樂府
Folk-song-styled-verse
81.玉階怨
李白
玉階生白露,
夜久侵羅襪。
卻下水晶簾,
玲瓏望秋月。
Sigh On Jade Staircase
Li Bai
Covered with white dew the jade stair is cold,
Lingering long she had her socks soaked.
Pulling down the crystal curtain,
She was watching the bright moon
82.長幹行二首之一
崔顥
君家何處住,
妾住在橫塘。
停船暫借問,
或恐是同鄉。
A Song Of Changgan 1
Cui Hao
Where do you live?
I live in Hengtang.
Hold your boat, I'd ask,
Maybe we come from a same town.
83. 長幹行二首之二同鄉
崔顥
家臨九江水,
來去九江側。
同是長幹人,
生小不相識。
A Song Of Changgan 2
Cui Hao
I live near Jiujiang River,
Coming and going around there.
We both come from Changgan,
But from young never know each other.
84.塞下曲四首之一
盧綸
鷲翎金仆姑,
燕尾繡蝥弧。
獨立揚新令,
千營共一呼。
Border Song 1
Lu Lun
The golden arrows are tipped with hawk feathers,
The embroidered flag is decorated with swallow like tail.
An order is newly issued,
A thousand responses to one call.
85.塞下曲四首之二
盧綸
林暗草驚風,
將軍夜引弓。
平明尋白羽,
沒在石棱中。
Border Song 2
Lu Lun
Woods dark with grasses wind-startled,
The general tries bow drawing at night.
Looking for white feather arrows at dawn,
He found them call ripped into stones.
86. 塞下曲四首之三
盧綸
月黑雁飛高,
單於夜遁逃。
欲將輕騎逐,
大雪滿弓刀。
Border Song 3
Lu Lun
The moon faint with wild geese flying high,
Tartar head escaped under cover of night.
Going to chase riding lightly burdened horses,
Heavy now fully covers bows and swords
盧綸
野幕蔽瓊筵,
羌戎賀勞旋。
醉和金甲舞,
雷鼓動山川。
Border Song 4
Lu Lun
In the wild camp a banquet was given,
For conquering Qiang Rong heroes cheered in celebration.
Drunken and dancing in armor,
They beat drums shocking mountains and rivers.
李白
秦地羅敷女,
采桑綠水邊。
素手青條上,
紅妝白日鮮。
蠶饑妾欲去,
五馬莫留連。
Ballads For Four Season: Spring
Li Bai
Pretty girl Luo Fu, in Qin,
White hands on green branch,
Rosy robe in golden sunshine.
I'll leave because my silk worms hungry,
Your five-horse-cab stays unnecessarily.
89. 子夜四時歌夏歌
李白
鏡湖三百裏,
菡萏發荷花。
五月西施采,
人看隘若耶。
回舟不待月,
歸去越王家。
Ballads For Four Season: Summer
li Bai
Lake Jinghu three hundred miles,
In full bloom are lotus lilies.
Xishi gathers them in May,
Lookers overwhelm bank of Stream Ruoye.
Her boat turns without awaiting the moon,
Goes back to her royal home.
90. 子夜四時歌秋歌
李白
長安一片月,
萬戶搗衣聲。
秋風吹不盡,
總是玉關情。
何日平胡虜,
良人罷遠征。
Ballads For Four Season: Autumn
li Bai
A moon in Chang An,
Ten thousand washing mallets pound.
Autumn wind blows without end,
It sends my heart to Jade Pass.
When Tartar troops are wiped out,
My husband will finish expedition.
李白
明朝驛使發,
一夜絮征袍。
素手抽針冷,
那堪把剪刀。
裁縫寄遠道,
幾日到臨洮?
Ballads For Four Season: Autumn
li Bai
The courier starts tomorrow,
All night she sews a warrior's gown.
Pulling needle her hand is too cold,
The scissors she cannot hold.
Very far the gown is ready to be sent out,
How many days it'll reach Lintao?
孟郊
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,
報得三春輝?
A Traveler's Song
Meng Jiao
With thread in hand,
The kind mother's making clothes for her wayward son.
Sewing densely before his departure,
She is afraid that he'll come back late.
Who says the heart of the little grass can requite
Favors of the three months of spring sunlight?
李益
嫁得瞿塘賈,
朝朝誤妾期。
早知潮有信,
A Song Of South Of The River
Li Yi
I married a merchant of Qutang,
Every day he returns late.
If I know early that even tide keeps words,
I would marry a wave rider.
王維
渭城朝雨浥輕塵,
客舍青青柳色新。
勸君更盡一杯酒,
西出陽關無故人。
A Song of Weicheng City
Wang Wei
The morning rain wet the dust of Weicheng,
Veiled by sprouting willows the tavern is green.
You'd better have another cup of wine,
There's no old friend west out of Yangguan Pass.
其他
Others
李白
花間一壺酒,
獨酌無相親。
舉杯邀明月,
對影成三人。
月既不解飲,
影徒隨我身。
暫伴月將影,
行樂須及春。
我歌月徘徊,
我舞影零亂。
醒時相交歡,
醉後各分散。
永結無情遊,
相期邈雲漢。
Drink Alone Below The Moon
Li Bai
From a pot of wine among flowers,
I drink alone with no one else.
Hold up my cup to invite the moon,
Face my shadow to makes us three.
Since the moon doesn't drink,
Vainly my shadow follows me.
Having the moon and my shadow for the time being,
I should make merry in spring.
I sing and the moonpaces up and down,
I dance and my shadow tumbles in a mess.
When sober we cheerfully accompany with each other,
After drunk we separate.
I'm willing to be friend with you forever,
And hope to meet you in the vast Milk Way.
96. 蜀道難
李白
噫籲嚱,危乎高哉!
蜀道之難難於上青天!
蠶叢及魚鳧,
開國何茫然!
爾來四萬八千歲,
不與秦塞通人煙。
西當太白有鳥道,
可以橫絕峨嵋巔。
地崩山摧壯士死,
然後天梯石棧方鉤連。
上有六龍回日之高標,
下有衝波逆折之回川。
黃鶴之飛尚不得過,
猿猱欲度愁攀援。
青泥何盤盤,
百步九折縈岩巒。
捫參曆井仰脅息,
以手撫膺坐長歎。
問君西遊何時還?
畏途巉岩不可攀。
但見悲鳥號古木,
雄飛從雌繞林間。
又聞子規啼夜月,
愁空山。
蜀道之難難於上青天,
使人聽此凋朱顏。
連峰去天不盈尺,
枯鬆倒掛倚絕壁。
飛湍瀑流爭喧豗,
砯崖轉石萬壑雷。
其險也若此,
嗟爾遠道之人,
胡為乎來哉。
劍閣崢嶸而崔嵬,
一夫當關,
萬夫莫開。
所守或匪親,
化為狼與豺。
朝避猛虎,
夕避長蛇,
磨牙吮血,
殺人如麻。
錦城雖雲樂,
不如早還家。
蜀道之難難於上青天,
側身西望長谘嗟。
Hard Road In Shu
Li Bai
Oh, how high and dangerous!
Road climbing in Shu is harder than sky scaling!
Can Cong and Yu Fu ruled this region,
The story was vague as lost in a fog!
Forty-eight thousand years have passed ever since,
But from Shu no one has entered Qin.
In the west Mt. Taibai there's a trail, only birds can pass thru,
It leads to the summit of Mt. Emei.
So many heroes died in earth cracks and landslides,
Only then a sky-ladder like cliff road was built.
There're high peaks from where six-dragon-driven sun-vehicle turned back,
There're winding rivers where even riptides retreat.
Even highly flying yellow cranes cannot pass,
Monkeys have no way to climb.
The paths on Mt. Qingni are terrible,
Winding and winding.
With nine turns in a hundred steps, it went around the mounts,
Raising head, no one dared to take a deep breath.
One could feel the stars with hands and touch the sky with head,
People had to sit down with long sighs with hands pressing their chests.
The people travelling, when do you go back?
The terrible roads in Shu are really hard to be scaled.
Only birds can be heard wailing in the ancient trees,
Following males, females are flying around in forests.
Cuckoos are heard melancholy crying below the moon,
The empty mountains are full of sorrow.
Road climbing in Shu is harder than sky scaling!
Hearing it made people's looks changed.
Linking each other, peaks are less than a foot from the sky,
A thousand year old trees are hanging upside down at cliffs.
Rapid currents and water-falls swiftly flow,
Shaking rocks and turning stones like thunders cracking in the mounts.
It is dangerous like this,
I couldn't help exclaiming over you,
Why are you come here from afar?
Jiange Pass is soprecipitous,
If one man holds the pass,
Ten thousand cannot pass.
If the man holding the pass is unreliable,
He would become a disaster.
After coming here, travelers must be ready to guard
Against Fferocious tigers in the morning and snakes at night.
They sharpened teeth and sucked human's blood,
And killed thousands of thousands of people, simply countless.
Jincheng City is really a good place,
Yet you'd better go back home as soon as possible.
Road climbing in Shu is harder than sky scaling!
On way back and looking westward, I still couldn't help sighing deeply.
杜甫
八月秋高風怒號,
卷我屋上三重茅。
茅飛渡江灑江郊,
高者掛罥長林梢,
下者飄轉沉塘坳。
南村群童欺我老無力,
忍能對麵為盜賊。
公然抱茅入竹去,
唇焦口燥呼不得,
歸來倚杖自歎息。
俄頃風定雲墨色,
秋天漠漠向昏黑。
布衾多年冷似鐵,
驕兒惡臥踏裏裂。
床頭屋漏無幹處,
雨腳如麻未斷絕。
自經喪亂少睡眠,
長夜沾濕何由徹!
安得廣廈千萬間,
大庇天下寒士俱歡顏,
風雨不動安如山!
嗚呼何時眼前突兀見此屋,
吾廬獨破受凍死亦足!
A Song On A Wind-destroyed Thatched House
Du Fu
In August the late autumn wind is roaring,
And wiping out three layers of cogongrass of my house.
Flying across the river, the cogongrass spreads about on the riverbank,
The one above hang at tree tops,
The one below drift and fall into the pools.
The kids of the south village bully me old and weak.
They should steal my cogongrass pitilessly in front of my face.
They carry my cogongrass and run in the bamboo grove,
With lips and mouth parched, I cannot cry,
I have to turn back and sigh leaning on my walking stick.
The wind stopped and the clouds turned darker in a moment,
The autumn sky is dim at dark dusk.
Having been used for many years my cloth quilt is cold like iron,
Lying improperly the kids kicked it broken inside.
Bedside and the place with god picture is wet,
The rain leaking makes a mess without stop.
I've had less sleep ever since the war turmoil,
My quilt is wet with tears in the long night!
If only I could get millions of houses to shelter those suffering in coldness,
How happy they would be,
Alas, when this sort of high houses appear before my eyes,
I'd be satisfied even I die of coldness because only my house is broken!
杜甫
暮投石壕村,
有吏夜捉人。
老翁逾牆走,
老婦出門看。
吏呼一何怒,
婦啼一何苦!
聽婦前致詞:
三男鄴城戍,
一男附書至,
二男新戰死。
存者且偷生,
死者長已矣!
室中更無人,
惟有乳下孫。
有孫母未去,
出入無完裙。
老嫗力雖衰,
請從吏夜歸,
急應河陽役,
猶得備晨炊。
夜久語聲絕,
如聞泣幽咽。
天明登前途,
獨與老翁別。
The Pressgang At Stone Moat Village
Du Fu
When putting up for the night inStone Moat Village,
I saw pressgangs arresting people at night.
The old man escaped across the wall,
The old lady went out to have a look.
The pressgangs shouted so angrily,
The lady cried so sadly!
She stepped up saying:
Three sons are garrisoning in the frontiers at Yecheng,
One son sent a letter home,
Two sons have just died in battle field.
The survivals are dragging out an ignoble existence,
The dead have gone forever!
There are no other able-bodied men in the family,
My grandson that is only sucking the breast yet.
Only because of this, his mother stays at home,
But I have not a single intact skirt.
Though old and weak,
I'm still willing to follow the pressgangs tonight,
And go to Heyang as an urgent measure,
I can still do my best to prepare breakfast.
The voices vanished at deep night,
Yet it seems to me that l can still hear the weep.
I departure at daybreak,
And part with the old man alone.
白居易
潯陽江頭夜送客,
楓葉荻花秋瑟瑟。
主人下馬客在船,
舉酒欲飲無管弦;
醉不成歡慘將別,
別時茫茫江浸月。
忽聞水上琵琶聲,
主人忘歸客不發。
尋聲暗問彈者誰?
琵琶聲停欲語遲。
移船相近邀相見,
添酒回燈重開宴。
千呼萬喚始出來,
猶抱琵琶半遮麵。
轉軸撥弦三兩聲,
未成曲調先有情。
弦弦掩抑聲聲思,
似訴平生不得誌。
低眉信手續續彈,
說盡心中無限事。
輕攏慢撚抹複挑,
初為霓裳後六麽。
大弦嘈嘈如急雨,
小弦切切如私語;
嘈嘈切切錯雜彈,
大珠小珠落玉盤。
閑關鶯語花底滑,
幽咽泉流水下灘。
水泉冷澀弦凝絕,
凝絕不通聲漸歇。
別有幽愁暗恨生,
此時無聲勝有聲。
銀瓶乍破水漿迸,
鐵騎突出刀鎗鳴。
曲終收撥當心畫,
四弦一聲如裂帛。
東船西舫悄無言,
唯見江心秋月白。
沈吟放撥插弦中,
整頓衣裳起斂容。
自言本是京城女,
家在蝦蟆陵下住。
十三學得琵琶成,
名屬教坊第一部。
曲罷曾教善才服,
妝成每被秋娘妒。
五陵年少爭纏頭,
一曲紅綃不知數。
鈿頭銀篦擊節碎,
血色羅裙翻酒汙。
今年歡笑複明年,
秋月春風等閑度。
弟走從軍阿姨死,
暮去朝來顏色故;
門前冷落車馬稀,
老大嫁作商人婦。
商人重利輕別離,
前月浮梁買茶去,
去來江口守空船,
繞船月明江水寒。
夜深忽夢少年事,
夢啼妝淚紅闌幹。
我聞琵琶已歎息,
又聞此語重唧唧。
同是天涯淪落人,
相逢何必曾相識?
我從去年辭帝京,
謫居臥病潯陽城。
潯陽地僻無音樂,
終歲不聞絲竹聲。
住近湓城地低濕,
黃蘆苦竹繞宅生。
其間旦暮聞何物?
杜鵑啼血猿哀鳴。
春江花朝秋月夜,
往往取酒還獨傾。
豈無山歌與村笛?
嘔啞嘲哳難為聽。
今夜聞君琵琶語,
如聽仙樂耳暫明。
莫辭更坐彈一曲,
為君翻作琵琶行。
感我此言良久立,
卻坐促弦弦轉急。
淒淒不似向前聲,
滿座重聞皆掩泣。
座中泣下誰最多,
江州司馬青衫濕。
A Pipa Player's Lament
Bai Juyi
As a host, I gave a night banquet to see a guest - my friend off at the estuary of Xunyang River,
With maple leaves falling and silvergrasses swaying in autumn breeze.
The host dismounted his horse and the guest sat in the boat,
We held up wine to drink yet without music.
Drunken without joy, we felt sad for parting,
We parted in the dim moon shining the misty river.
Suddenly hearing Pipa music coming from above the water,
The host forgot to turn back and the guest stopped setting off.
Following the sound I stealthily asked who the player was.
The Pipa sound paused and the answer was hesitated.
I moved the boat near and requested to meet,
Adding wine and lighting lamp, we restarted banquet.
After being called constantly, did she come out,
Yet still, she held her Pipa partly covering her face.
Turning the axis and poking strings two or three times,
She showed expressions before perfecting a tone.
The string sounds were restrained with every sound revealing her feelings,
As if to pour out her frustrated story.
She Lowered her brows and continued playing conveniently,
Completely pouring out stories in her heart.
Striking lightly, twisting slowly, touching and sliding repeatedly,
The 1st melody is Nishang and then Liuyao.
Large strings were rustling like urgent rain,
Small strings were murmuring like whisper;
Rustling and murmuring, she took varied waysalternately,
The music was wonderful like big or small pears dropping down into a jade plate.
Then the music was changed like orioles singing under flowers,
Or like spring murmuring and flowing onto a sand beach.
Cold and frozen, the spring water stopped flowing,
Frozen and stopped, the sound was condensed and gradually ended.
Yet still we could hear hidden grief and hatred growing secretly,
What sound expressed was far less than silence revealed.
Suddenly, the music was like a silver bottle broken abruptly with water gushing forth,
Then like cavalries launching an attack with swords and spears soaring thunderously.
At the end, she poked with a slide in the middle,
Four strings burst out a sound as silk- ripping.
Both the east boats and west ones were quite without anybody speaking.
Only the white autumn moon could be seen in the middle of the river.
Chanting and inserting the plectrum into strings,
She said she was once a girl of the capital,
Her home was located in Shrimp and Frog Tomb.
When thirteen, she finished her Pipa-playing course,
Her name belonged to the 1st Dept. of the imperial music office.
After playing, she used to conquer the Pipa teacher.
But after making up, she often made singsong girls heartburn.
Children of rich and powerful people in the capital strived to be the first to give her silk,
One performance finished and she used to win countless red silk.
Her blood-red thin silk skirt was stained with wine.
When young, she laughed heartily year after year,
And killed happy time free and easy.
Her brother joined the army and her mother died.
With evenings leaving and mornings coming, her nice looks faded.
There was few visitors with less and less carriages and horses.
When growing up, she married a merchant.
The merchant valued material gains above parting,
In the previous month, he left for Fuliang to buy tea.
Coming and going frequently, she had to keep her boat empty at the estuary.
The bright moon was going around her boat in the cold river water.
Deep at night, she suddenly dreamed the events in her early youth,
Crying in her dream with tears and rouge making her face wet and red.
Hearing the Pipa music, I already sighed affectionately,
And then hearing her story, I was moved deeply.
Both of us in misfortune go from shore to shore.
Since meeting now, what's the necessity for us to have known each other before?
Last year, I left the capital after official exile,
And came to live in Xuyangin spite of illness.
Xunyang was too remote to have music,
So I could not hear stringed and woodwind music all year round.
I lived in Pencheng where the land was low and wet,
Yellow reed and bitter bamboo ran madly around my house.
What could I hear day and night?
Only cuckoos crow blood and monkeys plaintively whine.
In spring full of flowers at the river in the morning or in moon-lit autumn nights,
I used to take out wine and drink alone.
What could it be possible to have no folk songs and country flutes?
The wild noises were really unbearable.
Tonight I heard you playing Pipa,
As if hearing immortal music which made my eyes brightened temporarily.
Please do not leave so soon and sit to play one more melody,
For me to make a verse named A Pipa Player's Lament.
Moved by my words, she stood for a long time,
Then sat down and began playing the stings abruptly.
Too melancholy, the sound was not like before,
On hearing this, all people present covered faces and wept sorrowfully.
Who was the one present to shed most tears?
It was the Sima of Jiangzhou in black gown.
100. 長恨歌
白居易
漢皇重色思傾國,
禦宇多年求不得。
楊家有女初長成,
養在深閨人未識。
天生麗質難自棄,
一朝選在君王側。
回眸一笑百媚生,
六宮粉黛無顏色。
春寒賜浴華清池,
溫泉水滑洗凝脂。
侍兒扶起嬌無力,
始是新承恩澤時。
雲鬢花顏金步搖,
芙蓉帳暖度春宵。
春宵苦短日高起,
從此君王不早朝。
承歡侍宴無閑暇,
春從春遊夜專夜。
後宮佳麗三千人,
三千寵愛在一身。
金屋妝成嬌侍夜,
玉樓宴罷醉和春。
姊妹弟兄皆列土,
可憐光彩生門戶。
遂令天下父母心,
不重生男重生女。
驪宮高處入青雲,
仙樂風飄處處聞。
緩歌慢舞凝絲竹,
盡日君王看不足。
漁陽鼙鼓動地來,
驚破霓裳羽衣曲。
九重城闕煙塵生,
千乘萬騎西南行。
翠華搖搖行複止,
西出都門百餘裏。
六軍不發無奈何,
宛轉蛾眉馬前死。
花鈿委地無人收,
翠翹金雀玉搔頭。
君王掩麵救不得,
回看血淚相和流。
黃埃散漫風蕭索,
雲棧縈紆登劍閣。
峨嵋山下少人行,
旌旗無光日色薄。
蜀江水碧蜀山青,
聖主朝朝暮暮情。
行宮見月傷心色,
夜雨聞鈴腸斷聲。
天旋日轉回龍馭,
到此躊躇不能去。
馬嵬坡下泥土中,
不見玉顏空死處。
君臣相顧盡沾衣,
東望都門信馬歸。
歸來池苑皆依舊,
太液芙蓉未央柳。
芙蓉如麵柳如眉,
對此如何不淚垂。
春風桃李花開夜,
秋雨梧桐葉落時。
西宮南內多秋草,
落葉滿階紅不掃。
梨園弟子白發新,
椒房阿監青娥老。
夕殿螢飛思悄然,
孤燈挑盡未成眠。
遲遲鍾鼓初長夜,
耿耿星河欲曙天。
鴛鴦瓦冷霜華重,
翡翠衾寒誰與共。
悠悠生死別經年,
魂魄不曾來入夢。
臨邛道士鴻都客,
能以精誠致魂魄。
為感君王展轉思,
遂教方士殷勤覓。
升天入地求之遍。
上窮碧落下黃泉,
兩處茫茫皆不見。
忽聞海上有仙山,
山在虛無縹渺間。
樓閣玲瓏五雲起,
其中綽約多仙子。
中有一人字太真,
雪膚花貌參差是。
金闕西廂叩玉扃,
轉教小玉報雙成。
聞到漢家天子使,
九華帳裏夢魂驚。
攬衣推枕起徘回,
珠箔銀屏邐迤開。
雲鬢半偏新睡覺,
花冠不整下堂來。
風吹仙袂飄搖舉,
猶似霓裳羽衣舞。
玉容寂寞淚闌幹,
梨花一枝春帶雨。
含情凝睇謝君王,
一別音容兩渺茫。
昭陽殿裏恩愛絕,
蓬萊宮中日月長。
回頭下望人寰處,
不見長安見塵霧。
唯將舊物表深情,
鈿合金釵寄將去。
釵留一股合一扇,
釵擘黃金合分鈿。
但教心似金鈿堅,
天上人間會相見。
臨別殷勤重寄詞,
詞中有誓兩心知。
七月七日長生殿,
夜半無人私語時。
在天願作比翼鳥,
在地願為連理枝。
天長地久有時盡,
此恨綿綿無絕期。
A Song Of Everlasting Regret
Bai Juyi
The Emperor of Tang dynasty, lust for women, thought of beauty,
Being in power many years but he found no one.
Yang clan had a girl having just grown up
She was bred at boudoir being unknown.
As a born beauty she could impossibly be ignored,
One day she'd finally chosen as an imperial concubine.
Looking back smilingly she was extremely pretty,
All other ladies in the palace lost their charms.
In cold springs, she was granted a favor to bath in Huaqing Pool,
Warm and smooth spring water washed her congealed-milk like flesh.
Supported by maids, she looked like lotus gracefully rising from water,
Having just be granted favor from the emperor, did she look so affectedly sweet.
With cloud like hair and flower like face, she's wearing golden hairpins,
In a crepe bed curtain, she shared the warm spring night with the emperor.
Sorry for spring night being too short, they slept till the sun rising highly,
Deeply immersed in love, the emperor no long went to court early.
Loved by and serving the emperor, she accompanied him all day long,
Being always together, they shared spring outings and night parties.
There were three thousand beautiful imperial concubines,
Yet the emperor pampered none of them except for her.
Keeping her in a love nest, the emperor couldn't be without her,
After banquets they two were drunken in the most amorous mood.
Conferred ranks of nobility, her sisters became dowagers and brothers senior officials.
Glory was brought to the whole Yang clan and all people envied them.
This made all parents change their wishes,
They all hoped to give birth to girls instead of boys.
The tall Li Gong Palace reached to the sky,
Wonderful music, drifting gracefully, was heard everywhere.
Soft music and graceful dance were accompanied with string and bamboo flute music,
The emperor was never sick of appreciating them all day long.
Beaten all of a sudden, the sound of war drums came,
And stopped the performance of A Song of Rainbow Skirts And Feather Robes.
Battle flames were raging everywhere and covering the palaces,
Massive forces were safeguarding the emperor and escaping to southwest.
With battle flags swaying, the troops walked and stopped,
They came out the west gate over a hundred miles.
The massive forces refused to go forward but nothing could be done,
Except for forcing the highest-ranking imperial concubine to die before the horse.
Decoration on her hair fell on the ground without being picked up by others,
Including varied precious goldspinks and Yusaoshou.
Covering his face, even the emperor couldn't save her,
But could only turned his head with blood and tears streaming down.
Yellow dust was blown away by the bleak and chilly wind,
Following the zigzag cliff paths, the troops scaled onto Jianmen.
A few people were seen at the foot of Mt. E Mei
The flags were dim in the misty dusk.
The rivers and mountains in Shu were green,
They were immerged in the emperor's affection.
Seeing the moon in the temporary imperial palace, he was heart-broken,
Hearing night rains, he seemed to hear the heart-struck bell sound.
War was over and the emperor turned back toward the capital,
Arriving at Mawei Sope, he was hesitated and reluctant to go further.
The beauty already disappeared at Mawei Slope,
He could not see her beautiful face except for her grave.
Looking at each other, both the emperor and his subjects shed tears,
Watching east at the capital gate, they let horses go back freely.
He came back and the pools and gardens were as usual,
Including lotus in Taiye Pool and willows in Weiyang Palace.
Lotus was as faces and willow leaves as brows.
Facing this, how could he not shed tears?
Spring breeze blew peaches and plums in blooms at night,
Autumn rain drummed phoenix tree leaves.
There was a lot of autumn grasses in West Palace,
Falling leaves reddened steps with no one sweeping them.
Operatic players got newly whitened hair,
Eunuchs and imperial concubines became old.
Fireflies in the former palaces were flying sadly,
The emperor couldn't sleep even the lonely lamp died out.
Counting late drum beats, he felt the night to be too long,
Watching stars, he kept sitting till daybreak.
Covered with heavy frost, the tiles were cold,
Who came to share the cold quilt with him?
One year had passed ever since the life and death parting,
Yet her soul still refused to enter his dream.
A Taoist happened to come from Sichuan for a visit,
He could call his imperial concubine's soul with devout Taoist magic arts.
People were moved by the emperor's deep love,
They asked the Taoist to search her lost soul with magic arts.
Driving the clouds, he came and went in the sky just like flashing lightning,
Going up into the sky and coming down into the earth, he searched everywhere.
Looking for her in the wildernesses of space and the boundless land,
but he found nothing at the end.
He suddenly learned there was an elfland hill named Penglai in the east sea,
The hill towered aloft in the illusory clouds.
Dainty and exquisite pavilions, terraces and towers were veiled by clouds,
Innumerable goddesses were all with charming appearance and personality.
Among them, there was a one named Taizhen,
Her flesh was white like snow and her facial feature was nice like a flower.
The necromancer knocked open the door of the west wing of the golden palace,
He requested the maid Little Jade to ask Shuangcheng to make a report.
The voice was heard that a messenger was sent here by the emperor of Tang dynasty,
The goddess Taizhen was shocked in her dream by this news.
Holding her address and pushing away her pillow, she rose up,
And opened the screen and came out gracefully.
Her hair half hanging, she woke up,
And came over with her cymatium un-neatened.
Blown by wind, her sleeves was swaying,
Like a beauty dancing in rainbow-colored and feathered costumes.
She looked extremely worried with tears streaming down,
Just like a pear flower with rain drops in spring.
Affectionately staring the messenger, she asked him to thank the emperor on her behalf,
And tell the emperor that news and facial appearance had lost since the parting at Mawei Slope.
The love in Zhaoyang Palace had vanished,
The life in Penglai Palace had passed.
Turning over, she looked down at the human world,
But she was failed to find Changan except for mist.
She said: I can only express my deep feelings with the old token of love,
By sending you my coin case and gold hairpin.
I also keep a hairpin and a case,
And divide the coins with my hairpin, you and me keep a part of them respectively.
We should let our minds as firm as the coin case,
We'll meet either in the heaven or on the earth.
When parting the messenger, I'd like to send to say again,
My vow hides in my words which were known by either of us.
On the seventh of July in the Palace of Eternal Life,
We'll be secretly whispering at midnight when there was no one there.
In the heaven we're willing to be inseparable king birds,
On the earth we're willing to be twinned trunks.
The heaven and the earth will fade to an end,
But thisregret will last forever.
2013年2月3日 美國新澤西花間書齋
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