Just for fun (out of sheer boredom), I translated the first page of the Chinese novel "Moon Crescent Sabre" 圓月彎刀 by 古龙 (GU LONG) into English. It's nice to see how some wuxia stories often begin.
So with that said, here's my fast-lazy translation of the first page of Moon Crescent Sabre.
So with that said, here's my fast-lazy translation of the first page of Moon Crescent Sabre.
"Moon Crescent Sabre" by Gu Long.
Chapter 1: Success and Fame
"Moon Crescent Sabre" by Gu Long.
Chapter 1: Success and Fame
Early in the morning.
There is fog, dense fog.
Ding Peng pushes open his room's window. The milky, white dense fog resembling a floating cotton willow immediately breezes into his room, brushing heavily at his face. A face that is both refined and
handsome and a body that flourishes with both energy and vitality. He often exposes his inner childish demeanor like a big grown boy. However, Ding Peng is no longer a child. Within the span of three long months, he defeated three renowned swordsmen quite triumphantly! Like sunlight and water causing flowers and trees to grow strong, victory and success make a man stronger, and with his victories Ding Peng can now be regarded as a truly genuine man.
Ding Peng was born in the month of March and is now at the tender age of twenty years old. It was on his birthday that he began his triumphant duels. He first defeated the swordsman in the Baoding prefecture city in Hebei using a secret sword maneuver known as the ‘Falling Cosmic Meteor’. His opponent was a senior martial artist from the Northern "Green Apple Sword" School in Baoding. In the month of April, he defeated the swordsman ‘Chasing Wind’ Ge Qi using the very same sword maneuver. Ge Qi was the most senior disciple from the Mount Hua Sword School. His sword strokes were strange and weird, rapid and swift,
and he fought with much tenacity. He was also extremely proud and arrogant but managed to admit defeat after the match commenting: “Even if I trained for ten more years, I am still unable to handle your sword.” In the month of May, the grandmaster of "Iron Sword" School Guo Zheng Ping was also defeated by Ding Peng’s enigmatic ‘Falling Cosmic Meteor’ sword maneuver. His comments on the match: “As an antelope hanging from its horns and no trace or mark to look for. Within one year, this young lad (Ding Peng) will inevitably rule Wu Lin and become famous!” Although his school is not famous or celebrated, it has long been established with strong and upright morals. As Guo Zheng Ping used his status as the grandmaster of this school to praise Ding Peng, the weight of his words simply cannot be compared to a commoner.
Whenever Ding Peng recalls those same words “rule wulin and become famous!”, his blood is riled up with intense emotions and is unable to utter a word.
