Hey there! Since I've been posting my translations for some time now (and some writing sprinkled in here and there), I thought it might be useful to compile a master list. Makes it easier to navigate the blog. These are in alphabetical order based on the Chinese Pinyin of the titles. I also realized a number of the videos I linked may have been taken down/made private, so I'll put a note if that's the case.
Apologies for the hodgepodge mix of traditional and simplified Chinese, for those who can read the language. It's a little disorganized, I'll admit. I can read both well enough, but I usually just take from whichever lyrics source is convenient, so I've ended up with this. I hope it's not too much of a bother. Cheers, and have a good day!
(Updated: 2025 February 08) **Edit (23/3/2020) - Note for usage of my work: As people had asked me about it, I'll put it out here for clarity. I love to share my passion for these songs as well as Chinese history and culture, so feel free to use and share my translations as long as it is non-commercial and credits its source. Though, once again, a disclaimer that my translation may not be as accurate as some might think, but I do try my best to balance accuracy with aesthetics. I'm truly honored if anyone thinks this is good enough to be shared, despite me basically using this blog as my sandpit to play and experiment with language. If this sparks interest in classical Chinese culture, as well as contemporary pop culture which derives from it, I'd consider it a win too. (More people like the stuff you like = bigger fanbase = more people to geek out with). So, stay awesome, and thanks for reading!
As twilight approaches, I watch the setting sun upon the horizon
Vaguely, I recall your visage
After all, wistfulness is inevitable with these reminiscences
I sigh on those happy moments of ours
夜未央繁星落眼眶
拾一段柔软的光芒
清风过 曳烛光 独舞无人欣赏
留花瓣随风飘荡
The night’s still young, the array of stars falls into my sight
Picking up a soft glow of light
Winds swayed the candlelight, a lone dance without an audience
Leaving only flower petals riding the wind
我要将过往都储藏
编一段美好的梦想
也许幻想到最后会更伤
假欢畅 又何妨无人共享
I want to save all of the past
To weave a beautiful dream
Perhaps illusions will hurt more in the end
It’s but a feigned bliss, no matter if there is none other to share with
你曾经是我的边疆
抵挡我所有的悲伤
西风残 故人往 如今被爱流放
困在了眼泪中央
You were once my frontier
Defended me from all my sorrows
West winds linger, old friends passed, I'm now exiled by love
Locked in the midst of tears
轻解霓裳 咽泪换笑妆
等你戎装 去呼啸沧桑
过往终究止不住流淌
去御剑飞翔
也许会飞出这感伤
Gently I disrobed, swallowed my tears and put on a smiling front
Waiting on you in your armor, off to command the vicissitudes of life
The flow of the past alas cannot be stopped
To soar upon a magical sword
Perhaps then escape from this sorrow is possible
暮色起看天边斜阳
夜未央星河独流淌
天晴朗 好风光 若你不在身旁
能上苍穹又怎样
As twilight approaches, I watch the setting sun upon the horizon
The night’s still young, the river of stars flows in solitude
The day is bright, the scenery’s fine, but if you are not by my side,
Does it matter if I can reach heaven's high?
船过空港 将寂寞豢养
旷野霜降 低垂了泪光
Sailing pass an empty harbor, nursing my loneliness
Snow falls upon an open field, a tearful glint lowered
是谁陨落了我的太阳
是你的模样
带走我所有的光芒
Who was it who fell my sun
It was your likeness
Who took away all my light
扬帆远航 亦不过彷徨
奈何流放 敌不过苍凉
Setting sail for a long voyage, it’s only a sense of lost and uncertainty
Yet exile itself is no match for this desolation
我要潜入回忆的汪洋
寻你的模样
唯有你是我的天堂
I want to dive into the ocean of memories
To search for your likeness
You are my only paradise
唯有你是我的天堂
You are my only paradise
******
Translator's note:
So yeah, instead of work I've procrastinated and did this instead. I'm aware that there are several versions of translations out there already (also translated to "Love Catastrophe" or "Love Casualty" in other versions), but after listening to this on repeat (while rushing for work) I can't resist trying my hands on it. Usual disclaimer, mine may not be the most literally, word-by-word accurate version since I have the pretentious soul of a artsy-poet-wannabe.
Also, an excuse to fangirl over Xiao Xingchen (blind guy in white) from "Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation" (Mo Dao Zu Shi). Just a note, the song is not from MDZS, but its only made into a music video with this song.
And Xue Yang is objectively a garbage person. Period.
Not a character pairing I can get behind (Xiao with Xue), but the author sure knows how to grind my feelings to smithereens. The emotional complexity behind the story arc is just... perfection. Xue Yang Trash Yang (that is literally how the fandom calls him I'm not making this up) is such a compelling villain you just can't get enough of him. Despite Xue's seething hatred for him, that last piece of candy Xiao gave Xue, a memento for Xiao's kindness to him, he gripped the rotten candy tightly unto his own death. That, and his insistence to piece Xiao's soul together and revive him as a zombie. These are some testaments to the villain's complex psychology.
As for Xiao Xingchen... I have yet to see a more merciless treatment to such a noble character in fiction. (I have a very, very, VERY soft spot for truly noble heroes with tragic arcs.) Saved a vengeful SOB unknowingly, tricked into killing the people he vowed to protect, tricked into killing his best friend, his soul literally shattered when the deception is revealed. He could have been complacent with his life as a hermit in the mountains, yet he came out intending to do good in the world. He had the purest heart, but fate had him lose everything because of it - his dream, his sight, his friends, his principles. The despair he felt in his final moments were particularly palpable and soul-crushing.
I think I've derailed from the song. Nevertheless, I love both this song (have been listening to it for many years already) and the story which the MV is based on. If any of you have not read/watched the story of "Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation", I highly recommend it. There's the novel, the anime (still ongoing - in fact the upcoming Season 3 is going to show this particular arc if it ever gets released), and the TV series "The Untamed".
In the year 202 BCE, the Hegemon-King of Chu, Xiang Yu, who had brought the Qin empire to its knees, who had once been the supreme leader across the central plains, arrived at Gaixia with his defeated army. Their numbers were few, and their food supplies exhausted. The Han army already had them surrounded.
Singing of songs from Chu by the enemy travelled into Xiang Yu’s camp. In shock, Xiang Yu exclaimed, “have they taken over all of Chu already?”
He had won impossible battles. He had dominated all his competitors. Kneeling before him after his legendary victory, they hadn’t dared to meet his eyes. If only he had heeded his advisor and rid of Liu Bang, king of Han, during the banquet at Swan’s Gate. Despaired by the devastation of his army, torn by the fate that awaited his loved one once the Han army advanced, Xiang Yu sang to his consort Yu:
“力拔山兮气盖世，
时不利兮骓不逝。
骓不逝兮可奈何，
虞兮虞兮奈若何！”
“With strength to lift mountains, and an unrivalled air of dominance;
Yet times have turned unfavored, my prized steed runs no longer;
My steed runs no longer, what now can I do
Yu, my dearest Yu, what can I do with you?”
Consort Yu took up a sword and performed a dance, answering him in verses:
“汉兵已略地，
四面楚歌声。
大王意气尽，
贱妾何聊生！”
“The Han army has conquered our lands
With our songs surrounding us on all sides
My king’s strength and will are spent,
How can I, a lowly consort, speak of life!”
All who were present wept. His followers couldn’t bear the sight of their proud, valiant leader now a broken man in tears. Not wanting to burden her king's escape and battle, Consort Yu put herself to the sword, ending his dilemma. He buried her at the site of her death.
What ensued was a battle to the death. Xiang Yu cut out a bloody path, killed more than a hundred enemies, and managed to escape to the river banks of Wu. A subordinate rowed a boat forth. He urged Xiang Yu to cross the river and rebuild his forces in the eastern lands, where he had first risen to power.
Xiang Yu laughed. “If it’s Heaven’s will to end me, what’s the point of crossing? I brought eight thousand sons of the eastern lands to advance west, yet not one returns alive. Even if they should make me leader again out of love and pity, can I bring myself to face them? Even if they don’t speak of it, do I not know guilt?”
He gave his treasured warhorse to the subordinate. His horse shall return, but not its rider. Xiang Yu turned back and charged at his enemies, slaying a further hundred enemy soldiers. He too had been gravely wounded in battle. Upon seeing an old friend in the enemy ranks, Xiang Yu called out to him, and said: “I heard the king of Han put a bounty of a thousand gold on my head, and promised the title of Lord of Ten Thousand Households. Consider this a favor for you!” Xiang Yu then put his sword to his neck, ending his life at the age of thirty-one.
The king of Han, Liu Bang, emerged the ultimate victor from the chaos since the fall of the Qin empire, and was titled Emperor Gaozu of Han. Thus began the great Han dynasty, which will last for the next four hundred years in the history of the central plains.
作曲//Composer：陈亦洺 (Chen Yi Ming) / KBShinya
作词//Lyrics：骆栖淮 (Luo Qi Huai)
编曲//Arrangement：向往 (Xiang Wang)
原唱//Original vocal：av65904455 赤羽 (Vocaloid Chiyu)
调教//Tuning (for Vocaloid)：坐标P (Zuo Biao P)
翻混//Mixing：三无 Marblue (San Wu Marblue; also the cover for the video)
南箫//Flute：囚牛 (Qiu Niu)
吉他//Guitar：Riyo
视频//Video：RUMIA、BUNG KON【麻薯映像】
曲绘//Art：
杂煮虎猫糕（虞姬舞剑）- Za Zhu Hu Mao Gao (Consort Yu's sword dance)
白鄔東（鸿门宴、楚汉棋局对垒）- Bai Wu Dong (Banquet of Swan's Gate, Chu vs Han chess)
AKWA（刘邦被刺、项羽自刎）- AKWA (Sword stabbing at Liu Bang, Xiang Yu commits suicide)
酒绛子（霸王别姬）- Jiu Jiang Zi (Xiang Yu bidding farewell to his consort)
***
汉军已略地 四面楚歌声
霸王意气尽 贱妾何聊生
The Han army has conquered our lands
With our songs, surrounding us on all sides
My king’s strength and will are spent,
How can I, a lowly consort, speak of life!
[On the banquet of Swan’s Gate]
明月如水掀浪 风云际会弦上
杯酒交互锋芒 君心探试短长
华筵邀判来者 舞拔剑光
席间鸿门将相 哪个称霸王
The bright moon’s like a rising wave, a stormy encounter hangs by a string
Blades exchanged with wine cups, intending to test his heart
A great feast to invite and judge its guests, a dance with swords unsheathed
Lords and generals seated in this deadly banquet, who shall claim dominance
[On Xiang Yu, Hegemon-King of Chu]
千古坐拥 世无双
Forever secured in history, a name unparalleled
拆山河 川流割裂五岳摇荡
几曾寻剑泰阿说颓唐
分天下 各自为君排兵列仗
可笑锦衣富贵如何不归乡
Lands taken apart, rivers cut up, and the five mountains quaked
Search for the sword of the first emperor fell to languor
The world divided, each army arranged in battle formation for their kings
How laughable, why would one who made his fortune not return home
（且问 且量）任平生尽逐兵戈场 自可取天地与四方
（且战 且狂）敢破釜沉舟气势张 将三军胄甲拟兴亡
（且悲 且怅）见八千子弟不得还 将军擂鼓提剑赴大江
虞姬隔江犹把楚声唱
(To ask, to gauge) His life spent chasing upon battlefields, all lands by nature was his to claim
(To battle, to rage) He once dared sink boats to bolster battle spirits, composed fates with the armor of his men
(To grief, to mourn) Eight thousand sons of the east never to return, the general struck his war drum, and with his sword, headed for the river
His consort Yu seemed to sing beyond the river still
[On Liu Bang, King of Han]
运筹策谋帷帐 决胜千里奔忙
春秋难测庸常 劈风斩月相抗
楚汉寂寞封疆 野水苍茫
阅尽英雄功业 哪个是真王
Strategies and tactics drawn up in his camps, toiling for victory with foresight
Seasons prove its unpredictability, fighting odds with ferocious tenacity
At the lonely border between Chu and Han, its waters wild and bleak
Having studied the works of great men, who is truly the king?
烽火不歇 黄沙烫
Flames of war cease not, yellow sands scorched
大风起 不忌前尘国士贤良
所行振旗策马需同往
四海绝 平生之志永定家邦
应叹潜龙跃麟君指刀锋扬
Great winds rise, minding not the past but the merits of patriots
Where his standards go they ride and follow
Within the four seas, was his lifelong ambition to secure home and nation
Like a hidden dragon, a leaping beast, he raised the tip of his blade
（且疑 且妄）拜下邑画策张子房 更劝都关中别洛阳
（且疾 且向）逢一朝鸿鹄青云上 策一朝悬壁通云梁
（且呼 且王）终成败有尽登庙堂 其路漫漫万载俱流芳
大江东去天下称帝皇
(To doubt, to bewilder) Humbling himself to the one who advised, Zhang Zifang, for a capital in Guanzhong not Luoyang
(To spur, to go) With each encounter he reaches above the swans in the sky, each move he climbed cliff walls through the clouds
(To hail the king) A necessary end to his legacy made its place in temple halls, a long road to leave great names down the ages
As the river flows east, he claimed emperor under heaven
拆山河 川流割裂五岳摇荡
几曾寻剑泰阿说颓唐
分天下 各自为君排兵列仗
可笑锦衣富贵如何不归乡
Lands taken apart, rivers cut up, and the five mountains quaked
Search for the sword of the first emperor fell to languor
The world divided, each army arranged in battle formation for their kings
How laughable, why would one who made his fortune not return home
（且问 且量）任平生尽逐兵戈场 自可取天地与四方
（且战 且狂）敢破釜沉舟气势张 将三军胄甲拟兴亡
（且悲 且怅）见八千子弟不得还 将军擂鼓提剑赴大江
虞姬隔江犹把楚声唱
(To ask, to gauge) His life spent chasing upon battlefields, all lands by nature was his to claim
(To battle, to rage) He once dared sink boats to bolster battle spirits, composed fates with the armor of his men
(To grief, to mourn) Eight thousand sons of the east never to return, the general struck his war drum, and with his sword, headed for the river
His consort Yu seemed to sing beyond the river still
***
Translator's note:
Long, long, long overdue post. Have posted the backstory, translation, and some footnotes, in the comments of the video weeks ago. I intended to elaborate further in the blog, but Real Life™ caught up with me. So here we are.
When this song first came out, I was totally blown away at my first listening. I mean, how epic is this? Especially knowing some of the story behind, it's just... love at first sight. I had been listening to this one song on loop, with all the different covers, for most a week. The tragic hero coupled with the lover’s sacrifice makes such a compelling story that it has never faded from our cultural consciousness. There's a well-known Chinese opera play based on it, "Farewell to My Concubine" (霸王别姬).
The reason this is called "Chess Under Heaven" (I can't find the exact word to translate "局", but it approximately means the state of the game, and in this case it obviously refers to chess), is because the both parties in our modern Chinese chess represents the two sides in this battle between the Chu (楚) and the Han (汉). Xiang Yu was rumored to favor the color black, and was said to dress in black and rides a black horse; while Liu Bang fashioned himself "the Red Emperor".
There really is too much story for me to possibly do it justice. Interestingly, many people side with the loser (Xiang Yu, the tragic hero) rather than the victor (Liu Bang). Some thought Xiang Yu was too naive for his own good. He's this domineering figure, utterly fearless on the battlefield. He had cut off all retreat for him and his men to fight against a much larger army, while his allies hid behind their walls. It was a phenomenal victory that established his superiority over the other warlords of the time. Yet he shows a very human side. Historical records say he would attend to his sick or wounded men, sending them food and well-wishes in person, with tearful glints in his eyes. One contemporary described him as having "a woman's kindness, and a brute's bravado" (these were not meant to be compliments). At impending doom, he showed no fear of death, but pained for his lover and his favorite horse. Personally, I find his forthright personality almost childlike. But do not be fooled into thinking he is some Ned Stark. He has a vicious streak, evidently from his ruthless assassination of various political rivals (including the supposed Emperor of Chu), burying up to 200,000 surrendered Qin soldiers alive, massacring whole cities, and frying the body of a rival's mother in rage, who had committed suicide to thwart Xiang Yu's plan to make her hostage.
Liu Bang on the other hand, is equally compelling in his own way. Though a minor official, he's often portrayed as a gangster figure in his hometown. Doesn't really bother much about family. But boy does he have lots of friends. He liked to hang out with the working class people (unlike Xiang Yu, who was born into an old aristocratic family). In fact, a huge proportion of his supporters were people from the grassroots of society, e.g. butchers, prison wardens. His warring track record isn't exactly as shiny as Xiang Yu, however, he emerged the ultimate victor, all thanks to his political savvy and knowing when to listen to his advisers.
As all good politicians go, he can be quite coldly calculating, to the point where he could kick his own son and daughter off his chariot to escape faster from his pursuers (though the historical truth of this event is being contended). In fact, he caught Xiang Yu off guard just before that final battle because he breached the peace treaty they just signed. After he became emperor, he got rid of potential threats to his regime, even those who had made his ascension to the throne possible. Zhang Liang, one of his closest advisers (the one in the video), foresaw this not long after Liu Bang ascended his throne. He tried to warn one of his colleagues (General Han Xin) to retire before Liu Bang decided to get rid of them. "Once the cunning hare has died, the hunting dogs are cooked." Han Xin made the fatal mistake of ignoring Zhang Liang's advice. Zhang Liang on the other hand, who had given up the potential rewards that came with his merits, lived peacefully in retirement till his death. A wise strategist will know how to preserve himself, even from his boss.
Anyway, I think I've rambled enough. I personally found this part of history really fascinating, and dug deep into it after falling in love with the song.
This is the story of Yi River from the villain’s perspective -- Ying Zheng, King of Qin, first emperor of the united China, the legendary Qin Shi Huang Di.
Ying Zheng grew up the child of an escaped hostage prince in enemy land. Whether this hostage prince of Qin, or the opportunistic merchant who offered the prince his courtesan, was his true father, remained a mystery till this very day.
He eventually returned to Qin and ascended the throne when he was only thirteen. As adulthood approached, his mother and her lover conspired to overthrow him in favor of his half-brothers, two toddlers raised in secrecy. He foiled the plot, had the lover torn apart alive by five horses, placed his mother under house arrest, and murdered his two half-brothers.
By age 39, with the surrender of the last state of Qi, Ying Zheng had finally conquered all six kingdoms and united the world under heaven. The former king of Qi had been left to starve and die amid conifer trees. Songs were sung about this.
So great he deemed his achievements, greater than the god-like sovereigns of the mythical ages, the three “Huang” and five “Di” (三皇五帝), he titled himself “Shi Huang Di” (始皇帝; “Shi” - the beginning). The Heirloom Seal of the Realm (传国玉玺), made of the sacred jade Heshibi, embodied the ultimate authority of the emperor. Qin Shi Huang thereby decreed, his son, and the son of his son, till the thousandth, ten thousandth generation, shall succeed this great, everlasting empire.
Heirloom Seal of the Realm, as illustrated in the video.
To ward off nomadic invaders from the north, he built the first Great Wall. People said the wall was built with the skeletons of its laborers. Better that than barbarian’s hooves, some argue. He unified written language, measurement standards, currency, laws, across China, setting the foundation of what will come to be the Chinese empire for the next few thousands of years.
He lived through numerous assassination attempts. His closest ever to death was the attempt by the emissary of Yan, Jing Ke. Thus borne the saying, “exhaust the picture scroll and the dagger shows” (图穷匕见). He had managed to tear his sleeve away from the assassin’s grip just as the poisoned dagger came down on him. The attacker was utterly vicious and relentless. Forced to run for his life round the pillars, realizing he was the only one armed in the great hall, he struggled to unsheath his long sword. If it wasn’t for the precious few seconds his doctor earned him by hurling a medicine kit at the assassin, he would’ve most likely been dead. He severed Jing Ke’s left thigh and stabbed him a further eight times. The assassin threw the dagger at him as a last ditch attempt, which ended with the dagger’s strike against a pillar behind him. Even as Jing Ke met his death, the man had the audacity to sit with his thighs (what’s remaining of it) insolently apart, laughing in scorn.
After that came the close friend of Jing Ke, the blind musician, Gao Jian Li, who hurled his lead-filled zither in bitter vengeance. That was, of course, handled swiftly and appropriately. Then at Bo Lang Sha, there’s the huge iron mallet intended for him, but instead crushed one of his accompanying carriage. Those conspirators got away with it.
It had been a hard-won victory, the world under heaven was his reward. The first emperor was determined to run it well. He went through thousands of bamboo scrolls worth of government documents himself, often late into the night, every night.
But there’s one more foe left undefeated. Death. Death would take away everything he had. Death was something not even the greatest men who lived can escape. He will find a way to overcome such improbability; after all, it was just one more challenge, isn’t it? Those self-proclaimed sages and alchemists would not be so daft as to dismiss his ambitions. As per their advice, he sent out ships with six thousand virgin boys and girls to the Eastern Sea, hoping they’d retrieve for him the “elixir of immortality” from the mystical islands where deities and gods live. The ships never returned.
In the year 211 BCE, the star of “Illuminating Doubt”, the red star of death, war and destruction, lingered near the star of “Heart”, symbolizing the king*. The following year, during Ying Zheng’s fifth journey across his realm, the critically ill first emperor of China left orders for his banished eldest son, Fu Su, to return from the borders and succeed the throne. At age 49, the ancestor of dragons was dead.
News of his death were kept secret, the stench of his rotting body masked with a cart of dried seafood, till the travelling entourage returned to the capital. Ying Zheng’s younger son, Hu Hai, with the aid of his co-conspirators, the chief eunuch and the prime minister, falsified the emperor’s will and ordered Fu Su to commit suicide. To consolidate power upon his usurped throne, Hu Hai had more than thirty of his brothers and sisters brutally murdered. Hu Hai’s ruthlessness may be on par with his father, but his capability simply cannot match. Uprisings broke out across the empire. Just three years after Hu Hai’s succession as the second emperor of Qin, the Qin dynasty came to a bloody end.
Great conqueror, legendary emperor, monstrous tyrant. Qin Shi Huang Di’s legacy stays close to us till this day. His virtues and vices, facts and fiction, many questions remain, debates still rage on. Who was his father? Aside from the book burnings, did he actually order to have Confucianist scholars buried alive? Was he as cruel and insane as the historical records say, or was it a smear campaign by the dynasty that replaced his? Why hadn’t he appointed an empress and a crown prince? What does his tomb look like? Is it truly made in the likeness of the landscape of the empire, with precious stones as the stars and flowing mercury its rivers and seas?
One thing is certain however. This enigmatic man, almost larger than life itself, left us plenty of room for imagination within this spectacular chapter in history.
*In the lyrics “protecting the heart and illuminating doubt” is a wordplay on the celestial event (荧惑守心) around the time of Qin Shi Huang Di’s death. “守” can mean protect, keep, or stay. The red star of “Illuminating Doubt” (萤惑) is actually Mars. If it lingers arounds a certain position, as in this case, it’s considered a bad omen.
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//Supervisors：落落无尘、卿雅、小仙、顾雪柔 (Luo Luo Wu Chen, Qin Ya, Xiao Xian, Gu Xue Rou)
作曲//Composer：陈亦洺 (Chen Yi Ming)
作词//Lyrics：玄天 (Xuan Tian)
编曲//Arrangement：Mzf小慕 (Mzf Xiao Mu)
原唱//Vocalist：星尘 (Stardust)
翻唱//Vocalist (Cover)：三无 Marblue (San Wu Marblue)
调教//：花儿不哭 (Hua Er Bu Ku)
混音//Mixing：Mr.曾经 (Mr. Ceng Jing)
笛子//Flute：囚牛 (Qiu Niu)
视频//Video：小约酱【麻薯映像】(Xiao Yue Jiang [Mochi Pictures])
曲绘//Art：白鄔東 (Bai Wu Dong)
***
阶前的寒雨打湿着无尽的萧索
这片土地曾燃起战火有几多
被车辙与马蹄长碾过
满目狼藉血泪风与火
流离失所漂泊 乱世有何你我
Cold rains before the stairways pattered upon an endless desolation
How many times have the fires of war ignite upon this land
Long crushed by chariot wheels and hooves
A bloody carnage weeping in winds and flames
The homeless left wandering, a world in turmoil does not discern you or I
掌六辔在手驰骋烈火 兴师于子矛戈
六国毕一便终将过往的铭刻
田垄上便又能听那蒹葭及忘我良多
Driving six bridles and charge in battle fury, I’ve raised arms to war
Six states ending in one, shall conclude this reminiscence of the past
Upon the fields, songs and poems can once again be heard in abundance
初时年少登王座 平几端乱祸
自此天地便开阔
赢六国门客 征旗猎猎 残阳如火
Ascending the throne in youth at the beginning, how much chaos I’ve subdued
Heaven and earth have since opened wide
Winning advisors from the six kingdoms, my battle standards flew, the sunset blazed like fire
到东南北把所向皆破 笑松柏歌
自三皇五帝的辉煌山河
天下一国
East, south, northern fronts I’ve broken them all, delighting in the songs amid conifers
Descended from the legendary sovereigns, a glorious land
United in a single realm
Watching the shadows of steppe horses dance in the northern winds
Fighting men at the borders wasting their lives up in arms, what fruitless chore
How many hardships and perils I’ve come to vanquish
Quick storms and icy clouds forged a great dragon in slumber
The agony of every brick, every stone, I only hope each find the place they belong
要把过去不曾可得的 一一渐次撷获
法度量衡笔下风云何须太多
文伦一统与子同仇的方称泱泱大国
The things denied me in the past, one by one I’ll retrieve them all
Laws, metrics, differences under the brush, why the need for more
Language and morals aligned as one with the sovereign, only can it be rightfully called a great empire
易水风曾吹悲歌 击筑也听得
迷离博浪卷风波
对月举杯踱
苦心或许 亦有偏颇
Winds by Yi River once carried an elegy, zither strikes too it has heard
Mysteries at Bo Lang stirred up waves and storms
Raising my cup to the moon in contemplation
My efforts may have had their transgressions
说什么天河守心荧惑 得谁知我
巡游罢天下知各得阡陌
勒功铭刻
What’s the say about the Celestial River protecting one’s heart and illuminating doubts, who truly understands me
Having paraded the world under heaven, knowing each get their just share
My legacy carved forever in history
风轻雨歇时 烛光正落寞
似岁月苍凉一抹
转眼的闪烁 作一生浮沉
苦跋涉
When winds quiet and rains recede, candlelights languished in solitude
Just like a bleak stroke of the passing years
A flicker of time, made the ebbs and flows of my life
A harrowing journey
比缥缈传说却又不得 万世山河
长夜中回望 心中又何憾 任后人说
Rivaling myths and legends, yet never to get an everlasting regime
Looking back in the night, what regrets can I hold, let the living judge
***
Translator's notes:
Sit back and buckle up guys, cause you're in for a ride.
Yeah, this song is about their boss, the first emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang Di. It is said because all the skilled craftsmen (the best in the realm) were executed after work on the mausoleum was completed, the history of art in China had been changed drastically. If you look at the art work just one dynasty later (Han dynasty), the style veered away from the stunning realism seen in the teracotta army.
Another famous tourist attraction: the Great Wall of China. Qin Shi Huang was the one who built the first of its walls. There were folk tales told about the wall, about a woman, Meng Jiang Nü (孟姜女), travelling to the border to deliver winter clothing for her husband, conscripted as a punishment for some minor offense. After an arduous journey, she arrived at her husband's work site, only to find out that he had died building the tyrant's wall, and his remains buried at the foot of the wall. "You wouldn't be able to find him," the other laborers consoled her and urged her to return home. Her grieving cries collapsed eight hundred li of the wall. Amid the rubble, her husband's remains revealed themselves, a show of kindness from the heavens.
If you remember another song in this Wang Chuan Feng Hua Lu (忘川风华录) album, Farewell by Yi River (or an alternative translation can be "Yi River Chant"), this is the villain in that story, the one whom Jing Ke, followed later by Gao Jian Li, tried to assassinate.
Of course, Qin Shi Huang wasn't a one-dimensional tyrant whose sole purpose is to play the bad guy and inflict misery. If he could speak today, he'd have much to say about his circumstances and difficulties. After all, he hadn't choose to be born into such a perilous position. I'll leave his life story, that scorching blaze that left its mark in history more than two thousand years after his death, in my next post.
作詞//Lyrics：蘇軾 (Su Shi)
作曲/編曲/海報手繪/題字//Composer/Arrangement/Poster art and calligraphy：Winky詩（特邀）[Winky Shi (specially requested)]
演唱/和聲//Vocals/Harmony：5ive_years（特邀）
後期//Post-production：洋蔥 (Yang Cong / Onion)
視頻//Video：秦七 (Qin Qi)
The great river runs east, waves washing thorough, all the figures of history.
West of the ancient fort, they say, was Zhou Yu’s Red Cliff, of the Three Kingdoms.
Riotous rocks pierce the sky, shocked waves slam unto the banks, propelling a thousand stacks of snow.
A scenic land, once held how many valiant heroes.
遙想公瑾當年，小喬初嫁了，
雄姿英發。
羽扇綸巾，
談笑間，檣櫓灰飛煙滅。
故國神遊，
多情應笑我，早生華髮。
人生如夢，
一尊還酹江月。
Think of Gong Jin that bygone year, to him Xiao Qiao’s newly wedded,
A handsome figure in his prime.
With a feather fan and silken headscarf,
Amid laughter and casual talks -- ship masts, oars disappeared in flying ash and smoke!
In a trance I wandered this ancient site,
My sentimentality a jest to me, my hair grays before its time.
Life’s akin to a dream,
A cup of wine I offer as libation to the rivers and moon.
-- Poem by Su Shi, or Su Dongpo
*****
Translator's note:
About the poet - Su Shi, of the Song Dynasty (1031-1101 AD)
I shall one day dedicate lots of words for my homie the great poet and literary giant Su Shi (苏轼 or 苏东坡; pronounced like “Soo-sher”, not the Japanese dish). To put it simply, I think he’s the physical embodiment of awesome. Just all around a person with integrity, sincerity, good-will, talent, resilience, wisdom, and best of all a killer sense of humor. I’m planning to translate another song featuring him in the next few posts, so I’ll leave the fangirling for another day.
For context, Su Shi wrote this poem during his exile/demotion. He had been at the top of the game once, a high official, a literary superstar -- he used to have everything. However, his strong political opinions spurred his enemies to accuse him of writing inflammatory poems targeting the emperor at the time, Emperor Shenzong of Song. Su Shi was then demoted and exiled to Huangzhou after nearly escaping execution. He became buddies with the local officials (yeah this guy made friends absolutely everywhere, even with people who were supposed to give him a hard time), but still the setback cast its gloom over his head. (Exile life is not very fun guys. It is only made less shitty because he’s an awesome person and people wanna help him.) Slowly, he broadened his perspective on life and success, and attained peace with his lot in life (thriving all the way even!). During his trip to the Red Cliff in Huangzhou (not the historically accurate one, he knew, but folks called it so), he was inspired to write this masterpiece. Today, the Red Cliff in Huangzhou is known as Dongpo’s Red Cliff.
About the translation
This is my first serious attempt at translating classical poetry, one that I absolutely love to bits and sends chills down my spine for its pure distilled epicness. The aesthetic of the poem can never be fully translated into another language, with its linguistic and cultural nuances. It’s like I am converting a 720p HD video into 240p. But hey, at least there’s something.
For this project, I did refer to multiple existing translations, some really well done (you can search it easily on Google, there’s loads; but still I can’t resist to try it out myself). It is my rendition of it, and I styled it in the way where it flows with the song in the video, as contrast to the approach of stylizing it in the form of English poetry.
念奴嬌 (Nian Nu Jiao) is the name of the tune. This form of poem is called “ci” (词), which can be translated to “lyrics”. In the Song Dynasty, cultured people liked to write poems that could be sung with certain tunes, so you can have hundreds of “念奴嬌” but all with different lyrics. The true title for this piece specifically is “赤壁懷古” -- "Musings on the Red Cliff".
“Propelling a thousand stacks of snow” is a somewhat literal translation of the line "卷起千堆雪", but it actually refers to snow-like foams when waves hit the banks.
The Battle of the Red Cliff (208 AD) and Zhou Yu (175-210 AD)
Zhou Yu (周瑜；周郎 in the original text, “郎” means young man, usually used with positive connotations), courtesy name Gong Jin, a young general serving the soon-to-be state of Wu during the three kingdoms. He was the commander who won the ultimate battle of the Red Cliff against Cao Cao’s numerically superior army. Zhou sent boats full of ignited flammables towards the enemy fleet, whose ships were chained together to provide stability for the northmen, more comfortable on horseback than on water. The resulting fire decimated the northern force, and never ever again could Cao Cao mount a large-scale invasion down south.
Xiao Qiao was a renowned beauty during the Three Kingdoms, who, as implied in the poem, became Zhou Yu’s wife. Though by the time of the battle of the Red Cliff, she’s already been wedded for many years. The statement that she was newly wedded to Zhou was for artistic purposes, to accentuate the perfection of our hero at that very moment, a refined gentleman with a romantic side, yet still demonstrates exceptional prowess on the battlefield.
All that glory and fame, all disappeared in a glimpse of time, like the ship masts and oars of Cao Cao’s burning fleets, stories of the myriad players in history run by like the endless flow of the great Yangtze river.
