Original music: https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1wH4y1m7Pc
鼓钟将将 淮水汤汤
淑人君子 怀允不忘
鼓钟钦钦 鼓瑟鼓琴
以雅以南 以籥不僭
For kindly gentlemen, remembrances cling
Drums and bells ring, to strum zither strings
To play regal tunes, harmonised with woodwinds
[Pre-Qin - Qin dynasty]
拨转 遥夜天星
Turn the stars of the distant night sky
回荡着潮起湘江 涛喧渭滨
Tides of River Xiang echo, waves of River Wei clamour
Qu Yuan 屈原 (c. 340 BC – 278 BC) - statesman, patriot, poet
Jiang Ziya 姜子牙 (1128 BC - 1015 BC) - strategist, military general
萧萧长风驰逐壮士之行
Soughing winds urge the hero’s departure
Gao Jianli 高渐离 - musician, zither player
Jing Ke 荆轲 (? - 227 BC) - assassin
雌雄剑 匣中鸣
Paired swords ring out from their chest
Gan Jiang and Mo Ye 干将、莫邪 - swordsmith couple
旌旗 翻卷姑苏云
Battle standards stir the clouds of Gusu
Gou Jian 勾践 (496 BC - 465 BC) - King of Yue
Fu Chai 夫差 (495 BC - 473 BC) - King of Wu
落雷激一片战吼 起长平
Thunder incites war cries over Changping
Bai Qi 白起 (332 BC - 257 BC) - military general
绳墨 裁量六合
Rope and ink, tailor the union of the six
Li Si 李斯 (280 BC - 208 BC) - chancellor to the first emperor
Han Feizi 韩非子 (c. 280 BC - 233 BC) - Legalist philosopher
铺展开万道同距的国境
Opening up a realm with paths by equal lengths measured
Qin Shi Huang/Ying Zheng 秦始皇嬴政 (259 BC - 210 BC) - first emperor of China, founder of the Qin dynasty
[Chu-Han contention - Han dynasty]
金铁因交戈铿锵
Metals clang as weapons clash
山河为壮心宽广
And lands broaden with ambition
斩蛇剑辟征途 举鼎称王
The serpent-cutting sword cuts a path forth, he who lifts the cauldron is pronounced king
Liu Bang 汉高祖刘邦 (256 BC - 195 BC) - Emperor Gaozu of Han, founder of the Han dynasty
Zhang Liang 张良 (c. 251 BC - 189 BC) - strategist, advisor
Han Xin 韩信 (231 BC - 196 BC) - military general, strategist
Xiang Yu 项羽 (232 BC - 202 BC) - Hegemon King of Chu
节杖指朔漠苍茫
The ambassador’s staff points at a desert bleak
Zhang Qian 张骞 (195 BC - 114 BC) - diplomat, explorer
千秋随雁鸣悠长
A dynasty resounds far as calls of migrant geese
Princess Jieyou 解忧公主 (120 BC - 49 BC) - marriage alliance with the Wusun
Wang Zhaojun 王昭君 (c. 50 BC - 18 AD) - marriage alliance with the Xiongnu
铁蹄驰骋行迹 划宇分疆
Tracks of armoured cavalry mark borders and realms
Liu Che 汉武帝刘彻 (156 BC - 87 BC) - Emperor Wu of Han
Wei Qing 卫青 (? - 106 BC) - military general
Huo Qubing 霍去病 (140 BC - 117 BC) - military general
[Three Kingdoms - Jin dynasty]
来去 散聚 百代
To come, to go, through the generations
破浪来 赤壁临眺
Breaking waves, peering across the Red Cliff
Sun Ce 孙策 (175 - 200) - military general, warlord
Zhou Yu 周瑜 (175 - 210) - military general, strategist
千帆竞发 英雄气概
Countless sails give chase, with the valour of heroes
Zhao Yun 赵云 (? - 229) - military general
穿林去 琴惊鬼神
Through the forest, zither music stuns even the spirits
Ji Kang 嵇康 (223 - 262) - zither player, musician, poet
Ruan Ji 阮籍 (210 - 263) - poet, writer, musician
宓妃应羡 辞章之神采
The River Goddess may awe at the eloquence of her namesake piece
Lady Zhen 甄夫人 (183 - 221) - Empress of the Cao Wei kingdom, believed to have inspired the image of the Luo River Goddess
Cao Zhi 曹植 (192 - 232) - Prince of Wei, poet, author of “Ode to the Luo River Goddess”
Cao Pi 曹丕 (187 - 226) - Emperor Wen of Wei, first emperor of the Cao Wei kingdom
飞雪散 江山不夜
Snow scatters through lands that never sleep
Xie Xuan 谢玄 (343 - 388) - Military general, politician
飘絮落入 名士的襟怀
Catkins fall into the embrace of noble scholars
Xie Daoyun 谢道韫 (? - 409) - poet, writer, calligrapher
松烟聚汇风流
Pine mists gather these romances
在一方砚台
At such places as an inkstone
Wang Xizhi 王羲之 (303 - 361) - calligrapher, writer
[Jin dynasty - Tang dynasty]
溯寻 桃源仙客
To trace the whereabouts of the peach blossom sage
Tao Yuanming 陶渊明 (365 - 427) - writer, poet, hermit, author of “The Accounts of the Peach Blossom Spring”
或拍马疾驰入阵 驱策烽火
Or spur one’s steed into enemy ranks, commanding signal flames
Gao Changgong 高长恭 (541 - 573) - Prince of Lanling
辞镜朱颜无需胭脂勾勒
The maiden parted from the mirror needs no touch of rouge
Hua Mulan 花木兰 - military general
扬沸血 添妆色
Boiling blood will have her cheeks coloured
Princess Pingyang 昭平阳公主 (598 - 623) - military general
[Tang dynasty]
鸿钟 向黎明朝贺
A great bell greets dawn in celebration
Li Shimin 唐太宗李世民 (598 - 649) - Emperor Taizong of Tang
Wu Zetian 武则天 (624 - 705) - the first and only woman emperor of China
燃犀照目如澄镜 辨诸恶
Eyes illuminated clear as mirrors, discerning all evils
Wei Zheng 魏征 (580 - 643) - chancellor, political advisor, historian
Di Renjie 狄仁杰 (630 - 700) - chancellor, political advisor, judge
也怕 春秋寂寞
Fearing too, those melancholies of the seasons
Shangguan Wan’er 上官婉儿 (664 - 710) - stateswoman, scribe
Princess Taiping 太平公主 (665 - 713) - stateswoman
趁椒花在枝且倾杯作乐
Seize the time of blossoming boughs for merry cheers
Li Longji 唐玄宗李隆基 (685 - 762) - Emperor Xuanzong of Tang
Yang Yuhuan 杨玉环 - Imperial consort
踏舞应雷霆狂歌
Dances ought come with thunderous songs
Madam Gongsun 公孙大娘 - sword dancer
知己携夜色奔波
One’s soulmate escapes under night’s disguise
Hongfu (Red Duster) 红拂 - maidservant, advisor
无价深情点画 芳华鲜活
Deep passions breath life to youth’s lovely charms
Yu Xuanji 鱼玄机 (844 - 877) - poet, courtesan
信仰同风沙跋涉
Faith journeyed along with sandstorms
Xuanzang 玄奘 (602 - 664) - monk, pilgrim, Buddhist scholar
真理与星辰共烁
And truth shines with the stars
Yuan Tiangang 袁天罡 (573 - 645) - astrologer, seer
Li Chunfeng 李淳风 (602 - 670) - astrologer, seer
见过众生诸相 才见神佛
Having seen the panorama of mortals, only can one see the Gods
[Tang dynasty - Song dynasty]
雪月 风花 犹在
Poetics, beauty, remains
长安月 醉堕瑶台
Chang’an’s moon, falls drunken from the balcony
Li Bai 李白 (701 - 762) - Poet
Du Fu 杜甫 (712 - 770) - Poet
摔作盛世 万家灯火
Crashing into a golden age, to lanterns in a million homes
Yuan Zhen 元稹 (779 - 831) - Poet
Bai Juyi 白居易 (772 - 846) - Poet
宫花落 琵琶溅泪
Palace flowers drift, a lute speckled with tears
Li Yu 南唐后主李煜 (937 - 978) - poet, last emperor of Southern Tang
Zhou Ehuang 大周后周娥皇 (936 - 965) - Empress Zhou the elder, first wife of Li Yu
诗篇萦系 美人的魂魄
Poems cling to souls of maidens fair
Xue Tao 薛涛 (768 - 831) - Poet
汴城雪 吹白衣冠
Bianjing’s snowy breeze lines his crown and robe white
Xin Qiji 辛弃疾 (1140 - 1207) - poet, military general, patriot
积满雕弓 催梦度冰河
And gathers on his bow, dreams usher him across icy rivers
Su Shi 苏轼 (1037 - 1101) - poet, writer, statesman
Lu You 陆游 (1125 - 1210) - poet, writer, patriot
帘外霜风形迹被词笔镌刻
Frosty drafts beyond the curtains captured in verse
Li Qingzhao 李清照 (1084 - 1155) - Poet
[Song dynasty - Yuan dynasty]
箭穿霄 桴鼓撼地
Arrows pierce the clouds, drumrolls shake the earth
Liang Hongyu 梁红玉 (1102 - 1135) - military general
苍龙抬首 红日煊赫
The dragon lifts its head, the scarlet sun’s bright as ever
Zhao Kuangyin 赵太祖赵匡胤 (927 - 976) - Emperor Taizu of Song, founder of the Song dynasty
登峰瞰 何畏浮云
From a mountainous vantage, why fear the drifting clouds
变法治世 欲立而先破
Reforms to govern the realm, one must first break to build
Wang Anshi 王安石 (1021 - 1086) - statesman, reformer, poet
摹造化 挥洒万象
Sketch the likeness of nature, spill its endless shapes
野马尘埃 腾跃出毫墨
Wild horses in dust storms leap from ink brushes
Zhao Mengfu 赵孟頫 (1257 - 1322) - artist
Guan Daosheng 管道昇 (1262 - 1319) - calligrapher
Foyin 佛印 (1032 - 1098) - monk, Zen master, storyteller
海川奔流入酒
The oceans and rivers rush into wine
润胸中丘壑
To nourish the landscape of the mind
Ouyang Xiu 欧阳修 (1007 - 1072) - essayist, statesman, historian
{Excerpts arranged from the Song dynasty poem, “Grave of the Grand Historian Sima”, by Zhang Bian 张昪 (992 - 1077)}
巍峨西山古
Grand is the ancient mountain west
浩瀚大河雄
Vast is the great river strong
兴亡陈迹今只余
Trails of past glories left only
冢上青柏葱葱
Graves overgrown with verdant fir
摄衣瞻拜太史公
Pay our obeisance to the Grand Historian
千载斯文在此中
For the thousand years of refinement held within
Sima Qian 司马迁 (145 BC- c. 86 BC) - Author of the “Records of the Grand Historian”
[Ming dynasty - Qing dynasty]
草木心 以行践知
A heart synced with nature practices what he knows
Wang Yangming 王阳明 (1472 - 1529) - philosopher, statesman
傲骨可昭 清白本色
Proud bones announce his true noble colours
Yu Qian 于谦 (1398 - 1457) - patriot, military general, statesman
布衣身 披沥血火
Humble beginnings trialed by blood and fire
Zhu Yuanzhang 明太祖朱元璋 (1328 - 1398) - Emperor Taizu of Ming, founder of the Ming dynasty
Empress Ma 马皇后 (1332 - 1382) - Empress Xiaocigao, first empress of the Ming dynasty
志绝重洋 方显四海阔
Ambitions set across oceans, only can the vastness of the world be shown
Zheng He 郑和 (1371 - 1433) - admiral, explorer, diplomat
搏天命 巧夺天工
To bet with fate, with genius rivaling the divine
Song Yingxing 宋应星 (1587 - 1666) - scientist, author of the encyclopedia “The Exploitation of the Works of Nature”
Wang Zhenyi 王贞仪 (1768 - 1797) - astronomer, mathematician
试问天高 向天道求索
Question the height of heavens, seeking answers from its laws
Zu Chongzhi 祖冲之 (429 - 500) - astronomer, mathematician
Huang Daopo 黄道婆 (1245 - 1330) - textile innovator
梦魂寄留人间
Dreaming souls park in this mortal realm
Tang Xianzu 汤显祖 (1550 - 1616) - playwright
Pu Songling 蒲松龄 (1640 - 1715) - writer, author of “Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio“
醉吟醒世歌
And wake the world with drunken songs
Feng Menglong 冯梦龙 (1574 - 1646) - novelist, historian
Tang Bohu 唐伯虎 (1470 - 1524) - artist, calligrapher
运书刀 纵横青简
Wielding a book knife across bamboo scrolls
刻写前尘 凡人轮廓
To carve the past lives and portraits of mortals
Sima Guang 司马光 (1019 - 1086) - historian, author of the “Comprehensive Mirror in Aid of Governance”
Ban Zhao 班昭 (c.49 - c.120) - historian, educator, co-author of the “Book of Han”
Sima Qian 司马迁 (145 BC- c. 86 BC) - author of the “Records of the Grand Historian”
千年后 谁将翻阅
Thousand years later, who’d flip through the pages
指纹交叠 岁月的留辙
Fingerprints overlap, these wheel tracks of time
但犹见 日夜相继
Yet one still sees, day after night
东风传火 一路慷慨歌
The eastern winds passing the torch, while we sing along the march
旷古绝唱不绝
This unprecedented song will not be the end
今迎后来者
Today we welcome our successors
********
Extra footnotes on the lyrics:
- 湘江 - Xiang River, a major tributary to the Yangtze River, signifying the south of China.
- 渭河/渭滨 - Wei River (滨 = by the riverside), the largest tributary to the Yellow River, signifying the north of China.
- 姑苏 - Gusu, named Suzhou in modern times, the setting for the Wu-Yue contention during the Spring and Autumn period.
- 长平 - Changping, the place where a battle resulted in the deaths of over four hundred thousand surrendered soldiers during the Warring States period.
- 六合 - "union of the six", in this context means unifying all seven kingdoms during the Warring States period under the Qin empire.
- 万道同距的国境 - "realm with paths in equal lengths measured" alludes to the standardisation of measurements across the empire after unification under the first emperor, Qin Shi Huang
- 斩蛇剑 - “serpent-cutting sword” alludes to an event at the start of Liu Bang’s rebellion, where it was said he cut in half a white snake in his path.
- 举鼎称王 - “he who lifts the cauldron is pronounced king” alludes to Xiang Yu. To persuade another lord to supply him with men for his rebellion, Xiang Yu lifted a cauldron that could not be lifted by four strong men together.
- 赤壁 - Red Cliff, famous battle site during the Three Kingdoms period.
- 桃源仙客 - Peach Blossom Sage. A mystical character encountered by the main character, and who introduced him to the Peach Blossom Spring, from the story of “The Accounts of the Peach Blossom Spring”
- 长安 - Chang’an, or Xi’an today, was the capital city of China for many dynasties in the past, including Zhou, Qin, Han, Sui, Tang.
- 汴城/汴京/汴梁 - Bian city/Bianjing/Bianliang, was the capital city during the Northern Song dynasty, today known as Kaifeng.
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