would have ever known  how far today my wife and I were sent into raptures.

自嗟生女晚，敢訝見孫遲。

Regretted that my daughter was born late, so the advent of my granddaughter brought us an even bigger surprise. 

物以稀為貴，情因老更慈。

A thing is valued when it is rare; love and affection are more tender when we grow older.

新年逢吉日，滿月乞名時。

The auspicious day fell on winter solstice; after one month I was asked to name her.

桂燎熏花果，蘭湯洗玉肌。

Smoking fruits with cassia, while cleansing her sleek body with orchid soup.

懷中有可抱，何必是男兒。

a so sweet baby nestled in my arms, why must it be a boy?

 

PS  You know, my daughter already gave birth to a pair of girls, my two granddaughters.  You will never know how happy I am about it, though I am not capable of expressing my emotion like Mr Bai did over 1200 years ago.  FYI, it is said the idiom "物以稀為貴" is derived from this poem.  Indeed, baby girl is rarer than baby boy, for throughout history the ratio between the two is a constant 100:107.