What does 生命诚可贵 爱情价更高 若为自由故 二者皆可抛 mean?

Question

生命诚可贵 爱情价更高 若为自由故 二者皆可抛

I think it means "life is expensive, but love is even more so. However, both are not as good as freedom."

Answer 1

It's a little different from yours at the latter half of the sentence:

Life is dear, love is dearer. Both can be given up for freedom.

Reference:

This is the poem written in 1847 by the Hungarian poet Sándor Petőfi. Here is the original:

Szabadság, szerelem!
E kettő kell nekem.
Szerelmemért föláldozom
Az életet, Szabadságért föláldozom Szerelmemet.

Here's the translation by 殷夫 in 1929, which adopted Chinese classic five-character poem style, but not totally faithful to the original text:

生命诚可贵，
爱情价更高。
若为自由故，
二者皆可抛。

Another translation by 孙用 in 1957:

自由，爱情！
我要的就是这两样。
为了爱情，
我牺牲我的生命；
为了自由，
我又将爱情牺牲。

Another translation by 兴万生 in 1991:

自由与爱情！
我都为之倾心。
为了爱情，
我宁愿牺牲生命，
为了自由，
我宁愿牺牲爱情。

In English:

Liberty and love
These two I must have
For love, I will sacrifice my life
For liberty, I will sacrifice my love

Answer 2

It's a poem which is translated by 殷夫 from Petogfi's "freedom and love". The English version is here:

Freedom and love

These two I must have

For love, I will

sacrifice my life;

For liberty, I will

sacrifice my love

Answer 3

Is that really an old Chinese saying?

生命诚可贵 爱情价更高 若为自由故 二者皆可抛。

Life is precious, love's worth more, but for freedom both would I abandon.

Sounds like someone who wants to be a very lonely old man! Although, maybe its not from someone who wants a divorce, but a soldier before the battle.