[English translation] 易水诀 - Farewell by Yi River

总策划//Main producer：木宁木蒙 (Mu Ning Mu Meng)
企划运营//Project manager：塔库 (Ta Ku)
监制//Supervisor：落落无尘、卿雅、小仙、克迪奥洛夫斯基 (Luo Luo Wu Chen, Qin Ya, Xiao Xian, Ke Di Ao Luo Fu Si Ji <something-something-ovsky... I have no idea>)
作曲// Music：银临 (Yin Lin)
编曲//Arrangement：灰原穷 (Hui Yuan Qiong)
作词//Lyrics：慕清明 (Mu Qing Ming)
视频：溺水金鱼【麻薯映像】(Drowned goldfish / Ni Shui Jing Yu [Mochi pictures])
曲绘：花开之所 (Hua Kai Zhi Suo)


[风萧兮易水寒　壮士去不复还]

Shrill winds rise, waters cold; the hero shall go and never come home.

***

[风萧兮易水寒　壮士去不复还]　风萧萧兮易水寒
[风萧兮易水寒　壮士去不复还]　炽烈肝胆

[风萧兮易水寒　壮士去不复还]　壮士一去不复还

[风萧兮易水寒　壮士去不复还]　心决然

Shrill winds rise, waters cold

Fiery passions in his guts

The hero shall go and never come home

His heart is set

风萧萧兮易水寒

壮士一去不复还

阵云昏  逝水黯

怕触目霜雪衣冠

清肃容颜  炽烈肝胆

心决然

Shrill winds rise, waters cold

The hero shall go and never come home

Storm clouds dim, currents dark

I dread seeing him clothed in stark white garbs

His visage solemn, and fiery passions in his guts

His heart is set

风萧萧兮易水寒
壮士一去不复还
陈年酒  尚余半
添入往事尝浓淡
敬你我俱能从容踏狂澜

Shrill winds rise, waters cold
The hero shall go and never come home
Still with half our aged wine left
Adding flavors to our past
A toast to us both, for our grace in traversing wild storms


最怕是独活  最狠是回忆
当年燕市击筑扬歌在耳际
倾十分孤勇  步无归命局
明朝少年邀同醉　白头人间何处你

I fear most to survive alone, I’m pained most by our memories
Zither music in the town streets from past years echoed still in our ears
You gave all your courage, and stepped into this ill-fated scheme

When invited for a drink on the morrow, where could you be?

浮生旧事多不值一提

除却曾得知音你

浩然江海与苍茫天地　都将替我铭记

Most of the past don’t deserve to be mentioned

Except the fact I’ve met my soulmate, you

Rivers and open seas, endless breadth of heaven and earth, shall remember for me

光阴坦荡若飞鸿雪泥

采撷传说里的相遇别离

珍藏在西风古道清明雨

Time is frank with its transcience and brevity

Picking out the meetings and partings in legends

And cherished them within west winds through ancient streets, and rains on remembrance day

[风萧兮易水寒　壮士去不复还]　风萧萧兮易水寒

[风萧兮易水寒　壮士去不复还]　炽烈肝胆

[风萧兮易水寒　壮士去不复还]　壮士一去不复还

[风萧兮易水寒　壮士去不复还]　心决然

Shrill winds rise, waters cold

Fiery passions in his guts

The hero shall go and never come home

His heart is set

风萧萧兮易水寒
壮士一去不复还
仓促梦  狼藉盏
梦里朗笑归远帆
共睹你舍身相护的河山

Shrill winds rise, waters cold
The hero shall go and never come home
What a hurried dream, in the midst of scattered cups
In that dream came your clear laughter from a returning voyage
Together we witnessed the lands you defended with your life

故友长别离  故国成追忆

当年燕市击筑扬歌在耳际
倾十分孤勇  步无归命局
明朝少年邀同醉　白头人间何处你

Old friends separated, old kingdom turned memories

Zither music in the town streets from past years echoed still in our ears

You gave all your courage, and stepped into this ill-fated scheme

When invited for a drink on the morrow, where could you be?

浮生旧事多不值一提

除却曾得知音你

浩然江海与苍茫天地　都将替我铭记

Most of the past don’t deserve to be mentioned

Except the fact I’ve met my soulmate, you

Rivers and open seas, endless breadth of heaven and earth, shall remember for me

光阴坦荡若飞鸿雪泥

采撷传说里的相遇别离

珍藏在西风古道清明雨

Time is frank with its transcience and brevity

Picking out the meetings and partings in legends

And cherished them within west winds through ancient streets, and rains on remembrance day

烽烟乱世中怀抱勇气

慨然孤注手中棋

放浪形骸的江湖岁月

滚烫一点一滴

We embrace courage within this chaotic, war-torn world

And handsomely threw in our bets

Our carefree wandering days

Turned into scalding drops and drips

原来生死之交这命题

是毋庸许什么豪言誓语

就并辔奔赴下一世风雨

So it was realized, the thing with sworn friends for life and death

Is the needlessness of passionate words and vows

But just riding side by side towards the storms of our next lives

***

Translator’s note:

• Qing Ming, or Tomb Sweeping Day, is as its name describes. It’s a day of remembrance for those who have passed. Both "西风古道" and "清明雨" reference other ancient poems with somber themes (though these date much later than the famous line starred in this song).

• “风萧萧兮易水寒，壮士一去不复还。” This phrase is from the Song of Yi River. A more literal translation would be “The winds are shrill, Yi waters cold; the hero goes and never returns.” I modified it for the sake of rhyme and smoother cadences. I'll post the story separately here so this one doesn't get too long. 

I think a lot of the charm of this song is knowing the heartbreaking story behind it. It is an actual historical event detailed in the Records of the Grand Historian (史记), involving the very famous (or infamous) Qin Shi Huang Di, the emperor who united China and ordered the production of those terracotta armies we see today. 

(And can we take a moment to appreciate how gorgeous the video is. I absolutely love it.)


EDIT: Changed "rains during Qing Ming" to "rains on remembrance day", because alliterations are fun. 

EDIT (7/12/2020): Shout out to Youtube user juann in the comments, and all who helped put up/approve the annotations in the official Sanwu music video. Thanks very much! I just recently realized it's up there and it really made my day. You guys are awesome! Cheers!