<p>The Wiki link you provided had the following reference:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>Stephen Owen (1996). An Anthology of Chinese Literature: Beginnings to 1911 (New York: W.W. Norton): 162–75.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Page 169 of the book contains the following section:</p>

<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/YzxGv.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/YzxGv.png" alt="picture"></a></p>

<blockquote>
  <p>I bade sun-driver Xi-he, to pause in her pace,<br>
  to stand off from Yan-zi and not to draw night.<br>
  On and on stretched my road, long it was and far,<br>
  I would go high and go low in this search that I made</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Here 路曼曼其修远兮，吾将上下而求索 matches up with:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>On and on stretched my road, long it was and far,<br>
  I would go high and go low in this search that I made</p>
</blockquote>

<p>That at least makes one published translation, that you can use. According to the <em>Translations into Western languages</em> on the Wikipedia page, this is, also, the most recent translation.</p>

<hr>

<p><a href="http://bs.dayabook.com/poetry/chu-ci-songs-of-the-south/encountering-sorrow" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Other translations include</a>:</p>

<p>James Legge's:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>The way was long, and distant far was my goal; I would ascend and descend, pursuing my search.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>David Hawkes': </p>

<blockquote>
  <p>Long, long had been my road and far, far was the journey; I would go up and down to seek my heart's desire.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Yang Hsien-yi's:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>The way was long, and wrapped in gloom did seem, As I urged on to seek my vanished dream.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>and Monica Eileen Mclellan Zikpi's</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>The road long, long, such vast distance —— I will go above and below in pursuit</p>
</blockquote>

<hr>

<p>David Hawkes' translation is also cited in Pleco's PLC dictionary:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>路漫漫其修远兮, 吾将上下而求索。(屈原《离骚》)<br>
  lù mànmàn qí xiū yuǎn xī, wú jiāng shàng-xià ér qiú suǒ.<br>
  Long, long had been my road and far, far was the journey; | I would go up and down to seek my heart’s desire. </p>
</blockquote>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-12-19T08:38:21.247Z
2018-12-19T08:50:43.997Z
2018-12-19T08:50:43.997Z
Mou某
<p>路漫漫其修远兮，吾将上下而求索 -- The path is narrow and too long to see the end. But I will seek for it in backs and forths. </p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-12-23T14:14:58.493Z
2018-12-23T14:21:09.643Z
2018-12-23T14:21:09.643Z
stonelia
<p>"路漫漫其修远兮，吾将上下而求索" is a verse in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qu_Yuan" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Qu Yuan</a>'s classic <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Li_Sao" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Li Sao</a>. My translation is:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>My journey is so hard and nearly endless, I will keep going forward until I get to the end in someday. </p>
</blockquote>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-12-19T06:41:18.890Z
one web search result: https://www.zhihu.com/question/21035983
user6065
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-12-19T06:46:19.337Z
Thanks. @user6065
萝莉w
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-12-19T09:05:11.660Z
It's always a good idea to use the most original characters that you have access to when trying to translate  - this way, you don't get affected by later people's (mis)translations. I think the oldest line should be 路曼曼其脩遠兮，吾將上下而求索.
dROOOze
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-12-24T13:55:22.510Z
哈哈，中华文化博大精深，怎么翻译都感觉没魂，没韵 -_-.........
knightyun
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-12-25T00:32:42.807Z
………………………………还行。
萝莉w
<translation>
How to translate the famous saying "路漫漫其修远兮，吾将上下而求索" in Li Sao?
# How to translate the famous saying "路漫漫其修远兮，吾将上下而求索" in Li Sao?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2018-12-19)

"路漫漫其修远兮，吾将上下而求索" is a verse in [Qu Yuan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qu_Yuan)'s classic [Li Sao](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Li_Sao). My translation is:

> My journey is so hard and nearly endless, I will keep going forward until I get to the end in someday.

**Tags:** translation

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: one web search result: https://www.zhihu.com/question/21035983  
> **username_0**: Thanks. @username_1  
> **username_2**: It's always a good idea to use the most original characters that you have access to when trying to translate  - this way, you don't get affected by later people's (mis)translations. I think the oldest line should be 路曼曼其脩遠兮，吾將上下而求索.  
> **username_3**: 哈哈，中华文化博大精深，怎么翻译都感觉没魂，没韵 -_-.........  
> **username_0**: ………………………………还行。  

---

## 2 answers

### Answer by username_4 on 2018-12-19. Score: 2 | Accepted answer

The Wiki link you provided had the following reference:

> Stephen Owen (1996). An Anthology of Chinese Literature: Beginnings to 1911 (New York: W.W. Norton): 162–75.

Page 169 of the book contains the following section:

[![picture](https://i.sstatic.net/YzxGv.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/YzxGv.png)

> I bade sun-driver Xi-he, to pause in her pace,  
> to stand off from Yan-zi and not to draw night.  
> On and on stretched my road, long it was and far,  
> I would go high and go low in this search that I made

Here 路曼曼其修远兮，吾将上下而求索 matches up with:

> On and on stretched my road, long it was and far,  
> I would go high and go low in this search that I made

That at least makes one published translation, that you can use. According to the *Translations into Western languages* on the Wikipedia page, this is, also, the most recent translation.

---

[Other translations include](http://bs.dayabook.com/poetry/chu-ci-songs-of-the-south/encountering-sorrow):

James Legge's:

> The way was long, and distant far was my goal; I would ascend and descend, pursuing my search.

David Hawkes':

> Long, long had been my road and far, far was the journey; I would go up and down to seek my heart's desire.

Yang Hsien-yi's:

> The way was long, and wrapped in gloom did seem, As I urged on to seek my vanished dream.

and Monica Eileen Mclellan Zikpi's

> The road long, long, such vast distance —— I will go above and below in pursuit

---

David Hawkes' translation is also cited in Pleco's PLC dictionary:

> 路漫漫其修远兮, 吾将上下而求索。(屈原《离骚》)  
> lù mànmàn qí xiū yuǎn xī, wú jiāng shàng-xià ér qiú suǒ.  
> Long, long had been my road and far, far was the journey; | I would go up and down to seek my heart’s desire.


---

### Answer by username_5 on 2018-12-23. Score: 1

路漫漫其修远兮，吾将上下而求索 -- The path is narrow and too long to see the end. But I will seek for it in backs and forths.


---

