Retiredbum notes:  Someone sent me subject well-known free verse written in the form of couplet.  I tried to open the file up, but in vain.  So I searched another one online and gave it my English renderings.  You may have read the verse before, but please read it again.

原作: 呂蒙正(宋)

譯文: 網路匿名

英譯: Retiredbum

天有不測風雲，人有旦夕禍福。
蜈蚣百足行不及蛇，家雞翼大飛不如鳥。
馬有千里之程，無人不能自往；人有凌雲之志，非運不能騰達。
文章蓋世，孔子尚困於陳邦；武略超群，太公垂釣於渭水。

天有無法預測的天氣(風和雨),人的禍福是無常的.

無功雖然有一百隻腳,但行走的速度卻比不上蛇,家雞的翅膀雖然大,但是飛翔比不上鳥.

馬雖然可以一天跑一千里的距離,但是沒有人駕馭也不能自己前往.

縱使是文章蓋世的孔子還是受困於陳這個國家;縱使是武功策略超群的姜太公仍在渭水釣魚等待賞識者.

There may have a bolt from the blue; there may have an instant disaster or happiness befalls upon anyone.

Centipedes have a hundred feet, but cant move as fast as snakes can.  Domesticated chickens may have wide wings, but they cant fly like birds. 

Horses can gallop hundreds of kilometer a day, but they cant reach that far without being ridden. 

People may have ambition to reach for the stars, but they may not succeed without having good luck.

Even a brilliant man of great letters like Confucius was once entrapped in a State of Chen; an outstanding strategist like Jiang Taigong still had to angle at Wei River, awaiting his chance.

盜跖年長，不是善良之輩；顏回命短，實非兇惡之徒。
堯舜至聖，卻生不肖之子；鼙叟頑呆，反生大聖之兒。
張良原是布衣，蕭何稱謂縣吏。
晏子身無五尺封為齊國首相；孔明居卧草廬能作蜀漢軍師。

盜趾雖然很長命,但卻不是善良這類的人;顏回雖然很短命,可是實在不是兇惡這一類的人.

像堯舜這麼聖明的人,卻生出不賢的子孫;鼙叟這樣愚蠢無知的人,反而生出出類拔萃的兒子.

張良原本是平民百姓,蕭何的官位是縣吏.

宴嬰身高只有五尺卻做到齊國的宰相;孔明住在草廬卻能做到蜀漢的軍師.

Robber Zhi, absolutely not a good guy, enjoyed longivity; Yan Hui, absolutely not an atrocious guy, lived only a short life. 

Virtuous and sagacious men like Yao and Shun gave birth to unworthy descendants; on the contrary, an ignorant man like Pi Sou could have a sainted son. 

Zhang Liang was just a plebeian; Xiao He was just an official of lower rank.

Yan Ying was as short as only five feet tall, but State of Qi conferred prime minister upon him.  Zhuge Liang led a secluded life in a hut and became the chief military counsellor of Shu Han. 

韓信無縛雞之力，封為漢朝大將；馮唐有安邦之志，到老半官無封。
李廣有射虎之威，終身不第。
楚王雖雄，難免烏江自刎；漢王雖弱，卻有河山萬里。
滿腹經綸，白髮不第；才疏學淺，少年登科。

韓信連殺一之雞的力氣都沒有,卻被封為漢朝的大將軍;馮唐有安定國家的志向,到他年老時卻連半個官位也沒有受封到.

李廣有射殺猛虎的威名,但卻一輩子考不上科舉.

楚王雖然雄壯,卻無法避免在烏江割喉嚨結束自己的生命;漢王雖然柔弱,卻有萬里的國家.

有滿肚子的才能、學識,到老時仍考不上科舉考試之榜;才能駑下.學識淺薄,在很年輕時就登上科舉考試之榜.

Han Xin was too feeble to kill a chicken, but was conferred as commander-in-cheif by Han Dynasty.  Feng Tang was willing and able to best serve his country, but he waited the opportunities in the forlorn hope throughout his life. 

Li Guang acquired the fame of piercing through a tiger-shaped stone with his bow and arrow, but he failed to pass the official examinations throughout his life.  

Xiang Yu, King of Chu, was a stalwart fighter, but eventually lost the battles and killed himself at the riverside of Wu; Liu Bang, King of Han, was just a frail person, but finally won the war and encompassed the whole land of China. 

A polymath might never succeed in a government examination; a sciolist might just pass it even when he was still young.  

---TO BE CONTINUED