慈母手中線，遊子身上衣。

臨行密密縫，意恐遲遲歸。

誰言寸草心，報得三春暉。

For Her Son Who’ll Be Away for a While

Meng Jiao

Needle and thread in doting mother’s hand

Turn out garments for her son out to roam the land.

She puts in more stitches e’en as he leaves

And frets that his homecoming may be moved back.

Who says the tiny inch-tall blade of grass

Can e’er repay the warm sunshine of spring?

（龔景浩 譯）

The Wandering Son’s Song

The thread from my dear mother’s hand

Was sewn in the clothes of her wandering son.

For fear of my belated return,

Before my leave they were closely woven.

Who says mine heart like a blade of grass

Could repay her love’s gentle beams of spring sun?

（孫大雨 譯）

Chant of a Roaming Son

The thread in the mother’s hand,

The clothes worn by the wanderlust son.

The nearer the departure,

The closer the stitches sown,

Lest his return be further postponed.

Who said the grass blade of a heart

Could repay the glory of the late spring sun?

（任治稷、余正 譯）

A Journeyer’s Song

Through a kind mother’s hands passed the thread

That made the clothes I journeying wear.

Tightly tightly she wove them then,

Dreading year after year of no return.

Can the young grass ever repay

The spring sun’s kindly rays?

（張廷琛、魏博思 譯）

Song of the Parting Son

From the threads a mother’s hands weaves,

A gown for parting son is made.

Sown stitch by stitch before he leaves,

For fear his return be delayed.

Such kindness as young grass receives

From the warm sun can’t be repaid.

（許淵沖 譯）

A Roamer’s Song

My benevolent mother —

With thread and needle in hand,

Mends the garment I have on,

Ere I leave my native land.

More stitches, ere I take leave,

To hold the seams firm and fast.

As itinerant worker,

To come home I’d be the last.

With what can I repay Ma?

Whatever others may say,

For what she has done for me,

Her, I can never repay.

（徐忠傑 譯）