乐府
Folk-song-styled-verse
81.玉阶怨
李白
玉阶生白露,
夜久侵罗袜。
却下水晶帘,
玲珑望秋月。
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.长干行二首之一
崔颢
君家何处住,
妾住在横塘。
停船暂借问,
或恐是同乡。
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.
长干行二首之二同乡
崔颢
家临九江水,
来去九江侧。
同是长干人,
生小不相识。
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
卢纶
鹫翎金仆姑,
燕尾绣蝥弧。
独立扬新令,
千营共一呼。
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
卢纶
林暗草惊风,
将军夜引弓。
平明寻白羽,
没在石棱中。
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
卢纶
月黑雁飞高,
单于夜遁逃。
欲将轻骑逐,
大雪满弓刀。
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
卢纶
野幕蔽琼筵,
羌戎贺劳旋。
醉和金甲舞,
雷鼓动山川。
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
秦地罗敷女,
采桑绿水边。
素手青条上,
红妆白日鲜。
蚕饥妾欲去,
五马莫留连。
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. 子夜四时歌夏歌
李白
镜湖三百里,
菡萏发荷花。
五月西施采,
人看隘若耶。
回舟不待月,
归去越王家。
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. 子夜四时歌秋歌
李白
长安一片月,
万户捣衣声。
秋风吹不尽,
总是玉关情。
何日平胡虏,
良人罢远征。
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
明朝驿使发,
一夜絮征袍。
素手抽针冷,
那堪把剪刀。
裁缝寄远道,
几日到临洮?
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
慈母手中线,
游子身上衣。
临行密密缝,
意恐迟迟归。
谁言寸草心,
报得三春辉?
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
嫁得瞿塘贾,
朝朝误妾期。
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.
王维
渭城朝雨浥轻尘,
客舍青青柳色新。
劝君更尽一杯酒,
西出阳关无故人。
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
花间一壶酒,
独酌无相亲。
举杯邀明月,
对影成三人。
月既不解饮,
影徒随我身。
暂伴月将影,
行乐须及春。
我歌月徘徊,
我舞影零乱。
醒时相交欢,
醉后各分散。
永结无情游,
相期邈云汉。
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. 蜀道难
李白
噫吁嚱,危乎高哉!
蜀道之难难于上青天!
蚕丛及鱼凫,
开国何茫然!
尔来四万八千岁,
不与秦塞通人烟。
西当太白有鸟道,
可以横绝峨嵋巅。
地崩山摧壮士死,
然后天梯石栈方钩连。
上有六龙回日之高标,
下有冲波逆折之回川。
黄鹤之飞尚不得过,
猿猱欲度愁攀援。
青泥何盘盘,
百步九折萦岩峦。
扪参历井仰胁息,
以手抚膺坐长叹。
问君西游何时还?
畏途巉岩不可攀。
但见悲鸟号古木,
雄飞从雌绕林间。
又闻子规啼夜月,
愁空山。
蜀道之难难于上青天,
使人听此凋朱颜。
连峰去天不盈尺,
枯松倒挂倚绝壁。
飞湍瀑流争喧豗,
砯崖转石万壑雷。
其险也若此,
嗟尔远道之人,
胡为乎来哉。
剑阁峥嵘而崔嵬,
一夫当关,
万夫莫开。
所守或匪亲,
化为狼与豺。
朝避猛虎,
夕避长蛇,
磨牙吮血,
杀人如麻。
锦城虽云乐,
不如早还家。
蜀道之难难于上青天,
侧身西望长咨嗟。
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
八月秋高风怒号,
卷我屋上三重茅。
茅飞渡江洒江郊,
高者挂罥长林梢,
下者飘转沉塘坳。
南村群童欺我老无力,
忍能对面为盗贼。
公然抱茅入竹去,
唇焦口燥呼不得,
归来倚杖自叹息。
俄顷风定云墨色,
秋天漠漠向昏黑。
布衾多年冷似铁,
骄儿恶卧踏里裂。
床头屋漏无干处,
雨脚如麻未断绝。
自经丧乱少睡眠,
长夜沾湿何由彻!
安得广厦千万间,
大庇天下寒士俱欢颜,
风雨不动安如山!
呜呼何时眼前突兀见此屋,
吾庐独破受冻死亦足!
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。
老翁逾墙走,
老妇出门看。
吏呼一何怒,
妇啼一何苦!
听妇前致词:
三男邺城戍,
一男附书至,
二男新战死。
存者且偷生,
死者长已矣!
室中更无人,
惟有乳下孙。
有孙母未去,
出入无完裙。
老妪力虽衰,
请从吏夜归,
急应河阳役,
犹得备晨炊。
夜久语声绝,
如闻泣幽咽。
天明登前途,
独与老翁别。
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
浔阳江头夜送客,
枫叶荻花秋瑟瑟。
主人下马客在船,
举酒欲饮无管弦;
醉不成欢惨将别,
别时茫茫江浸月。
忽闻水上琵琶声,
主人忘归客不发。
寻声暗问弹者谁?
琵琶声停欲语迟。
移船相近邀相见,
添酒回灯重开宴。
千呼万唤始出来,
犹抱琵琶半遮面。
转轴拨弦三两声,
未成曲调先有情。
弦弦掩抑声声思,
似诉平生不得志。
低眉信手续续弹,
说尽心中无限事。
轻拢慢捻抹复挑,
初为霓裳后六么。
大弦嘈嘈如急雨,
小弦切切如私语;
嘈嘈切切错杂弹,
大珠小珠落玉盘。
闲关莺语花底滑,
幽咽泉流水下滩。
水泉冷涩弦凝绝,
凝绝不通声渐歇。
别有幽愁暗恨生,
此时无声胜有声。
银瓶乍破水浆迸,
铁骑突出刀鎗鸣。
曲终收拨当心画,
四弦一声如裂帛。
东船西舫悄无言,
唯见江心秋月白。
沈吟放拨插弦中,
整顿衣裳起敛容。
自言本是京城女,
家在虾蟆陵下住。
十三学得琵琶成,
名属教坊第一部。
曲罢曾教善才服,
妆成每被秋娘妒。
五陵年少争缠头,
一曲红绡不知数。
钿头银篦击节碎,
血色罗裙翻酒污。
今年欢笑复明年,
秋月春风等闲度。
弟走从军阿姨死,
暮去朝来颜色故;
门前冷落车马稀,
老大嫁作商人妇。
商人重利轻别离,
前月浮梁买茶去,
去来江口守空船,
绕船月明江水寒。
夜深忽梦少年事,
梦啼妆泪红阑干。
我闻琵琶已叹息,
又闻此语重唧唧。
同是天涯沦落人,
相逢何必曾相识?
我从去年辞帝京,
谪居卧病浔阳城。
浔阳地僻无音乐,
终岁不闻丝竹声。
住近湓城地低湿,
黄芦苦竹绕宅生。
其间旦暮闻何物?
杜鹃啼血猿哀鸣。
春江花朝秋月夜,
往往取酒还独倾。
岂无山歌与村笛?
呕哑嘲哳难为听。
今夜闻君琵琶语,
如听仙乐耳暂明。
莫辞更坐弹一曲,
为君翻作琵琶行。
感我此言良久立,
却坐促弦弦转急。
凄凄不似向前声,
满座重闻皆掩泣。
座中泣下谁最多,
江州司马青衫湿。
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. 长恨歌
白居易
汉皇重色思倾国,
御宇多年求不得。
杨家有女初长成,
养在深闺人未识。
天生丽质难自弃,
一朝选在君王侧。
回眸一笑百媚生,
六宫粉黛无颜色。
春寒赐浴华清池,
温泉水滑洗凝脂。
侍儿扶起娇无力,
始是新承恩泽时。
云鬓花颜金步摇,
芙蓉帐暖度春宵。
春宵苦短日高起,
从此君王不早朝。
承欢侍宴无闲暇,
春从春游夜专夜。
后宫佳丽三千人,
三千宠爱在一身。
金屋妆成娇侍夜,
玉楼宴罢醉和春。
姊妹弟兄皆列土,
可怜光彩生门户。
遂令天下父母心,
不重生男重生女。
骊宫高处入青云,
仙乐风飘处处闻。
缓歌慢舞凝丝竹,
尽日君王看不足。
渔阳鼙鼓动地来,
惊破霓裳羽衣曲。
九重城阙烟尘生,
千乘万骑西南行。
翠华摇摇行复止,
西出都门百余里。
六军不发无奈何,
宛转蛾眉马前死。
花钿委地无人收,
翠翘金雀玉搔头。
君王掩面救不得,
回看血泪相和流。
黄埃散漫风萧索,
云栈萦纡登剑阁。
峨嵋山下少人行,
旌旗无光日色薄。
蜀江水碧蜀山青,
圣主朝朝暮暮情。
行宫见月伤心色,
夜雨闻铃肠断声。
天旋日转回龙驭,
到此踌躇不能去。
马嵬坡下泥土中,
不见玉颜空死处。
君臣相顾尽沾衣,
东望都门信马归。
归来池苑皆依旧,
太液芙蓉未央柳。
芙蓉如面柳如眉,
对此如何不泪垂。
春风桃李花开夜,
秋雨梧桐叶落时。
西宫南内多秋草,
落叶满阶红不扫。
梨园弟子白发新,
椒房阿监青娥老。
夕殿萤飞思悄然,
孤灯挑尽未成眠。
迟迟钟鼓初长夜,
耿耿星河欲曙天。
鸳鸯瓦冷霜华重,
翡翠衾寒谁与共。
悠悠生死别经年,
魂魄不曾来入梦。
临邛道士鸿都客,
能以精诚致魂魄。
为感君王展转思,
遂教方士殷勤觅。
升天入地求之遍。
上穷碧落下黄泉,
两处茫茫皆不见。
忽闻海上有仙山,
山在虚无缥渺间。
楼阁玲珑五云起,
其中绰约多仙子。
中有一人字太真,
雪肤花貌参差是。
金阙西厢叩玉扃,
转教小玉报双成。
闻到汉家天子使,
九华帐里梦魂惊。
揽衣推枕起徘回,
珠箔银屏逦迤开。
云鬓半偏新睡觉,
花冠不整下堂来。
风吹仙袂飘摇举,
犹似霓裳羽衣舞。
玉容寂寞泪阑干,
梨花一枝春带雨。
含情凝睇谢君王,
一别音容两渺茫。
昭阳殿里恩爱绝,
蓬莱宫中日月长。
回头下望人寰处,
不见长安见尘雾。
唯将旧物表深情,
钿合金钗寄将去。
钗留一股合一扇,
钗擘黄金合分钿。
但教心似金钿坚,
天上人间会相见。
临别殷勤重寄词,
词中有誓两心知。
七月七日长生殿,
夜半无人私语时。
在天愿作比翼鸟,
在地愿为连理枝。
天长地久有时尽,
此恨绵绵无绝期。
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 美国新泽西花间书斋