去秋，白零大学教授法兰居士游秣陵，会衲于秪桓精舍，谭及英人近译《大乘起信论》，以为破碎过甚，衲喟然叹曰：“译事固难；况译以英文，首尾负竭，不称其意，滋无论矣。又其卷端，谓马鸣此论，同符景教。呜呼，是乌足以语大乘者哉！”居士属衲为购《法苑珠林》，版久蠹蚀，无以应其求也。衲语居士：“震旦万事蘦坠，岂复如昔时所称天国（Celestial Empire），亦将为印度巴比伦埃及希腊之继耳！”此语思之，常有余恫。比自秣陵遄归将母，病起匈膈，檽笔译拜轮《去国行》，《大海》，《哀希腊》三篇。善哉，拜轮以诗人去国之忧，寄之吟咏，谋人家国，功成不居，虽与日月争光，可也！尝谓诗歌之美，在乎气体；然其情思幼眇，抑亦十方同感，如衲旧译《颎颎赤墙靡》，《去燕》，《冬日》，《答美人赠束发（左毛右两）带诗》数章，可为证已。古诗“思君令人老”，英译作“To think of you makes meold”，辞气相副，正难再得。若《小雅》“昔我往矣，杨柳依依；今我来思，雨雪霏霏。行道迟迟，载渴载饥，我心伤悲，莫知我哀。”译如，——
“At first, when We set out,
The willows were fresh and green;
Now, when we shall be returning,
The snow will be falling in clouds.
Long and ledious will be our marching;
We shall hunger; we shall thirst.
Our hearts are wounded with grief,
And no one knows our sadness.”
又陈陶《陇西行》，“誓扫匈奴不顾身，五千貂锦丧胡尘；可怜无定河边骨，犹是春闺梦里人！”
"They swore the Huns should perish:
they would die if needs they must,
And now five thousand, sable-clad,
have bit the Tartar dust.
Along the river bank their bones lie
scattered where they may,
But still their forms in dreams arise
to fair ones far away.”
顾视元文，犹不相及。自余译者，浇淳散朴，损益任情，宁足以胜鞮寄之任！今译是篇，按文切理，语无增饰；陈义悱恻，事辞相称。世有作者，亦将有感乎斯文？光绪三十二年，佛从“多罗夜登陵奢”天下还日，曼殊序于太平洋舟中。
