[English translation] 白石溪 - White Stone Creek

作曲//Composer : 纯白 (Chun Bai / Pure white)

作词//Lyrics : 果汁凉菜 (Guo Zhi Liang Cai)

演唱//Vocal: 玄觴 (Xuan Shang)

Other versions:

Vocaloid (Luo Tianyi and Yuezheng Ling) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2B0MAjloGk 

凑诗 (Cou Shi) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9x8-fCmi0Q

微露点滴 沾衿落袖

丽日绰约 轻解莲舟

蒹葭荣茂 燕雀啁啾

白石溪畔 斜阳逐流

Beads of dew dripped down on our robes

The day’s bright with a charming sun as we released our boat

Thick reeds flourished, while finches chirped

By White Stone Creek, the setting sun chased its flow

可嫌金风玉露 兼程久

灵犀心念 便相谋

前路崎岖躞蹀攀援 亦同守

Would a lengthy stay of autumn winds ever be resented?

Since our hearts are bound, so we shall act as one

Despite our difficult road ahead, treading light or climbing high, we’ll stay by each other’s side 

共你百年暮昏 到白昼

依山临水 景看旧

而你美胜山水万筹 尽入一人眸

I’ll be with you, dusk till dawn for a hundred years

By the mountains and waters, we’ll watch the sceneries till we tire

While your beauty outmatch the landscape by ten thousand folds, only for one you show

琴瑟愿与 共沐春秋

滢溪潺潺 炊烟悠悠

敢请东风 玉成双偶

遥递佳信 知否知否

Like zithers in harmony, we relished the seasons together

The clear stream ambled on, the chimney smoke lazily wafted

I appealed to the eastern wind, grant us our union

As I send out my letter from afar, do you know, do you know?

为理云鬓 为簪银钩

明月可鉴 情深亦寿

此生相依 人间白首

千金不易 清茶淡粥

I fixed my hair, and fastened it with a silver hairpin

The bright moon shall witness, this love’s as deep as it’s old 

In this life we’ll count on each other, till our hair whitens

Not for a thousand gold I’ll trade a simple life with you

前缘既断 便再无求

云泥之异 难越鸿沟

相思不扫 久积弥厚

他年君归 我葬南丘

Since the severance of our ties, there’s nothing more I’ve come to yearn

The gap between the clouds and earth proved too wide to close

My longings I neglected to sweep away, while it piled thicker by the day

And when you finally return, I’ve laid buried under the southern hill

逢春枯木忽生 花飞柳

纷纷绵绵 结作愁

随风四散却又轻易 染眉头

Spring arrived with soft willow flowers sprouted upon barren boughs

Sprinkled in the air to weave our sorrows

Then scattered by the wind and feathered one’s brows

当时一双鸳鸯 入深藕

荷香绕水 乐同游

月下花前本来无酒 对看竟忘忧

Back when a pair of mandarin ducks swam into the tangles of lotus roots

Encircled by the fragrance of water lilies, ecstatic in their excursion

By the moon and flowers, though devoid of wine, our cares were left behind when we looked into each other’s eyes

何年何夕 两相执手

蚀骨相思 风侵寒透

仙人近侧 怕倚小楼

金缕为笼 歌乐成囚

When again was it, when we both held our hands

This longing gnaws my bones, the wind chills my core

In close company of deities, I fear to lean forlornly against the towers

I’m in a cage made of golden threads, a prison made of joyous songs

凉夜凄长 应怨更漏

数得千枚 零落红豆

遗君一心 一心怎收

杳渺音绝 余我孤奏

This cold night stretches long and sorrowful, echoing hints of sad laments

I’ve counted a thousand scattered red beans

All I have now is but a sole heart for you, a sole heart I know not to temper

Without a trace of your goings, you left me playing our songs alone

何年何夕 共沐春秋

银汉邈邈 炊烟悠悠

敢请东风 小住暂留

托书天地 安否安否

When was it again, when we relished the seasons

The Milky Way yawned in the distance, the chimney smoke lazily wafted

I appealed to the eastern wind, please accommodate a short stay

So to carry my letter for you out into the world, is that alright, is that alright?

尘心如练 长悬银钩

鱼雁不闻 斯人难候

九霄一曲 人间白首

隔世相问 忆否忆否

My mortal heart is worn and weary, forever hooked to the crescent moon

The fishes and geese have not known, how testing is this wait for you

Reverberating through nine tiers of heaven, a song of lasting love till old

Separated by worlds, we ask one another, do you remember, do you remember? 

***

Translator's note:

For context, this story is about the forbidden love between a fairy descended from the heavens with a mortal, likely inspired by the folklore of the romance between a cowherd (mortal) and a weaver girl (immortal). The song lyrics are very moving. Enjoy!