English Translation of 310 Song Poems by Betty Tseng 2011 11 First Edition PDF

English Translation of 310 Song Poems
/ Translated by :
/ Betty Tseng 28 / 28utsc
2011.11

First Edition
/ Translated by : / Betty Tseng 2011.11 First Edition p. 1 / 266

Preface
Following the completion of English Translation of 310 Song Poems, I continued with this pursuit by
translating an anthology of Song poems.
Similarly, English Translation of 310 Song Poems is the result of an avocation, the translation into English
and its editing are after all limited by my abilities. Although I endeavour to provide regular revisions and
to strive for an outcome without errors, there remains fear that inevitable are imperfection and
shortcomings, I therefore sincerely wish for readers' magnanimous tolerance.
/ Betty Tseng 28 / 28utsc

2011.11.10 in Australia

Translation and Editing History

2009.10 ~ 2010.03

Dabbled in the translation of seven Song poems at leisure.
Translations were posted online as they became available during this period.
2011.02 ~ 2011.09

Completed a first draft of English Translation of 310 Song Poems.
2011.10 ~ 2011.11
2011.11
Completed the first edit of English Translation of 310 Song Poems and provided online as
the 2011.11 First Edition.

Key Reference
2010 1
Licence
/ Betty Tseng 28 / 28utsc English Translation of 310

Song Poems CC --
3.0 Unported
All editions of English Translation of 310 Tang Poems by / Betty Tseng

28 / 28utsc are free for download, and are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-
NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
Places of Download
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Table of Contents
.
Preface 2
.
Translation and Editing History 3
.
Key Reference 4
.
Licence 4
.
Table of Contents 5
.
001 - 25
001 QIAN Weiyan Magnolia Lyrics
002 - 25
002 FAN Zhongyan Lyrics to Sumuzhe
003 - 26
003 FAN Zhongyan Lyrics to Fishermen's Melody
004 - 26
004 FAN Zhongyan Lyrics to the Imperial Drive Melody
005 - 27
005 ZHANG Xian Millennium Lyrics
006 - 27
006 ZHANG Xian Lyrics to the Bodhisattva Melody
007 - 28
007 ZHANG Xian Lyrics to a Tippler's Drooping Whip
008 - 28
008 ZHANG Xian Lyrics to a Thicket of Flowers
009 - 29
009 ZHANG Xian Lyrics to the Melody of a Heavenly Fairy (I was a magistrate in Jiahe at
the time, sick I was and thus unable to attend a government banquet. )
010 - 29
010 ZHANG Xian Lyrics to Blue Gate Prelude

011 - 30
011 ZHANG Xian Lyrics to the Raw Haws Melody
012 - 30
012 YAN Shu Lyrics to the Melody of Sandy Creek Washers
013 - 31
014 - 31
014 YAN Shu Lyrics to the Joy of Peace and Tranquillity
015 - 32
016 - 32
016 YAN Shu Magnolia Lyrics
017 - 33
018 - 33
019 - 34
019 YAN Shu Lyrics to the Melody of Walking on Grass
020 - 34
021 - 35
021 YAN Shu Lyrics to a Melody of Walking on Grass
022 - 35
022 YAN Shu Lyrics to the Melody of Butterflies Chasing Flowers
023 - 36
023 HAN Zhen Pheonix Flute Chant
024 - 36
024 SONG Qi Magnolia Lyrics
025 - 37
025 OUYANG Xiu Lyrics to Mulberry Pickers
026 - 37
026 OUYANG Xiu A Recital of a True Heart
027 - 38
027 OUYANG Xiu Lyrics to the Melody of Walking on Grass
028 - 38
028 OUYANG Xiu Lyrics to the Melody of Butterflies Chasing Flowers

029 - 39
030 - 39
031 - 40
031 OUYANG Xiu Magnolia Lyrics
032 - 40
032 OUYANG Xiu Lyrics to the Linjiang Narcissi
033 - 41
033 OUYANG Xiu Lyrics to Sandy Creek Washers
034 - 41
034 OUYANG Xiu Lyrics to the Melody of Waves Dredging Sand
035 - 42
035 OUYANG Xiu Lyrics to the Melody of Green Jadeite Bowl
036 - () 43
036 NIE Guangqing Lyrics to Many Beauties (Ode to Li's banquet)
037 - 44
037 LIU Yong Lyrics to Jade Flute Tune
038 - 45
038 LIU Yong Lyrics to Tinkling Heavy Rain
039 - 45
039 LIU Yong Lyrics to the Melody of Butterflies Chasing Flowers
040 - 46
040 LIU Yong Lyrics to the Melody of Lotus Picking
041 - 47
041 LIU Yong Lyrics to the Adagio of Waves Dredging Sand
042 - 48
042 LIU Yong Lyrics to the Adagio of Pacified Storm
043 - 48
043 LIU Yong Lyrics to the Melody of Youthful Rambles
044 - 49
044 LIU Yong Lyrics to Lady Qi's Song
045 - 50
045 LIU Yong Lyrics to the Melody of Midnight Joy
046 - 51
046 LIU Yong Lyrics to the Melody of Green Butterflies

047 - 52
047 LIU Yong Lyrics to the Ganzhou Melody of Eight Rhymes
048 - 53
048 LIU Yong Lyrics to the Prelude of Infatuation
049 - 54
049 LIU Yong Lyrics to the Melody of Bamboo Horses
050 - 55
050 LIU Yong Lyrics to the Adagio of Linjiang Narcissi
051 - 56
051 WANG Anshi Lyrics to the Fragrance of Cinnamon Twigs
052 - 57
052 WANG Anshi Lyrics to the Millennium Prelude
053 - 57
053 WANG Anguo Lyrics to the Joy of Peace and Tranquillity
054 - 58
054 YAN Jidao Lyrics to the Linjiang Narcissi
055 - 58
055 YAN Jidao Lyrics to the Melody of Butterfles Chasing Flowers
056 - 59
057 - 59
057 YAN Jidao Lyrics to the Melody of a Partridge-filled Sky
058 - 60
059 - 60
059 YAN Jidao Lyrics to the Raw Haws Melody
060 - 61
061 - 61
061 YAN Jidao Magnolia Lyrics
062 - 62
063 - 62
063 YAN Jidao Lyrics to the Joy of Peace and Tranquillity
064 - 63
064 YAN Jidao Lyrics to the Melody of When Returns Mr Ruan

065 - 63
066 - 64
066 YAN Jidao Lyrics to a Six-beat Chant
067 - 65
067 YAN Jidao Lyrics to the Imperial Drive Melody
068 - 65
068 YAN Jidao Lyrics to the Melody Dedicated to Lady Yu
069 - 66
069 YAN Jidao Lyrics to the Spring-retaining Chant
070 - 66
070 YAN Jidao Lyrics to Pining for the Distant Traveller
071 - 67
071 YAN Jidao Lyrics to the Melody of a Garden Full of Blossoms
072 - 68
072 SU Shi Lyrics to the First Water Melody (On the night of the Mid Autumn Festival in
the year of Bingchen, we drank at liberty till morn leading me to write this as I also
thought of Ziyou.)
073 - 69
073 SU Shi Lyrics to the Water Dragon Chant (Following Zhang Zhifu's verse on willow
catkins)
074 - 70
074 SU Shi Lyrics to Remembering Your Charm (Remembrance of the Tale of the Crimson
Cliff)
075 - 71
075 SU Shi Lyrics to the Melody of Forever in Happiness (I stayed overnight at the
Swallows House in the town of Peng and dreamt of the legendary Panpan, and wrote the
following verse.)
076 - 72
076 SU Shi Lyrics to the Melody of an Immortal Who Lived in a Cave
077 - 72
077 SU Shi Lyrics to the Melody of Divining Numbers (written when residing at the
Dinghui Court in Huangzhou)
078 - 73
078 SU Shi Lyrics to the Melody of Green Jadeite Bowl (Farewells to Bogu's return to the
Wu region, in accordance with He Fanghui's rhyme)
079 - 73
079 SU Shi Lyrics to the Linjiang Narcissi

080 - 74
080 SU Shi Lyrics to the Melody of a Pacified Storm
081 - 75
081 SU Shi Lyrics to the Melody of a River Town (A record of a dream on the night of the
twentieth of January, in the year of Yimao)
082 - 75
082 SU Shi Magnolia Lyrics (Following Ouyang's West Lake rhyme)
083 - 76
083 SU Shi Lyrics to the Melody of Congratulations to the Groom
084 - 77
084 HUANG Tingjian Lyrics to the Melody of a Pacified Storm
085 - 77
085 HUANG Tingjian Lyrics to the Melody of a Partridge-filled Sky (Of those seated,
there was the hermit of Mount Mei, Shi Yingzhi, who offered a prelude, and I responded
with this.)
086 - 78
086 QIN Guan Lyrics to Gazing at the Tide of the Sea
087 - 79
087 QIN Guan Lyrics to the Melody of Eight and Six
088 - 80
088 QIN Guan Lyrics to the Melody of a Garden Full of Blossoms
089 - 81
090 - 81
090 QIN Guan Lyrics to the Melody of Walking on Grass
091 - 82
091 QIN Guan - Lyrics to the Melody of a Partridge-filled Sky
092 - 82
092 QIN Guan Magnolia Lyrics with reduced words
093 - 83
093 QIN Guan Lyrics to the Melody of Sandy Creek Washers
094 - 83
094 QIN Guan Lyrics to the Melody of When Returns Mr Ruan
095 - 84
095 CHAO Yuanli Lyrics to the Melody of Green-head Ducks
096 - 85
096 ZHAO Lingzhi Lyrics to the Melody of Butterflies Chasing Flowers

097 - 85
098 - 86
098 ZHAO Lingzhi Lyrics to the Joy of Peace and Tranquillity
099 - 86
099 ZHANG Lei Lyrics to the Melody of a Romantic
100 - 87
100 CHAO Buzhi Lyrics to the Water Dragon Chant (In rhyme with Lin Shengzi's
Cherishing Spring)
101 - 88
101 CHAO Buzhi Lyrics to the Salt Wrapper Melody (Plum blossom viewing at the Bo
Shrine)
102 - 88
102 CHAO Buzhi Lyrics to the Melody of the Remembrance of a Youth (Farewells to the
town of Li)
103 - 89
103 CHAO Buzhi Lyrics to the Melody of an Immortal Who Lived in a Cave (written on
the day of Mid-Autumn Festival in Sizhou)
104 - 89
104 CHAO Chongzhi Lyrics to the Linjiang Narcissi
105 - 90
105 SHU Dan Lyrics to the Melody Dedicated to Lady Yu
106 - 90
106 ZHU Fu Lyrics to a Fishermen's Melody
107 - 91
107 MAO Pang Lyrics to the Melody Sympathising Those Who Have Drifted Apart
(Farewells to a coutesan named Qiongfang composed in a Buddhist cottage in Fuyang)
108 - 91
108 CHEN Ke Lyrics to the Bodhisattva Melody
109 - 92
110 - () 92
110 LI Yuanying Lyrics to the Melody of an Immortal Who Lived in a Cave (Prologue
omitted)
111 - 93
111 SHI Yan Lyrics to the Blue Gate Toast
112 - 94
112 LI Zhiyi Lyrics to an Adagio of a Pond of Withered Spring

113 - 95
113 LI Zhiyi Lyrics to the Melody of Divining Numbers
114 - 96
114 ZHOU Bangyan Lyrics to the Chant of an Auspicious Dragon
115 - 97
115 ZHOU Bangyan Lyrics to the Melody of a Romantic
116 - 98
116 ZHOU Bangyan Lyrics to the Duke of Lanling Melody
117 - 99
117 ZHOU Bangyan Lyrics to the Melody of an Inlaid Window in the Cold
118 - 100
118 ZHOU Bangyan Lyrics to the Melody of Six Failings (Written after the roses have
wilted)
119 - 101
119 ZHOU Bangyan Lyrics to the Melody of Night-flying Cuckoo
120 - 102
120 ZHOU Bangyan Lyrics to the Melody of a Garden Full of Blossoms (Written on a
summer day on Mount Wishless by the Li River)
121 - 103
121 ZHOU Bangyan Lyrics to the Melody of Passing By Houses of Coutesans
122 - 104
122 ZHOU Bangyan Lyrics to the Melody of Overflowing Blossoms
123 - 105
123 ZHOU Bangyan Lyrics to the Melody of Great Gulps
124 - 106
124 ZHOU Bangyan Lyrics to the Melody of a Lady Confidant (On the year's first full
moon)
125 - 107
125 ZHOU Bangyan Lyrics to the Melody of a Pacified Storm
126 - 107
126 ZHOU Bangyan Lyrics to the Melody of Butterflies Chasing Flowers
127 - 108
127 ZHOU Bangyan Lyrics to the Resolution of Connected Rings
128 - 109
128 ZHOU Bangyan Lyrics to the Adagio of Worshipping Stars and the Moon (Autumnal
thoughts)
129 - 110
129 ZHOU Bangyan Lyrics to a Border River Chant

130 - 111
130 ZHOU Bangyan Lyrics to the Lament of Those Behind Adorned Windows
131 - 112
131 ZHOU Bangyan Lyrics to the Melody of Weichi's Chalice
132 - 113
132 ZHOU Bangyan Lyrics to the Melody of the West River (In remembrance of bygone
eras at Jinling)
133 - 114
133 ZHOU Bangyan Lyrics to the Melody of an Auspicious Crane-riding Immortal
134 - 115
134 ZHOU Bangyan Lyrics to the Adagio of Waves Dredging Sand
135 - 116
135 ZHOU Bangyan Lyrics to the Melody of Forever Should Exist Heaven
136 - 117
136 ZHOU Bangyan Lyrics to the Melody of Sauntering in the Palace at Night
137 - 117
137 HE Zhu Lyrics to the Melody of Green Jadeite Bowl
138 - 118
138 HE Zhu Lyrics to Melody of the Night Watcher
139 - 118
139 HE Zhu Lyrics to the Melody of Obliged to the Imperial Grace
140 - 119
140 HE Zhu Lyrics to the Cold-hearted
141 - 120
141 HE Zhu Lyrics to Sandy Creek Washers
142 - 120
143 - 121
143 HE Zhu Lyrics to the Adagio of the Stony State
144 - 121
144 HE Zhu Lyrics to the Melody of Butterflies Chasing Flowers
145 - 122
145 HE Zhu The Heavenly Gate Ballad (On the Emei Pavilion of the Rocky Isle)
146 - 122
146 HE Zhu Lyrics to the Melody of a Heavenly Aroma
147 - 123
147 HE Zhu Lyrics to the Melody of the Xiang Gazer (Spring thoughts)

148 - 124
148 HE Zhu Lyrics to the Melody of Green-head Ducks
149 - 125
149 ZHANG Yuangan Lyrics to the Adagio of the Stony State
150 - 126
150 ZHANG Yuangan Lyrics to the Duke of Lanling Melody
151 - 127
151 YE Mengde Lyrics to the Melody of Congratulations to the Groom
152 - 128
152 YE Mengde Lyrics to the Melody Dedicated to Lady Yu (Composed when drinking
with Gan Yu and Cai Qing under an apple tree)
153 - 128
153 WANG Zao Lyrics to the Melody of Touching Up Rouged Lips
154 - 129
154 LIU Yizhi Lyrics to the Joy of Seeing Migrating Orioles (On the road at dawn)
155 - 130
155 ZHAO Ji Lyrics to the Melody of a Pavilion in the Yan Mountains (Upon seeing
apricot blossoms when heading north)
156 - 131
156 HAN Liu Lyrics to the Melody of the Terrace of the Zenithal Sun (On New Year's eve)
157 - 132
157 LI Bing Lyrics to the Han Palace's Spring Melody
158 - 133
158 CHEN Yuyi - Lyrics to the Linjiang Narcissi
159 - 133
159 CHEN Yuyi Lyrics to the Linjiang Narcissi (A night visit to a small pavilion
reminiscing times spent in the Luo region)
160 - 134
160 CAI Shen Lyrics to the Su Wu Adagio
161 - 135
161 CAI Shen Lyrics to the Melody of Green Willow Sprigs
162 - 135
162 ZHOU Zizhi Lyrics to the Melody of a Partridge-filled Sky
163 - 136
163 ZHOU Zizhi Lyrics to the Melody of Walking on Grass
164 - 137
164 LI Jia Lyrics to Spring of the Royal Terrace

165 - 137
165 LI Jia Lyrics to Thinking of an Aristocrat
166 - 138
166 WANQI (MUQI) Yong Lyrics to the Three Terraces (Composed officially for the day
of Spring Equinox)
167 - 139
167 XU Shen Lyrics to the Melody of a Young Pagan God
168 - 140
168 TIAN Wei Lyrics to the Adagio of the River God
169 - 141
169 CAO Zu Lyrics to the Melody of the Mount Mo Creek (On plum blossoms)
170 - 142
170 LI Yu Lyrics to the Melody of Congratulations to the Groom
171 - 143
171 LIAO Shimei Lyrics to the Swaying Red of a Candle Flame (An inscription for the
House of Floating Clouds in Anlu County)
172 - 144
172 L Binlao Lyrics to the Cold-hearted
173 - 145
173 CHA Chi Lyrics to the Melody of Beyond Blue Skies
174 - 146
174 KONG Yi Lyrics to the Melody of Southern Waters
175 - 147
175 YUE Fei Lyrics to the Melody of a River of Blossoms
176 - 148
176 ZHANG Lun Lyrics to the Swaying Red of a Candle Flame (Yearning under the first
moon of the year)
177 - 149
177 CHENG Gai Lyrics to the Water Dragon Chant
178 - 150
178 ZHANG Xiaoxiang Lyrics to the First Melody of the Western Six States
179 - 151
179 ZHANG Xiaoxiang Lyrics to Remembering Your Charm
180 - 152
180 HAN Yuanji Lyrics to the First Melody of the Western Six States (On peach blossoms)
181 - 153
181 HAN Yuanji Lyrics to the Melody of an Approaching Joyous Event

182 - 154
182 YUAN Quhua Lyrics to the Melody of an Auspicious Crane-riding Immortal
183 - 155
183 YUAN Quhua Lyrics to the Melody of the Sword Approaches
184 - 156
184 YUAN Quhua Lyrics to the Melody of Young Master An
185 - 157
185 LU Song Lyrics to the Melody of an Auspicious Crane-riding Immortal
186 - 158
186 LU Song Lyrics to the Melody of Divining Numbers (Singing praises of plum
blossoms)
187 - 158
187 LU You Lyrics to a Fishermen's Melody (Addressed to Zhonggao)
188 - 159
188 CHEN Liang Lyrics to the Water Dragon Chant
189 - 160
189 FAN Chengda Lyrics to Thinking of a Young Lady of Qin
190 - 161
190 FAN Chengda Lyrics to the Melody of Enchanting Eyes (Along the way to the
Duckweed County, suddenly the day turns clear, lying in the carriage I was, rather
sleepy I was, so I stopped briefly by some willows next to a pond.)
191 - 162
191 FAN Chengda Lyrics to the Melody of a Frosty Sky at the Crack of Dawn
192 - 162
192 CAI Youxue - Lyrics to the Melody of an Approaching Joyous Event
193 - 163
193 XIN Qiji Lyrics to the Melody of Congratulations to the Groom (Farewells to younger
brother Maojia who ranked twelfth)
194 - 164
194 XIN Qiji Lyrics to the Melody of Congratulations to the Groom (An ode to pipa)
195 - 165
195 XIN Qiji Lyrics to Remembering Your Charm (An inscription for a village wall in the
County of Eastward Flow)
196 - 166
196 XIN Qiji Lyrics to the Melody of Spring in the Han Palace (On the first day of spring)
197 - 167
197 XIN Qiji Lyrics to the Water Dragon Chant (On mounting the Pavilion of Delight in
Jiankang)

198 - 168
198 XIN Qiji Lyrics to the Melody of Fishing with Bare Hands (In the Jihai year of Chunxi
I am to travel from Hubei to Hunan by water, on a pavilion on a hill in the company of
Officer Wang Zhengzhi I this compose.)
199 - 169
199 XIN Qiji Lyrics to the Melody of Forever in Happiness (Reminiscing the bygone days
on the Beigu Pavilion at the capital's entrance)
200 - 170
200 XIN Qiji Lyrics to the Magnolia Adagio (On seeing off Fan Cui in Chuzhou)
201 - 171
201 XIN Qiji Lyrics to the Melody of By the Honourable Terrace of The Zhus (In late
spring)
202 - 171
202 XIN Qiji Lyrics to the Melody of Green Jadeite Bowl (On the first night of a new
year)
203 - 172
203 XIN Qiji Lyrics to the Melody of a Partridge-filled Sky (Written by the Lake of Geese
after recovering from an illness)
204 - 172
204 XIN Qiji Lyrics to the Bodhisattva Melody (Written by the Jagged Cliff in Jiangxi)
205 - 173
205 JIANG Kui - Lyrics to the Melody of Touching Up Rouged Lips (Written in the summer
of the year of Dingwei when passing through Wusong)
206 - 173
206 JIANG Kui - Lyrics to the Melody of a Partridge-filled Sky (I dreamt of something on
the first night of a new year.)
207 - 174
207 JIANG Kui Lyrics to the Melody of Walking on Grass (I've come eastwards from
Mian. I arrived in Jingling on the first day of Dingwei, I had a dream on the river and
thus I this wrote.)
208 - 175
208 JIANG Kui Lyrics to the Melody of Celebrating Palatial Spring (Prologue omitted)
209 - 176
209 JIANG Kui Lyrics to the Melody of Heavenly Joy (Prologue omitted)
210 - 177
210 JIANG Kui Lyrics to the Melody of a Celestial Pipa Player (Prologue omitted)
211 - 178
211 JIANG Kui Lyrics to the Melody of Eight Stops (On seeing off Hu Dehua in the
central Xiang)

212 - 179
212 JIANG Kui Lyrics to Remembering Your Charm (Prologue omitted)
213 - 180
213 JIANG Kui The Yangzhou Adagio (Prologue omitted)
214 - 181
214 JIANG Kui The Adagio of Lamenting Along a Gallery (Prologue omitted)
215 - 182
215 JIANG Kui Pale and Yellowing Willows (Prologue omitted)
216 - 183
216 JIANG Kui Lyrics to the Melody of an Obscure Scent (Prologue omitted)
217 - 184
217 JIANG Kui Lyrics to the Melody of Scattered Light and Shade
218 - 185
218 JIANG Kui A Recital of the Magnificent Edifice (Prologue omitted)
219 - 186
219 JIANG Kui Lyrics to the Melody of Sky-shading Apricot Blossoms (Prologue omitted)
220 - 187
220 JIANG KUI Lyrics to the Melody of a Red Corolla (Prologue omitted)
221 - 188
221 JIANG Kui Interlude No. One to the Rainbow Robe Melody (Prologue omitted)
222 - 189
222 ZHANG Liangneng Lyrics to the Melody of Overlapping Hills
223 - 189
223 LIU Guo Lyrics to a Sugary Chant (Prologue omitted)
224 - 190
224 YAN Ren Magnolia Lyrics
225 - 190
225 YU Guobao Lyrics to the Melody of Winds Soughing Through Pines
226 - 191
226 ZHANG Zi Lyrics to the Melody of a Garden Full of Blossoms
227 - 192
227 ZHANG Zi Lyrics to the Melody of a Pavilion in the Yan Mountains
228 - 193
228 SHI Dazu Lyrics to the Fragrance of Damask (Ode to Spring Rain)
229 - 194
229 SHI Dazu Lyrics to Pairs of Swallows (Ode to Swallows)

230 - 195
230 SHI Dazu The First Bloom in Easterlies (On spring snow)
231 - 196
231 SHI Dazu Lyrics to the Joy of Seeing Migrating Orioles
232 - 197
232 SHI Dazu Lyrics to the Melody of Three Lovely Ladies
233 - 198
233 SHI Dazu Lyrics to the Melody of an Autumn Day after Rain
234 - 199
234 SHI Dazu Lyrics to the Melody of Night-blooming Silk Trees
235 - 200
235 SHI Dazu Lyrics to the Melody of Green Butterflies
236 - 201
236 SHI Dazu Lyrics to the Melody of Eight Stops
237 - 202
237 LIU Kezhuang Lyrics to the Raw Haws Melody
238 - 203
238 LIU Kezhuang Lyrics to the Melody of Congratulations to the Groom (On the fifth of
lunar May)
239 - 204
239 LIU Kezhuang Lyrics to the Melody of Congratulations to the Groom (On the ninth)
240 - 205
240 LIU Kezhuang Magnolia Lyrics
241 - 205
241 LU Zugao Lyrics to the Melody of a River Town
242 - 206
242 LU Zugao Lyrics to the Melody of a Banquet at the Town of Clarity
243 - 207
243 FAN Fang Lyrics to a Southern Country Melody (An inscription for a brothel in the
County of Southern Swords)
244 - 208
244 LU Rui Lyrics to the Melody of an Auspicious Crane-riding Immortal
245 - 209
245 XIAO Tailai Lyrics to the Melody of a Frosty Sky at the Crack of Dawn
246 - 209
246 WU Wenying Lyrics to the Melody of Crossing a River of Clouds (On the spring
equinox day at the West Lake)

247 - 210
247 WU Wenying Lyrics to the Melody of Night-blooming Silk Trees (While sailing along
the White Crane River towards the capital, I moored at Fengmeng and grew
sentimental.)
248 - 211
248 WU Wenying Lyrics to the Melody of Drifting Frosty Leaves (On the Double Ninth)
249 - 212
249 WU Wenying Lyrics to the Melody of a Banquet at the Bright City (Cherry apple trees
with intertwining boughs)
250 - 213
250 WU Wenying Lyrics to the Melody of Heavenly Joy
251 - 214
251 WU Wenying Lyrics to the Melody of Overflowing Blossoms (Guo Xidao offered
daffodils as a gift and asked for a composition.)
252 - 214
252 WU Wenying Lyrics to the Melody of Sandy Creek Washers
253 - 215
254 - 215
254 WU Wenying Lyrics to the Melody of Touching Up Rouged Lips (The lantern night
has just cleared up.)
255 - 216
255 WU Wenying Lyrics to the Melody of By the Honourable Terrace of The Zhus (The
coming of spring on New Year's eve)
256 - 217
256 WU Wenying Lyrics to the Melody of By the Honourable Terrace of The Zhus
(Sightseeing at the garden ruins by the Turtle Creek as a traveller)
257 - 218
257 WU Wenying Lyrics to the Fragrance of Bathing in Orchids (On the Double Fifth in
Huai'an)
258 - 219
258 WU Wenying Lyrics to the Melody of Winds Soughing Through Pines
259 - 220
259 WU Wenying Lyrics to the Oriole Warbles Prelude (Prologue omitted)
260 - 221
260 WU Wenying Lyrics to the Adagio of Cherishing Yellow Blooms (Prologue omitted)
261 - () 222
261 WU Wenying Lyrics to the Melody of the Terrace of the Zenithal Sun (The falling of
plum blossoms)

262 - 223
262 WU Wenying Lyrics to the Melody of the Terrace of the Zenithal Sun (At the House of
Prosperity and Joy I was allotted to rhyme with the word ru)
263 - 224
263 WU Wenying Lyrics to the Melody of Three Lovely Ladies
264 - 225
264 WU Wenying Lyrics to the Ganzhou Melody of Eight Rhymes
265 - 225
265 WU Wenying Lyrics to the Melody of Walking on Grass
266 - 226
266 WU Wenying Lyrics to the Melody of an Auspicious Crane-riding Immortal
267 - 227
267 WU Wenying Lyrics to the Melody of a Partridge-filled Sky (Written whilst at the
Temple of Reformation)
268 - 227
268 WU Wenying Lyrics to the Melody of Sauntering in the Palace at Night
269 - 228
269 WU Wenying Lyrics to the Melody of Congratulations to the Groom (Admiring plum
blossoms with Master Lzhai at the Pavilion of Billows)
270 - 229
270 WU Wenying Lyrics to a Sugary Chant
271 - 229
271 HUANG Xiaomai The Moon of a Xiang Spring Night
272 - 230
272 PAN Xibai Lyrics to the Melody of A Great Deal Of (The Double Ninth)
273 - 230
273 HUANG Gongshao Lyrics to the Melody of Green Jadeite Bowl
274 - 231
274 ZHU Sifa Lyrics to the Melody of Fishing with Bare Hands
275 - 232
275 LIU Chenweng Lyrics to the Duke of Lanling Melody (On seeing off spring in the
year of Bingzi)
276 - () 233
276 LIU Chenweng Lyrics to the Appearance of a Precious Caldron (On the spring moon)
277 - 234
277 LIU Chenweng Lyrics to the Melody of Forever in Happiness (Prologue omitted)
278 - 235
278 LIU Chenweng Lyrics to the Melody of Fishing with Bare Hands (Prologue omitted)

279 - 236
279 ZHOU Mi Lyrics to the Melody of the Terrace of the Zenithal Sun (On seeing off
Chen Junheng who has been summoned)
280 - 237
280 ZHOU Mi Lyrics to the Jade Flower (Prologue omitted)
281 - 238
281 ZHOU Mi Lyrics to the Melody of the Capital's Bright Moon in Autumn (Prologue
omitted)
282 - 239
282 ZHOU Mi A Melody Wandering in Spring (Prologue omitted)
283 - 240
283 ZHOU Mi Lyrics to the Melody of Overflowing Blossoms (On narcissi)
284 - 241
284 JIANG Jie Lyrics to the Melody of an Auspicious Crane-riding Immortal (On seeing
the moon in the countryside)
285 - 242
285 JIANG Jie - Lyrics to the Melody of Congratulations to the Groom
286 - 243
286 JIANG Jie Lyrics to the Melody of a Lady's Headwear (On the night of a year's first
full moon)
287 - 244
287 JIANG Jie Lyrics to the Melody Dedicated to Lady Yu (Listening to the rain)
288 - 244
288 ZHANG Yan Lyrics to the Melody of the Terrace of the Zenithal Sun
289 - 245
289 ZHANG Yan Lyrics to the Melody of Crossing a River of Clouds (I've roam the west
for a long time, Wang Jucun asked about what I've composed lately, I thus this wrote to
put in the post for him.)
290 - 246
290 ZHANG Yan Lyrics to the Ganzhou Melody of Eight Rhymes (Prologue omitted)
291 - 247
291 ZHANG Yan Lyrics to the Resolution of Connected Rings (A lone wild goose)
292 - 248
292 ZHANG Yan Lyrics to the Melody of Scattered Light and Shade (A chant on lotus
leaves)
293 - 249
293 ZHANG Yan Lyrics to the Sound of a Pipe under the Moon (Prologue omitted)

294 - 250
294 WANG Yisun Lyrics to the Melody of a Heavenly Aroma (On the incense named
Dragon's Froth)
295 - 251
295 WANG Yisun Dainty Brows (On a new moon)
296 - 252
296 WANG Yisun Lyrics to the Melody of Heavenly Joy (On cicadas)
297 - 253
297 WANG Yisun The Adagio of Lamenting Along a Gallery (On revisiting the villa
Zhongan used to reside)
298 - 254
298 WANG Yisun Lyrics to the Melody of the Terrace of the Zenithal Sun (Prologue
omitted)
299 - 255
299 WANG Yisun Lyrics to a Symphony to be Presented to Immortals (Prologue omitted)
300 - 256
300 PENG Yuanxun Lyrics to the Melody of Scattered Light and Shade (On seeking plum
blossoms but finding none)
301 - 257
301 PENG Yuanxun Lyrics to the Melody of Six Failings (On willow catkins)
302 - 258
302 YAO Yunwen The Adagio of the Fragrance of Fuchsia Evodia
303 - 259
303 Seng Hui Lyrics to the Melody of a Bright Golden Pond
304 - 260
304 LI Qingzhao Lyrics to the Melody of Reminiscing the Flute Play on the Phoenix
Terrace
305 - 261
305 LI Qingzhao Lyrics to a Dreamy Chant
306 - 261
306 LI Qingzhao Lyrics to the Melody of Becoming Drunk in the Shade of Blossoms
307 - 262
307 LI Qingzhao Lyrics to the Adagio of Resonance
308 - 263
308 LI Qingzhao Lyrics to Remembering Your Charm
309 - 264
309 LI Qingzhao Lyrics to the Melody of Forever in Happiness

310 - 264
310 LI Qingzhao Lyrics to the Melody of Sandy Creek Washers
000 - 265
000 LI Qingzhao A Sprig of Plum Blossom
000 - 265
000 YE Mengde - Lyrics to the Melody of Touching Up Rouged Lips (Up on a small
pavilion on a mountain peak in the Shaoxing era in the year of Yi Mao)
000 - 266
000 LI Yu - A Joyful Rendezvous

001 -
001 QIAN Weiyan Magnolia Lyrics
/ English Translation
In the town, the warble of orioles mingles among its glorious scenery and sights,
In the moat of the town, against the enclosing walls crush waves of springtime.
For how long last the green of willows and the fragrance of grass?
My eyes are growing teary, yet already rent are my melancholic insides.
So I have noticed that increasingly becoming aged is my frame of mind,

Like an astonished mute phoenix, surprised I was, at the passing of my prime.
In the past, my sickly physique had me libation detest,
Now I only dread holding a chalice that is dry.
002 -
002 FAN Zhongyan Lyrics to Sumuzhe
The sky is blue with clouds, the ground covered in leaves yellowed,
To the water's edge spread autumn colours, cold mist hovers over green waters.
The setting sun reflects off mountain ranges, the sky and waters a picture paint,
Grass feels not, more of it grows beyond the setting sun like uninhibited nostalgia.
Drowning in homesickness, depressed by my time on the road,

Sleepless are nights, unless sweet dreams find me to some rest provide.
Leaning over railings atop a tower to the moon admire is not for those alone,
For a drink of spirits down a saddened soul makes wistful tears flow.

003 -
003 FAN Zhongyan Lyrics to Fishermen's Melody
At the borders autumn comes to the landscape change,

Wild geese bound for Hengyang have no intention to here stay.
All round blares the sound of bugles among desert winds.
Among countless peaks of these mountain ranges,
At twilight rises wisps of smoke from an isolated town that is shutting its gate.
Over a sip of stale wine I think of home that is tens of thousands of miles away,
Being far from achieving a Yanran milestone, I am unable to set a return date.
Lingering in the air are Qiang pipe tunes as hoarfrost covers the ground of this place.
Wakeful I stay,
A grey-haired general I am, weeping tears of a soldier on a military campaign.
004 -
004 FAN Zhongyan Lyrics to the Imperial Drive Melody
Fallen leaves desultorily drift over pot plants lined stairs,

The night is still, bar a few murmurings of insects.
I roll up the beaded screens to admire the azure dome,
Clear is the sky, the Milky Way casts its shine towards the ground like drapes.
Every year this time, the moon beams smoothly like silk,
Yet thousands of miles away is the object of my affections.
Already rent is my heart, I cannot be more intoxicated,

Before I could further drink up, I've already more tears shed.
Lying askew is a pillow by the gleam of a dimming lamp,
How familiar I am with what it's like to in loneliness sleep and dwell.
So often reminded of this I am, it weighs on my mind and brows,
Yet there is nothing I can do to it fend.

005 -
005 ZHANG Xian Millennium Lyrics
There rise chirps of cuckoos, again they have come to call blossoms' end.
To seize spring, I longingly pick flowers' colourful remains.
Sudden rains and stormy winds the season of green plums commence.
Over the Yongfeng grounds, there's no one but drifting catkins all day.
Stroke not even a string, for it can such reticent bitterness express.
Unless the heavens mortal becomes, my love will never be laid to rest,
My heart is a cobweb doubled over, tied and knotted with a million frets.
The night is nearly over, the lamp has burnt out, the day hasn't broken yet.
006 -
006 ZHANG Xian Lyrics to the Bodhisattva Melody
A Xiang River melody comes from a zither played plaintively,

Its every note depicts every green river ripple of Xiang expressively.
Slender fingers over thirteen strings
Stroke and pluck her deep lament delicately.
During the banquet, her eyes languors show,

The zither neck placed at a slant the manner of dashing geese imitate.
When her play comes to a segment that is most mournful,
Her brows are like mountains in spring overcast with clouds that hang low.

007 -
007 ZHANG Xian Lyrics to a Tippler's Drooping Whip
Embroidered with a pair of butterflies was her dress,

It was at a banquet by the East Pond, when we first met.
With only a lightly powdered and rouged face,
She was a flower at ease in spring, delicate and dainty.
Everything about her on close looks was fair.

Everyone spoke praise of her willowy waist.
Yesterday she seemed like someone from uninhabited hills at sunset,
Tinged all over with vivid clouds as she came.
008 -
008 ZHANG Xian Lyrics to a Thicket of Flowers
When could I not be saddened by heights and yearn for the distant no more?
There is nothing as intense as love.
Parting sorrows perturb me like thousands of intertwining willows,
In the fields further east, catkins drizzle and mizzle creating a haze.
The sound of horse galloping distant becomes, unsettled is the dust they've raised,
Yet where could I find prints to your whereabouts trace?
The waters ripple and riffle in the Mandarin Duck Pond,

To cross between its north and south there is only a canoe and oars.
After sunset I pull up the rope ladder of the waterside pavilion,
What follows is the moon at an angle shining through screened windows.
On deep regrets I ponder and dwell, unlike blossoms of peach and apricot trees,
Which are free to easterlies engage as they drift towards their release.

009 -
009 ZHANG Xian Lyrics to the Melody of a Heavenly Fairy (I was a
magistrate in Jiahe at the time, sick I was and thus unable to attend a
government banquet. )
With a chalice in hand, I listen to the tune of the Water Melody,

I've recovered from afternoon's tipsiness, though I'm still steeped in melancholy.
I've seen off spring, when shall return spring that has gone?
I look into the mirror at night, how the lost of time evokes sentimentality.
In vain I recall the bygone days that is now no more than history.
On the sand stand a pair of gulls next to the darkened lake,

The moon breaks through clouds as flowers sway to shadows play.
Layers of curtains and drapes closely the lamp veil,
In the gusty wind, others have begun to quiet down,
Tomorrow shall see fallen petals this entire path pave.
010 -
010 ZHANG Xian Lyrics to Blue Gate Prelude
The weather is such that a moment's warmth could suddenly a slight chill become,
Then comes evening before the wind and rain come to a stop.
Quiet and empty is the courtyard, drawing near is the vernal equinox,
Here I am drinking among remnants of blossoms,
With the same sentimental malaise from last year I am struck.
Sobering is the sound of bugles blaring from the watch tower carried by the wind,
Deep into the night locked behind gates and doors is stillness.
Unbearable is what the bright moon conveys
Through the wall, the shadow of a swing.

011 -
011 ZHANG Xian Lyrics to the Raw Haws Melody
Bashfully she adjusts her jadeite hair-knot jewellery,

Yet she eyes her patron time and again when she pleases.
The slanted zither neck akin to dashing geese and its thirteen strings
Note after note portray orioles' warble and tweets.
Charming clouds vanish easily,

Leaving no trace severing dreams.
A closely enclosed courtyard locks in dusk,
As showers shower on plantain leaves.
012 -
As I new verses compose to a melody with spirits in a grail,

By the lagoon the terrace is the same as before in last year's weather,
Who could turn around the sun that has set in the west?
Powerless are flowers that must wither and fall,

It's time for the return of swallows that I seem to have met before,
Alone I am in the garden pacing paths lined with fallen petals.

013 -
Moments flash, even years would one day draw to a close,

When common partings can easily sadness evoke,
Decline not frequent banquets and singing events.
Gathering views of the landscape reminds me of distance places,

In the rain windswept flowers drift, leaving me to ponder the passing of spring even more,
Why not the notion of holding dear those close by follow.
014 -
On a crimson note of small calligraphic writing,

Expressive are aspirations and emotions of mine,
Fish through waters swim while long distance travelling geese among clouds fly,
Yet hard to deliver are my melancholy sentiments at this time.
As the sun inclines, in the west chamber I recline in solitude,

Looking at the silhouette of distant hills between gathered curtains held by hooks.
I know not the whereabouts of the countenance of my desire,
Yet continuing to flow eastwards are green ripples as usual.

015 -
Autumnal winds soughingly sough,

Leaf by leaf phoenix trees its foliage drop.
A light savour of fermented barely wine can easily intoxicate,
Resting my head by a window I fall into a deep slumber.
Purple rosebushes and red roses of Sharon shrivel and wilt,

The setting sun on balustrades shines still.
The season has come for paired swallows to make their return,
Last night behind the silvery screen I felt a slight chill.
016 -
The pond water is green and the breeze light and genial,
They remind me of the first time I saw her face.
Her singing of the Repetition was like the ringing of jade,
Her dance to the Cleaving symphony whirled petals around her waist.
Outside the raised delicate curtains, below the balustrade by the stairs,
Drunk I am, unaware that the sun has set and the time is late.
Of those that I admired the blossoms with,
Only fewer than half still alive remain.

017 -
Once swallows and wild geese have dashed off, orioles would flit away,
Reminiscences of a lifetime give rise to millions of sentiments.
Life is a like a vernal dream, yet how long lasts it?
Once gone, it is nowhere to be found, like autumn clouds it fades.
I think of romantic couples who serenaded or pledged with jade,

Whose romance could not be redeemed even at the expense of extreme lament.
Be not a sober loner I say,
What is best is being among blossoms and staying intoxicated.
018 -
Green willows and fragrant grasses lined the gallery where we parted ways,
How easily youth takes its leave while I remain.
High up on a building I face the wee hours with shattered dreams,
Under blossoms suffuse parting sorrows in the form of March drizzling rain.
The heartless seem to suffer less than the passionate,

Whose every inch of craving would million strands of melancholy create.
Even the sky and the earth have their limits,
Only lovers' yearning would linger on and never break.

019 -
A farewell song was sung, on a gallery a parting banquet took place,

As I looked back, dust with a flowery air had already us separated.
Among the woods she stood, her horse neighed,
Off I rowed following the turn of waves.
Depressed is my soul in an ornate pavilion up on high, still severed is my gaze.

There is only sunset sending off ripples far and away.
Perpetual and pervasive without end is my parting sorrow,
As expansive as the sky and the earth is my yearning that pervades.
020 -
Along the path flowers are thinning, the countryside is fields of green,
Next to raised buildings becoming thick is the foliage dense with leaves.
Vernal breezes know not how to catkins restrain,
Allowing them to scatter on faces of passers-by like misty mizzle.
Behind verdant leaves orioles hide, swallows rest outside crimson screens,
Over the incense burner curls of smoke one another quietly seek.
After I have slept off intoxication in a melancholy dream,
The private court has come well under sunset's gleams.

021 -
021 YAN Shu Lyrics to a Melody of Walking on Grass
On the sea aquamarine with no billows there is a path to the celestial terrace,
We should be able to there fly towards as a pair if our hearts so wish.
Once I left behind rashly the object of my affections,
Now being mountains and waters apart I know not where she is.
A dusty, delicately woven mat remains in the bed chamber lightly veiled by mist,
On whom could I rely to bring you a crimson note in small script?
On a tall building I look into the distance and see the day drawing to a close,
As a whistling drizzle rustles the leafage of phoenix trees.
022 -
022 YAN Shu Lyrics to the Melody of Butterflies Chasing Flowers
Next to groves of trees wind labyrinthine balustrades,

In the breeze willows their golden strands spread.
Who can tune up the strings along the jadeite zither neck?
Off flit a pair of petrels through the drapes.
Before my eyes catkins fall and willow sprigs sway,

Apricot trees blooming red and a spell of drizzle the vernal equinox manifest.
From a deep slumber I wake as orioles tweets and chirps make,
Startling and shattering sweet dreams that I know not where to locate.

023 -
023 HAN Zhen Pheonix Flute Chant
Enshrouded in parting sorrows, immense and infinite,

Nearby fields and paths begin to melancholy appear,
Through the embroidered screen I stare at the faraway,
I cry silent tears as I see off your wheels off on a long march.
Far you have gone, though I still hope to the sight of you gather,
Yet among remote waters and lonely clouds, many obstructions exist.
Staring into the distance, on a tower I linger till day's end,
Not seen is any sight of you nonetheless.
Saddened is my spirit since our parting by the pond,

Along where we used to walk, the verdure my soft dress envy.
How we used to hold hands then,
Amid drifting petals and catkins, stroll on fragrant grass we did.
My visage has since aged little by little,
Yet year after year, fresh are blossoms that bloom before me.
All over fields that are green roam intoxicated tourists,
May they know not to fritter away youth and spring.
024 -
024 SONG Qi Magnolia Lyrics
By the day East Town's scenery brightens,

Rippling waters like wrinkled silk travellers' boats invite.
Over green willows veiled by mist float morning clouds,
Apricot trees with red blossoms bustle with vernal vitality.
There is little joy but ever more regrets in life,

Who would in order to save a thousand pounds of gold forsake a lady's smile ?
Allow me to raise your chalice for you to hold on to sunset,
So that it could leave among flowers more twilight.

025 -
025 OUYANG Xiu Lyrics to Mulberry Pickers
After the season of bloom the West Lake shows its best,
Petals fall in disarray, flitting catkins float,
And willows hanging over balustrades waver in the wind all day long.
Instruments and singing come to a lull, guests scatter,

I begin to feel the absence of spring, so I let down the screen over the window,
In the drizzle return a pair of swallows.
026 -
026 OUYANG Xiu A Recital of a True Heart
Raising of the curtains in the morning also light frost lifted away,
I warmed my hands to try on her the plum make-up.
Feeling surrounded in sorrows of parting,
The brows I drew were long like mountain ranges.
Recollecting bygones and bemoaning loss of time predispose me to suffer pain.

Before she sang she'd prepare herself, when she smile her brows close remain,
Most heart-rending is when I these retrace.

027 -
027 OUYANG Xiu Lyrics to the Melody of Walking on Grass
Around the high-rise plum blossoms wither, by the bridge tender willows thrive,
The fragrance of grass wafts across in warm breezes wavering marching riders.
The further I move on the more my parting grief grows and infinite becomes,
Like vernal waters it springs endlessly spreading far and wide.
With inches of rent heart and tear-filled eyes,

Lean not against balustrades of tall buildings to overlook the height.
At the end of the grassland lie mountains in spring,
Beyond the vernal mountains, those who saw me off remain far behind.
028 -
How deep is the inner garden that is deep?

Shrouded in smoky mist are willows, as if filtered by many a screen.
On a horse with a rein set with jade and a sculpted bridle I saunter,
Many buildings soar yet no longer existent is the Terrace of the Seal.
Stormy is the wind and rain of this March evening,

Doors close in the remains of the day, yet there's no way to hold on to spring.
With my teary eyes I appeal to blossoms, yet they silence keep,
Stirred are their petals that drift across swings.

029 -
Says who that love could be forgone for long?

Every spring comes to find me as sorrowful and regretful as before.
Day after day I drink till I'm drunk before blossoms,
The mirror shows me losing flesh yet I care no more.
Willows by the levees and grassland by the river,

What say you of melancholy that comes year after year?
Standing on a small bridge with the breeze filling my sleeves I ponder,
Over woods on a flatland rises a new moon as I make my return.
030 -
For days I've been drifting like fleeting clouds, yet where have I reached?
Forgetting to home return, I'm about to see the end of spring.
On the day of Cold Fare, verdure and flowers of various kinds line the streets,
Where can I find her fragrant coach, tied to whose tree?
With teary eyes I think aloud leaning over the building,

When swallows return in pairs, have they seen her in the field?
Astir is the melancholy of spring like willow catkins,
Elusive are the lingering feelings that evade even dreams.

031 -
031 OUYANG Xiu Magnolia Lyrics
Since parting I know not where you've been,

I see dreariness wherever I cast my eyes and ever so melancholy I feel!
The further you go the more distant we become till there's no correspondence.
Waters are wide and fish plunge deep, where am I to your whereabouts seek?
Winds through bamboo thickets in the deep of the night an autumn rhythm beat,
Note after note sounding regretful is the rustle of millions of leaves.
Lying on a lone pillow I wilfully dream to your presence seek,
Till lights cinders become, yet not a hint of a dream comes to me
032 -
032 OUYANG Xiu Lyrics to the Linjiang Narcissi
Beyond the foliage of willows claps soft thunder, over the pool falls rain,
Drips and drops of rain on lotus leaves sound create.
A rainbow hangs to the west of this place.
By the balustrade I lean,
Waiting for the moon to shine and height gain.
Here come swallows scouting about columns and beams that are decorated,
So I lower the curtains by letting loose hooks made of jade.
The pattern on the flat bamboo mat glistens like cool water waves.
By the pair of glass pillows,
Lie a hairpin on its side mislaid.

033 -
033 OUYANG Xiu Lyrics to Sandy Creek Washers
Tourists by the banks ornate boats in the water follow,

Against the banks lap spring waters that seem to overflow from the sky,
From the buildings by the green willows swings often sway over wall height.
Laugh not at the grey-haired with flowers pinned to their locks,

The cadence of music is hurrying the passing of cups of alcohol,
There's no better place than being in front of drinks in life.
034 -
034 OUYANG Xiu Lyrics to the Melody of Waves Dredging Sand
I raise my wine in honour of easterlies, why don't you linger in my company?

Under drooping willows and along paths lined with violets east of Luoyang,
We used to hold hands everywhere,
As we strolled past all flower thickets and tussocks.
People gather and scatter, reunions are always bitterly brief, forever leaving regrets.
This year's blossoms surpass last year's in brightness,
Though next year's may be even brighter still,
Who knows whose company I'd be in?

035 -
035 OUYANG Xiu Lyrics to the Melody of Green Jadeite Bowl
How long is spring in the space of a year?

Already been and gone has two thirds of it.
Viridian foliage and crimson blossoms are ever so pleasing,
Deep in the garden sway green willows, screens warm breezes filter
Yet within withdraws someone pallid and thin.
Flowers and wine are bought from Changan's markets,

Yet how could they compare to peach and plum blossoms of home?
Blame not easterlies for blowing away my sorrowful tears,
For hard to express are yearnings and impossible to seize are dreams,
To make it better there is only homecoming.

036 - ()
036 NIE Guangqing Lyrics to Many Beauties (Ode to Li's banquet)
Beautiful scenery and glorious days are to be cherished in life.

Among them, delightful matters and pleasant events
Are hard to come by side by side.
In the town's east, there are the Phoenix Terrace and the Soothing Garden,
Extensive is the clear, green waters, reflecting golden sunshine.
Flowering phoenix trees are dipped in dew, ribbons of willows flutter in mist,
Their foliage and leafage sway, picturesque is a sweeping scene of springtime.
Within the ornate hall, ladies are adorned with jade hairpins and ornaments,
Attending to well-versed guests for a good time.
Operatic singing persists till it is time to red candles light,
Moving on to yet another banquet to wine and dine.
Of those present, there are agile figures with swift motion,

Whose poise seem particularly flowing like rain at night.
As their cherry lips move, their mild singing stun all,
It's like the sound of orioles warbling through where blossoms thrive.
Smooth are their curves and dance moves, down hang soft tresses coiled at top,
Thin is the waist that is charming and feeble-like.
How unbearable parting is, when colourful clouds pass,
Where can they be found?
Decline not an invite to inebriated become, for brilliant are the moon and blooms,
Neglect not fine occasions and waste not time.

037 -
037 LIU Yong Lyrics to Jade Flute Tune
Over the hilltop clouds float, by the river the sun sets,
Misty waters ripple before my eyes as I long against the balustrade lean.
Panoramic is the view yet bleak is the landscape,
There falls a thousands miles of high autumn that I cannot bear to see.
Distant and out of sight are the immortal palace and my faerie beauty,
Since parting, no reply to my billet-doux has been received.
A straying wild goose without company
Slowly comes flitting down on an islet to reflect as it lingers.
I recall to myself the bygone days,

How we had many rendezvous, some undisturbed, others gleeful;
How we didn't know how unmanageable vicissitudes of life are,
Trials and hardships soon turn to regrets and melancholy.
Frustrated is my course of travelling, whenever along rivers and up on mountains,
Bothered is the mind over a lifetime's feelings,
All have turned into misery, all day long I silence keep,
Down the stairs I make my retreat.

038 -
038 LIU Yong Lyrics to Tinkling Heavy Rain
I listen to cicadas singing dolefully in the cold from across the gallery at dusk,
The sudden rain has just come to a halt.
She puts out a farewell toast outside a capital gate, yet dejected is the mood,
While I wish to linger, ready to row off is the magnolia canoe.
Holding hands, we look into each other's teary eyes,
Yet unable to words utter, on emotions we choke.
As I think of the flow of misty waters that undulate for thousands of miles,
Leaden is the evening clouds that occupy the vast southern skies.
As always the romantic fear adieu the most,

How especially so in this dismal fall!
Where will I be when I recover from insobriety tonight?
Perhaps somewhere along a willowy bank, in a breeze under a waning moon.
This time for years I'll be gone,
What should be brilliant days and beautiful scenery shall be of little use.
Even though I may possess inexhaustible passion,
Whom have I to offer it to?
039 -
039 LIU Yong Lyrics to the Melody of Butterflies Chasing Flowers
Long I stand on a high-rise in the gentle breeze,

Saddened is spring everywhere I see, the sky is vast yet overcast, all round is bleak.
In the remains of the day, in the hazy light the green of grass dims,
Against a rail I lean, yet who can through my quiescence my melancholy read.
I'd rather pretend to be a giddy eccentric looking to get tipsy,

When there is wine, singing follows, yet bland would be such imposed recreation.
Becoming loose are my clothes yet I regret not,
For I languish and suffer for her willingly.

040 -
040 LIU Yong Lyrics to the Melody of Lotus Picking
Moonlight has faded, pale are clouds in the frosty sky of dawn.
Travellers heading west must be feeling the hardship.
Her delicate hand mine holds,
To see me off to the main road, she opens the squeaky crimson door.
She with her charming face stands at the roadside,
In teary reticence, how could I bare to look back with a broken heart?
A small canoe let the oars rush it to waves cleave through,

Seemingly voracious for the scenery on the road, yet the parting gloom
Has caused a million thoughts to entangle,
Yet as I wallow in regrets, to whom could I open my heart to?
When I do look back, gone are the towers of the town,
Beyond the cold waters and skies, only a few trees are visible in the brume.

041 -
041 LIU Yong Lyrics to the Adagio of Waves Dredging Sand
From dreams I wake up to a hint of wind through the window,

Putting out the light that has grown cold.
I cannot bear to be sober,
And listen to the sound from the terrace, where drips nocturnal rain.
Unable to take heart, I've long been a wandering rover.
I disappointed her and left her with unfulfilled expectations and promises,
Unbearable is the thought of her turning our joyful encounters
All at once into sorrows and woes.
Immensely grieved I am, over and again I recall the bygone days,
So many things that took place in the depth of our bedchamber,
Time and again we drank till it was late and sang by the balustrades,
Warm and fragrant was the quilt made for twain.
When we had to briefly separate, it would cause her heartache,
Deep was our love and strong our passion,
We each other cared for and cherished.
Nowadays, nights have become ever so long,
Why did I our separation cause?
When will it be, when I could a passionate life possess again?
When I would stoop to enter behind bedchamber drapes to her pillow share,
And whisper in her ear,
How night after night everywhere I went,
I'd yearn for her as I, in the chill, the night watches anticipated.

042 -
042 LIU Yong Lyrics to the Adagio of Pacified Storm
Since the arrival of spring, pathetic seems the green and saddened the red,
I've been absent-minded and vague.
The sun has risen to flower tips shine on, as orioles dash between willows,
Yet I am still lying in bed enwrapped in a fragrant quilt.
Worn off is my powdered face, loose are my smooth tresses,
All day in languor I remain, unable to my hair comb out and dress up.
Helpless I feel. I despise the heartless who once left hasn't send an epistle.
Had I known it would be like this,

To regrets avoid, I would have placed a lock on that bridle of his.
I'd by the window of his study, with ivory-barrel pens on Sichuan paper.
Have him teach me how to poems recite and write.
I would stay by his side, and never his company avoid or cast aside,
I would pick up needlecraft as I sit by him.
He would be with me, and I wouldn't waste youthful days and my prime.
043 -
043 LIU Yong Lyrics to the Melody of Youthful Rambles
On this old Changan boulevard, on a horse we amble,

Through the lofty willows stirs the rumpus of cicadas.
The setting sun inclines away from the isle, as autumn winds blow across plains,
Over the four corners of the sky in sight the curtain of night hangs.
Gone are the clouds that leaves no trace,

From here on, when shall we meet again?
Absent is the spirit for sightseeing, and lacking are drinking partners,
As opposed to last year this time, it is just not the same.

044 -
044 LIU Yong Lyrics to Lady Qi's Song
In this late autumn weather, a shower falls in the courtyard,

Sparse become the chrysanthemums by the balustrade,
Rumpled is the foliage of the phoenix tree by the well,
Behind it rise remnants of smoke.
Feeling sad, looking around the riverside fortress,
The colours of fleeting clouds are growing dim at sunset.
In those days Song Yu must similar griefs share,
As he visited the same waters and the same mountain scaled.
Being far and out of the way, travellers miserable feel,
Growing tired of the gurgle and murmur of rivers and creeks.
Right in the season of cicadas singing among falling leaves,
Autumn crickets hum in wilting grass to one another resonate.
For a solitary traveller a day feels year-long,

Gradually the wind and dew appear, silence deepens like the night.
The sky is clear, the Milky Way lucid, and the moon bright and beautiful.
My thoughts drift far far away, as I stare at my shadow all night,
How could I bear to recount the bygones in my mind.
Having no fame nor fortune, I linger among charming red lights,
Year after year time tends to just pass me by.
Great is the scenery of the imperial region,

In my youthful days, frequent were banquet nights and merry times.
Not to mention the presence of eccentric and boisterous friends,
Who'd drinking and singing compete urging one another to stay.
In a flash dashes time,
What I've experienced seems a dream, how can I misty waters navigate?
Obsession with fame and gain drives one to become pallid and thin,
Consumed by bygones leaves one to feel more pathetic and depressed.
Tonight arrive in the speed of arrows,
A chill sets in, then comes whimpers of blaring horn that linger on.
By the window I sit idly, I put out the lamp awaiting dawn,
In wakefulness I my own shadow embrace.

045 -
045 LIU Yong Lyrics to the Melody of Midnight Joy
In the bleak weather that clouds freeze,

On a boat, small as a leaf, I left the pier while high are my spirits.
I sail by myriads of valleys and cliffs and came to the headwaters of the creek.
Surging waves have come to rest, from woods waft breezes,
I also hear the bustle of travellers and shopkeepers.
I hoist the sail high, taking ship,
Swiftly I cruise by a southern town dock.
In sight are fluttering flags of wine shops,

From a village cluster rise stalks of smoke, frosting rows of trees.
In the remains of the day, fishermen knock on billets heading home.
Withered and fallen lotuses scatter, yellowing willows their own reflections veil.
By the creekside, in twos and threes,
Return silk washing maidens, shunning travellers like me,
Yet they smilingly chat among themselves sheepishly.
At this time, I'm reminded of the lady I once left behind,

And I've since been drifting like duckweed.
What of past promises and counsel provided?
Filled with parting sorrows, the ending of a year my homecoming hinder.
Filled with tears are my eyes, looking towards the distant capital of our empire,
There are only stray wild geese and their cries across the twilight sky.

046 -
046 LIU Yong Lyrics to the Melody of Green Butterflies
In sight the rain has stopped and clouds have parted,

Quietly against the balustrade I lean, seeing off autumn scenes.
In twilight bleak is the landscape,
Dreary enough to add to Song Yu's grief.
Light breezes skim across the water as duckweeds yellow;
Under the moon dew forms in the cold as phoenix trees shed their golden leaves.
I'd like to sorrows dismiss, yet where is she now?
Boundless and infinite is the misty waters before me.
Unforgettable were the times. Since those poetic and tasteful rendezvous,
I spent years bracing the winds of change, transits of the moon and frosty stars.
Separated by vast seas and dividing ranges,
Where do the waters of Xiao and Xiang come together?
I guess paired swallows can't be relied on to tidings deliver,
For in a dusky sky, hard to recognise is a homing path.
Swamped in emotions I am, listening to the cries of wild geese that linger,
I stand through the twilight hours.

047 -
047 LIU Yong Lyrics to the Ganzhou Melody of Eight Rhymes
From the sky falls a shower scattering over the river,

Giving autumn a rinse washing it plain.
A bitter frosty wind gradually intensifies,
In cold silence lies the landscape, through buildings shines the remains of the day.
Here dwindle blossoms and off falls foliage,
Little by little fades charming scenery.
There leaves only the waters of the Yangtze to tacitly eastwards make its way.
I can hardly bear to height climb and gaze at the distant,

Far and remote is my homeland, homesickness is becoming hard to reign.
As I grow sentimental pondering over my wayfaring years,
I wonder what has made me reluctant to leave this place.
I picture her looking out from her chamber,
Mistaking for my return many times boats in the skyscape.
How could she ever know that I am here leaning against the balustrade
And mooning over her very self ?

048 -
048 LIU Yong Lyrics to the Prelude of Infatuation
I furl the sail of my boat that is only little,

To moor by the southern shore of this southern river.
In the solitary town in twilight laments a reed leaf whistle.
By the misty waters, wild geese on sands gather and hover, when startled they flit.
As the brume thins wintry woods appear that unfolds like a picturesque screen,
Distant mountains miniatures become in the shape of dark brows drawn thinly.
Readily cast aside are past pleasures, I arrive in the shape of an exiled officer.
Feeling travellers' long-distance toil, I must be advanced in years.
The landscape and scenery of a foreign place
Present loneliness that I must bear as I've come to eye them with melancholy.
Out of bounds are the capital and grand architecture, grieving a travelling soul.
Grasslands spread towards the vast sky, basking in the glow of evening,
Of my fair lady I've received no news, after all parted clouds far and apart drift.

049 -
049 LIU Yong Lyrics to the Melody of Bamboo Horses
Atop a mound bleak is the landscape,

High up in a pavilion looking out, I gaze at the quiet misty waters.
Glowing clouds rain bear, gusty winds over the balustrade blow,
Weakening what remains of a sultry summer.
In the wake is autumn at the fall of a leaf,
The last few cicadas murmur into the evening, humming notes low and subdued.
I reminisce of past joyful days in the face of such scenery,
Yet where our capital lies far in the distance is engulfed deep in the obscure.
When the present becomes bygones,

Easy to pile is more melancholy, hard to gather is old company.
All day I stand here at an elevated height,
Tacit nostalgia is all I've realised.
Before my eyes drift what could be fine drizzle, mist or rime,
Black crows flutter, desolate is the riverside town in dusk.
From the southern tower bugles blare sending off another day's twilight.

050 -
050 LIU Yong Lyrics to the Adagio of Linjiang Narcissi
I come around in the little courtyard

To chilly wind whistles and showers of rain on the other side of the balustrade.
Beyond the ornate windows, shrivelled and whirling leaves autumn articulate.
With a heavy heart, a long wintry night is hard to pass,
Alone behind the curtains of the bedchamber, a candle wax drips burning in vain.
Of next to no use are the pillows and quilt embroidered with mandarin ducks,
For I'll be idling the night away.
Quietude surrounds me. Recalling lingering love and deep regrets,

Which I've experienced plenty in my youthful days.
Lately I've noticed that I'm growing pallid and thin, losing my old charm and grace.
Feeling dejected, I reflect on pleasures I used to indulge in,
That have since been put on hold by brume and waves, and distant are future dates.
Maybe as distant as another year way. Allow me to ask how I could survive
So many a tedious day!

051 -
051 WANG Anshi Lyrics to the Fragrance of Cinnamon Twigs
I make a climb to cast my eyes afar, our capital is seeing late autumn climes,
Solemn is the atmosphere.
The limpid Yangtze winds for thousands of miles like a ribbon
Around ranges of viridian peaks.
Homing boats sail in twilight,
Against the westerlies, leaning wine flags flutter fiercely.
Colourful boats glide by under a sky of few clouds, stars rise over the Egret Isle,
No painting could do justice to such a scene.
Remember the days when they on grandeur and extravagance compete,

Even when beyond the city gates tragic warring continued to take place.
A thousands years on at this height,
What more is there to be said of their glory and disgrace?
The history of the six dynasties vanishes with the flow of water,
There leaves only traces of smoke among wilting grass to the remaining green veil.
Even courtesans of this day
Often sing still the Flowering Backyard, a legacy from the olden days.

052 -
052 WANG Anshi Lyrics to the Millennium Prelude
From within the hostel comes the garment pressing sound in the cold,
From the lonely town bugles blare,
The sound of autumn pervades throughout all voids of space.
Eastbound swallows fly over the sea on their way home,
Wild geese on their way to the south on the sandbar catch a rest.
The same wind that pleased the Duke of Chu on the Terrace blows,
And same moon Yu admired from the South Tower shines, just as they did in those days.
I cannot help being attached to fame and gain,

Nor can I help having have to put aside my affections,
Forsaking life's most delightful aspect.
Once I uttered too much sweet talk to impress,
Now I could only the promise of returning to you break.
Whether it is when the dream is at its sweetest,
Or when sobriety returns, my longing persists nonetheless.
053 -
053 WANG Anguo Lyrics to the Joy of Peace and Tranquillity
Unable to be held on to is spring,

Wasted is orioles' twittering.
The ground covered in fallen petals has the look of soiled palatial floor covering,
After last night's storm raged through the estate's southern garden.
My beloved has just learnt to play the pipa,

At dawn her thoughts have already drifted far to the end of the world.
Unwilling to noblemen's edifices enter,
Breezes of spring among willows and catkins potter.

054 -
054 YAN Jidao Lyrics to the Linjiang Narcissi
On a high-rise out of reach I lie inebriated,

Till I sober up to face nightfall that hangs low like a veil.
Then my regret from last spring surfaces to my feelings agitate,
Alone among fallen petals I stand,
In the drizzle I glimpse a pair of swallows dashing away.
I remember when I saw my lady for the first time,

She wore a dress with double collars that were heart-shaped.
She played the pipa that her yearning conveyed,
The moon was bright that night,
And its shine a lovely lady's way home illuminated.
055 -
In a dream at the Yangtze's south, among the misty waters of canals I roam,
Yet all over the river's south, I haven't yet the lady I left behind come across.
In my slumbers there's no one to whom I could my sorrows disclose,
Only to wake up to the gloom of having been misled by these sorrows.
I'd like to a letter write to my heart reveal,

Yet wild fly geese and deep sink fish that haven't helped to return a reply after all.
So I turn to the strings hoping to sing away my woe,
Till rent into pieces is my heart like a cittern's neck that many frets hold.

056 -
We parted drunk in the west chamber only to wake up remembering very little,
In dreamy spring and cloudy fall, we readily gathered and of each other took leave.
The moon shines through the half-opened window allowing me little sleep,
Clearly visible is the green Wu mountains spreading across the decorated screen.
Wine stains on my clothes and words that poems weave,

Blotches and verses of them portray nothing but a lonesome feel.
Red candles know they have no better end to achieve,
But to on this cold night drip tears of wax for those who weep.
057 -
Your colourful sleeves move affectionately as you raise your jade cup,
Years ago you would rather drink till red in the face risking becoming drunk.
Your dance moonlight attracted to the inside of the willow-surrounded loft,
Your singing drifted with the breeze and the waving of mahogany fans.
Ever since our parting, I've thought of seeing your once more,
How I've been dreaming of having your company.
Tonight I raise the silver candle holder to illuminate a better look,
For I'm afraid of seeing our reunion turning out to be a dream once more.

058 -
Inebriated I cling to the spring clothes on which the fragrance of bygones lingers,
Heaven knows well how adolescent impulsiveness can lead to regretful partings.
Year after year autumn's withered grass across fields spreads,
Day after day I dwell in my chamber till sunset.
Clouds float and drift, broad and boundless are waters,

The way home is so very disant for travellers on a long march.
Since longing can never be articulated in full,
Cry not streams of tears over scented billet-doux addressed to her.
059 -
A handsome young man riding a gilded bridle

Rushes away on a light-haired charger.
Concerned is a fair lady housed in fine architecture
As she rests covered in an embroidered quilt in freezing dark hours.
There comes no news of his return,

Soon shall arrive the wilting of pear tree blossoms and the Day of Cold Fare.
There is no one to disclose her longing to,
So she sits on the swing letting her back to face the world.

060 -
Mountain ranges stand in the way of dreaming souls,

Wild geese from the north no word or tidings bring.
Regretfully the sideburns that were once ebony
Have aged grey merely because of my longing.
If I ever return to lean against the green silk-screened window,

To my beloved I have this to say:
After really tasting the misery of parting sorrows,
The joy of coming together becomes ever so great.
061 -
Inanimate are easterlies as they come,

Blowing bright and delicate blossoms to the ground cover.
Inside an ornate chamber the overhanging screen my nostalgia veils not,
As I feel what I felt last year very much.
Who knows how not to become drawn to the remaining spring vibes,
Which seem to draw tears from me everywhere I stop by.
Now I must raise the golden chalice and drink till I'm deep in a stupor,
All blossoms go out of bloom, yet how often can I allow myself to intoxicated become?

062 -
Vague is the swing in the garden veiled by dusk, seen through a window heavily screened.
In my idleness I write a poem on the bedroom door.
Spring rain has come to a stop, and over the wall bloom apricot trees.
Outside the doors sway green willows casting catkins in the breeze.
Where are the morning clouds that no trace leave?

It all seems surreal like the Duke of Chu's springtime dream.
His auburn steed might be capable of recalling the places he had travelled to,
Which raised its hoofs to neigh as it ambles past a rainbow towards the east.
063 -
063 YAN Jidao Lyrics to the Joy of Peace and Tranquillity
I couldn't persuade him to stay,

I could only see off his inebriated self on a canoe.
Which the waters of spring carried along amid green waves,
Sailing pass orioles' twittering at dawn en route.
By the wharf, green and tender are willows,

Each twig and and every leaf are expressive of parting sorrows.
Send me not his regards from here on,
For the passion shared in a house of charm is nothing to go by after all.

064 -
The fragrance of her blusher that lingers is the same as before,

Different since then are emotions as indifference grows.
In spring I still letters of many words received,
Which grew few and far between by fall.
The phoenix on the quilt feels the cold, alone is the mandarin duck on the pillow,
My nostalgic soul awaits the consolation of alcohol.
There might have been dreams and fantasies but they are after all false and hollow,
How unbearable that I now have no dream at all.
065 -
High on the terrace dew on cacti turns into a film of frost,

Clouds are like flights of wild geese, drawn out and long.
In the name of the Double Ninth, I jade goblets and a beauty bring along,
Among fellow visitors that share the kindness and custom of home.
With sleeves wearing purple orchids and hair adorned with chrysanthemums in yellow,
I so wish to mimic and relive the passion of yore.
How I would like to exchange grief for crapulence,
I pray that the singing of operatic arias wouldn't render me heartbroken.

066 -
066 YAN Jidao Lyrics to a Six-beat Chant
Exuberant foliage sees off the end of spring, around the loft catkins whirl.
In the evening I am to draw her brows,
So now I the shape of distant mountains imitate.
Untold was a touch of passion I've been trying to contain,
Yet her glance has already it discovered.
Surrounded by screens, drapes and newly composed melodies,
Such fooling around only idlers could tolerate.
My last letter too much enigmatic usage contained,

Its connotations seem shallow, unable to my true feeling articulate.
Last night in her reply in verse,
Contrived was the rhyming that almost harmony compromised.
I might as well wait till all singing and music have faded,
Before I ponder on what has been expressed.
There is no need for red candles now that clouds have idled away,
In the garden the moon shines over flowers by a corner with worn balustrades.

067 -
067 YAN Jidao Lyrics to the Imperial Drive Melody
South of the main streets catkins drift over greening trees,

Like snow they fall all over spring excursion paths.
Blossoms on trees are glamorous and the clouds light,
Under the foliage of trees is an established estate with a crimson gateway.
From its northern loft, where the curtains are raised high,
Directly in sight are the trees south of the main streets
Against the balustrade in her languor she lingers,

There fall a few evening showers.
In previous years late in spring, he used to rest his horse stamping on mosses,
By a tree of dense foliage and long he there stood.
Here fallen blossoms remain, half extended is the delicate screen hiding view,
Where has the familiar face disappeared to?
068 -
068 YAN Jidao Lyrics to the Melody Dedicated to Lady Yu
Beyond the meandering balustrades skies and waters seem alike,

Against the same balustrade I also leaned that night.
At first I took a bright moon for a sign that could us reunite,
Especially on days with a full moon, for his return I would pine.
Worn is my dress, yet there lingers a fragrance of days that have gone by,
There's nothing to sway me from what I've decided.
One spring's parting leaves me melancholy and lethargic to strings tighten.
Two trails of tears roll freely as I sit before a zither that is priceless.

069 -
069 YAN Jidao Lyrics to the Spring-retaining Chant
There were panels of a decorated screen spreading across the sky

That I just saw in a dreamy trance, up there must live divine beings of all realms.
I hold in my hand crimson envelopes I am about to send,
Containing writing of infinite lament over finite springtime.
Once we leaned over this dockside high-rise where we parted,

Looking out to the vast land south of the river.
Below the waters of its tributaries ripple and murmur,
Containing from that day tears we shed from high up here.
070 -
070 YAN Jidao Lyrics to Pining for the Distant Traveller
Maples leaves and yellow chrysanthemums high autumn portray,

Sentimental I grow being a traveller a thousand miles away.
Fleeting clouds drift by, wild geese have return with no reply,
Where must I go to letters mail?
My tears roll without end, off they fall from the window ledge,
A few splashes ink become following the grinding in the ink well.
Gradually I come to write about the days since our parting, intense are my feelings,
That pales the envelope's colour of red.

071 -
071 YAN Jidao Lyrics to the Melody of a Garden Full of Blossoms
Over the southern grounds blossoms drift,

Around the high-rise to the west flutter leaves inscribed with poems,
This garden used to partake in much happiness and pleasure.
I lean against the balustrade as autumnal sentiments pervade,
Idly recalling the times when we came together to share.
Delightful recitals and dreams took place here and there,
It's pitiful that they soon slipped away like flowing water to the east or the west.
Ever since our parting, shallow seem our love for there hasn't come
Any wild goose to bring me a letter.
There's not much left in a year, chrysanthemums by the fence are wilting,
Phoenix trees by the creek are shedding leaves
There leaves only a cup of wine to go with a cool moon and a chilly breeze.
I have no one to disclose my dreariness to,
But to pour all my affections and sorrows into cups of spirits.
Still, there is our rendezvous, I await your return,
For a close look of heartfelt tears that will be damping my sleeves.

072 -
072 SU Shi Lyrics to the First Water Melody (On the night of the Mid Autumn
Festival in the year of Bingchen, we drank at liberty till morn leading me to
write this as I also thought of Ziyou.)
When did the bright moon come to be?

I raise my drink to ask the azure sky.
I wonder about the palace and edifices in heaven,
What year of which age do they go by tonight?
I'd like to ride the wind to there visit and return,
Yet I fear where such grand and fine architecture is
Must be unbearably cold because of its height.
So I turn to dance among distinct light and shade,
How it must appear beyond the promise of earthly delights.
Soon the moon glides behind the red high-rise,

And through the decorated window of the wakeful it shines.
I know I shouldn't agonise over it,
Yet why does the moon always fuller seem at parting times?
Life is full of happy reunions and parting sorrows,
And the moon waxes and wanes in size.
Nothing is ever perfect since the beginning of time.
May we continue to survive life,
So that we could the moon's loveliness share when separated by thousands of miles.

073 -
073 SU Shi Lyrics to the Water Dragon Chant (Following Zhang Zhifu's verse
on willow catkins)
They seem like blossoms yet they also seem otherwise,

There's never anyone who would cherish them as they fall adrift.
Scattered away from home along the roadside,
Some pondering reveals that the unfeeling harbour affections indeed.
Intertwined are my thoughts and insides,
Tired and sleepy are my weary eyes, which remain shut despite my wish.
My dreams have drifted ten thousands leagues away with the wind,
To your presence seek,
Only to again be disturbed by orioles as they tweet.
Scattered adrift are these catkins yet they worry me not,

Yet those in the West Garden grieve me, as fallen petals no longer glamour possess.
After the passing of morning showers, where could I their traces find?
In the pond there float broken patches of duckweeds.
Whenever there are signs of spring,
One could in soils two thirds notice, and in the flowing water one third perceive.
On close looks I realise catkins they are not,
Scattering in dribs and drabs are tears of the parted.

074 -
074 SU Shi Lyrics to Remembering Your Charm (Remembrance of the Tale of
the Crimson Cliff)
The great gushing Yangtze with piling waves flows towards the east,
Away it carries gallant souls of the remote bygone days.
The ancient fort on the west is said to be
The Crimson Cliff, where Zhou of the Three Kingdoms era Wei's navy defeated.
Stones were hurled into the sky indiscriminatingly,
Mighty waves must have crushed onto shores hurling high snow-like foam.
The river and mountains today's landscapes paint,
Where once there were many courageous and heroic men.
Picture Zhou in his prime,

Dressed in plain clothes together with his young bride, gallant he must have been.
Topped with a silk crest, he held in his hand a fan of feathers,
With humour he helped see to
That the masts and sculls of Wei's navy go up in smoke and ashes turn into.
My mind wanders in the history vested hither,
My sentimentality no doubt has caused my early grey.
Life is a dream,
Allow me to libate a drink to the river, the moon and its reflection.

075 -
075 SU Shi Lyrics to the Melody of Forever in Happiness (I stayed
overnight at the Swallows House in the town of Peng and dreamt of the
legendary Panpan, and wrote the following verse.)
The moon is as bright and pure as frost, the breeze as gentle and smooth as water,
Pleasant is the scene that spreads before me.
Within the curve of the cove fish leap, on round lotus leaves dew drops roll,
Yet there is no sightseers here to take in the lonesome atmosphere.
There comes the drum roll of midnight and a clear sound of a leaf taking a fall,
Startling me awake from a gloomy, lingering dream.
Still and deep is the night, bygones cannot be recovered,
In my wakefulness I stroll this garden thoroughly.
I'm a worn-out vagabond of the world, I see there are tracks in the mountains,
Yet I fear I may never be able to return to the home in my heart.
Deserted is the Swallow House, where could the fair lady be found?
Locked in are swallows in the house in vain.
Those times before and this moment in time are like dreams, yet do we ever wake?
We seem to only ever pile on bygone happiness and new regrets.
Come another time, somewhere in an ochre building at night,
Someone may in my stead lament and sigh.

076 -
076 SU Shi Lyrics to the Melody of an Immortal Who Lived in a Cave
With skin like ice and bones like jade,

She perspires not looking cool and refreshed.
From the hall by the water waft breezes full of subtle scents.
Through the drawn embroidered curtains, the moon sneaks a look of her,
She hasn't retired for the night, askew are the her pillow and hairpins in her hair.
I rise to take her delicate hand, quiet is the courtyard and its environs,
A star or two the Milky Way cross between whiles.
How deep is the night, wonder I?
Approaching midnight is the time,
Moonlight pales as the northern stars low slide.
I count with my fingers when the season of westerlies would arrive,
Before I could become aware of it, lapsed has fleeting time.
077 -
077 SU Shi Lyrics to the Melody of Divining Numbers (written when
residing at the Dinghui Court in Huangzhou)
Over thinning phoenix trees hangs a curve of moon,

Between gongs of the night hours people all round quiet down.
Who takes notice of a loner going about?
Faint is a silhouette of a solitary wild goose.
Startled by it I was and turn around to look,

Yet there is no one to my grievances understand.
Withered branches are subject to choosing yet nothing comes to roost,
Cold is the sandy isle engulfed in lonesomeness and gloom.

078 -
078 SU Shi Lyrics to the Melody of Green Jadeite Bowl (Farewells to Bogu's
return to the Wu region, in accordance with He Fanghui's rhyme)
For the past three years I've dreamt of being on my way to the region of Wu,
Here I send along my dog with ochre fur to accompany you.
Once you arrive at the Pine River asking to the waters cross,
Startle not mandarin ducks and herons there,
Everywhere all round the famed four bridges is where Lao Zi once trod.
I peruse the Wang River Collection to gather vernal evening sights,

And often premier-turned-hermit Wang Wei's verses recite.
Once a date of return has been set I hope for heaven's nod,
Hope it is still the time for spring clothes that were sewn by my lovely maid,
Which once were dampened by showers of the West Lake.
079 -
079 SU Shi Lyrics to the Linjiang Narcissi
At the eastern slope I drank away the night and any sobriety that returned to me,
It must have been midnight when I came home.
My houseboy's snoring resonates like a thundering roll,
No one responded to my knocking on doors,
Leaving me to lean on my cane listening to the river's flow.
I often agonise over not being my own commander,

When could I forget all troubles and bothers?
Deep is the night, still the wind and smooth the rippling of water,
If I could only just disappear on a little boat
Among rivers and seas for the rest of my life from here on.

080 -
080 SU Shi Lyrics to the Melody of a Pacified Storm
On the seventh of March, along the Shahu Pass sudden rains befell us, those with rain gear hurried ahead; while
my colleagues all felt discomfiture, I alone did not. The sky has since cleared up, so I have written as follows.
Heed not to the tree-rustling and leaf-lashing rain,

Why not stroll along, whistle and sing under its rein.
Lighter and better suited than horses are straw sandals and a bamboo staff,
Who's afraid?
A palm-leaf plaited cape provides enough to misty weather in life sustain.
A thorny spring breeze sobers up the spirit,

I feel a slight chill,
The setting sun over the mountain offers greetings still.
Looking back over the bleak passage survived,
The return in time
Shall not be affected by windswept rain or shine.

081 -
081 SU Shi Lyrics to the Melody of a River Town (A record of a dream on the
night of the twentieth of January, in the year of Yimao)
Ten years of separation by the immeasurable distance between life and death
Is not something I'd like to think about, yet unforgettable it is already.
A thousands miles away is your lonely grave,
I've nowhere to visit and my grief express.
Even if we could meet, we probably wouldn't each other recognise,
For my faces has aged and my sideburns greyed as I have life's hardship sustained.
Last night out of the blue I dreamt of homecoming,

And there you were, putting on make-up after combing your hair.
Our eyes meet yet reticent we remained,
Yet rolling down our cheeks are tears forming far too many trails.
Then I realise we are where I'd visit year after year when my heart aches,
On a night with a bright moon, on the hillock, among the pine saplings I'd stay.
082 -
082 SU Shi Magnolia Lyrics (Following Ouyang's West Lake rhyme)
After the arrival of frost, River Huai is no longer as wide as it once was,
There is only the Ying River murmuring in vain.
Though Master Ouyang's verses are still sung by girls of this place,
The past forty-three years have disappeared like a lightning flare.
On grass tips condense dewdrops smooth like pearls,

The full moon of the fifteenth on the sixteenth is still as round in shape.
Speaking of someone who still remembers the master as well as I do,
There is only the moon that ripples in the West Lake.

083 -
083 SU Shi Lyrics to the Melody of Congratulations to the Groom
Swallow fledglings flit across a magnificent edifice,

In quietness there is no one but the shade of pagoda trees making an afternoon shift.
Everything is bathed in evening's cool breeze.
I hold in my hand a around fan made of raw silk,
My hand and my fan movements in the colour of jade render.
Gradually overcome with tiredness, I turn in for a good sleep.
Who is it that pushed through the drapes?
Abruptly interrupting the melody of the Heavenly Terrace playing in my dream.
It turns out to be the sound of bamboos knocking in the wind.
Pomegranate plants are flowering red, halfway to a full bloom,

Awaiting to survive all drifting blossoms and buds,
To accompany the solitude of my beloved.
Do obtain a bloom to behold attentively,
Enwrapped by its petals in layers and layers are its fragrance and elegance.
It's a worry that westerlies would they disturb and wreck,
When you do come this way,
In front of the bloom holding onto wine I wouldn't bear to those flowers pick.
Yet down my powered face would spill two trails of overflowing tears.

084 -
084 HUANG Tingjian Lyrics to the Melody of a Pacified Storm
In exile in the Qian region I am, taking residence in a cottage with a leaking roof,
To spend a day inside the cottage is like to survive a boat ride.
Finally the sky begins to clear up as the season closes in on the Double Ninth,
So I give in to drinking,
For not far at all is the Gate of Hell, just before the flow enters the River of Shu.
Don't make fun of an old man like me, whose spirit soars still,
You see,
How often do you come across a head of hair that has turned white completely?
We might as well stay before drama stages to follow the grace and charm of the Xies,
And those archers and cavalry,
Whose dynamic valour parallels that of the ancients.
085 -
085 HUANG Tingjian Lyrics to the Melody of a Partridge-filled Sky (Of
those seated, there was the hermit of Mount Mei, Shi Yingzhi, who offered a
prelude, and I responded with this.)
Through the stems of yellow chrysanthemums morning iciness penetrates,

In life, allow not wine cups to become dry.
Playing the flute in the wind in front of slanting rain,
A drunk wears the crest upside down with flowers pinned to his hair.
When health allows, he should eat more,

And dancing accompanied by clappers thoroughly appreciate.
Let those with a head of grey and yellow blooms one another embrace
Against the cold shoulders of the worldly without a care.

086 -
086 QIN Guan Lyrics to Gazing at the Tide of the Sea
Pure and delicate are plum blossoms, snow melts and flow away,
Concealed in easterlies is lapsed youth.
Those attending the bazaars of the Golden Valley and Copper Camel Alleyway
Are treading lightly raising mild dust on such a new fine day.
I still remember that time when I followed the wrong coach,
Among drifting catkins butterflies whirl to my spring nostalgia complicate.
In the shade of willows and along paths lined with peach trees,
Households all over receive a share of this spring landscape.
In the West Garden I drink the night away and the Tartar pipe play,
There are lanterns overshadowing the moon,
And a marquee getting in the way of drifting blooms.
Not yet bare is the orchid garden, growing old are those who come and go,
Every time I there enter adds to my lament and regrets.
In the obscurity of smoke, wine flags incline,
I lean over a high-rise to further my sight,
And see many a duck returning to branches and stay.
Although I so desire homecoming,
I could only send my thoughts with the flowing water to the very far away.

087 -
087 QIN Guan Lyrics to the Melody of Eight and Six
Leaning over a pavilion up on high, like verdure my sentiments grow,

That flourishes and thrives despite every effort to have it mowed.
I call to mind the day we parted by the green willows and I left on my horse,
By the water her red sleeves swayed as goodbyes were waved,
I felt doleful, as well as a sense of apprehension coming on.
Unexpectedly I was granted by heaven a beautiful lady,

It was like a veiled sweet dream on a moonlit night,
Gentle was the spring breeze that waft through for ten miles.
However, great pleasure and happiness tend to rush away like flowing water,
The sound of strings comes to a halt, the scent of silky drapes thins.
Unbearable is the sight of drifting petals at twilight,
And the misty drizzle that the sun screens.
Amid such dreariness, orioles comes to warble and twitter many a tweet.

088 -
Light clouds smear across the mountains, attached to the horizon is wilting grass,
The blare of a bugle from the watch tower comes to a stop.
I let the boat rest for a while,
As we chat and drink up many cups of wine.
There have been many anecdotes about the Penglai wonderland,
Yet we could only tales recount in vain amid hazy fog and smoke.
Under a setting sun, black crows several marks create in the sky,
Rushing waters of the river around the lonesome town wind.
Overwhelming and enchanting such a moment is,

In the dark she would let loose her fragrance pouch, untied would be her waistband.
All I have gained among brothels
Is notoriety that I am a heartless man.
Since our parting, when shall we ever meet again?
On my collar and sleeves, I leave tear stains in vain.
Dwelling in sadness, up on a tower I scan far and wide,
Lights have come on as dusk has arrived.

089 -
The day breaks as clouds part, agreeable is spring,

The weather has cleared up after a pouring rain.
Around a raised hall of some history,
Dashing between blossoms are flitting swallows.
Pods from elm trees fall from their weary flutters.
Beyond the swings, under a bridge smooth green waters flow.
In easterlies, contrasting against a crimson edifice are willows,
Through which come the depressed sound of Qin zither play.
Being a sentimentalist, where the excursion takes me,

I find attractive pearl hairpins, elaborate hoods, jade-adorned bridles and red tassels.
I drink till empty is the golden wine vessel,
Florid faces are confined to the wonderlands of Penglai and Yingzhou.
An old regret about a fair maiden resurfaces,
It's been a dream lasting a decade long, it surprises me as I fingers count.
Against the balustrade long I lean, against a pale setting sun rises light smoke,
Which in lonesomeness sinks below the town of Yangzhou.
090 -
090 QIN Guan Lyrics to the Melody of Walking on Grass
Fog conceals edifices and its terraces, the ferry is held captive by moonlight,
Despite every survey, nowhere could I the Fountainhead of Peach Blossoms find.
Unbearable is this lonesome inn that is supposed to shut out the cold of spring,
Especially at twilight surrounded by cuckoos' heart-rending cries.
I'm sending you a sprig of plum blooms from the inn and a letter through a carp,
To convey my myriads of regrets that have piled miles high.
The River of Chen that meanders around the mountains of Chen,
For whom do you towards the waters of Xiao and Xiang make strides?

091 -
091 QIN Guan - Lyrics to the Melody of a Partridge-filled Sky
From tree branches come yellow orioles' seemingly tearful wails,

New tear trails lay over old tear trails as I cry.
Throughout spring no carps nor wild geese have come to news bring,
Fatiguing dreaming souls separated by a dividing range and thousands of miles.
I've nothing to say but to stare at the spirits in the cup,

Looking to drink my heartbroken self till evening arrives.
I've just set the lamps alight,
There comes rain beating on pear blossoms urging me to shut the doors tight.
092 -
092 QIN Guan Magnolia Lyrics with reduced words
I rove among distant corners bearing regrets from bygone days,

Feeling miserable in loneliness as no one cares to ask how I've been.
I've always hoped to see you again yet disappointed I've always been,
Much like curls of smoke from a gilded incense burner that twirl to nothing in vain.
My shapely eyebrows often in a deep frown engage,

That not even the spring breeze could relieve.
Weary and tired on a high-rise, against which I lean,
Across fly wild geese in a flight that appear like words and words of grief.

093 -
093 QIN Guan Lyrics to the Melody of Sandy Creek Washers
It gets a little cold as I in apathy climb upstairs,

The morning's late-autumn-like chill is hard to tolerate,
Light fog pervades over flowing waters, the painted screen loneliness isolates.
Free drifting blossoms are as light as reveries,

Fine rain drizzles endlessly as delicate as melancholy,
From the silvery hooks idly hangs the precious beaded screen.
094 -
094 QIN Guan Lyrics to the Melody of When Returns Mr Ruan
Windswept rain storms through the sky of Xiang on a day that's becoming wintry,
Gloomy is the garden that is deserted.
Above the gate of the magnificent town tower comes the tune of A Little Chieftain,
Here goes a long night that is still.
Dashed away has my hope of homecoming, lonely is my wayfaring spirit,

Piercing cold is the wind as another year has come to its end.
While Hengyang still sees wild geese who letters deliver,
Wild geese do not as south as Chenyang reach.

095 -
095 CHAO Yuanli Lyrics to the Melody of Green-head Ducks
Clouds of the twilight hours have now faded away

Leaving the sky lightly glazed.
A bright and brilliant silver plate surfaced in the sea,
For thousands of miles it casts luminous and lucid rays.
Without the pollution of a grain of sand is its translucence, its goddess stands pure,
At such a quiet and still time, visible is the jagged profile of those cinnamon trees.
Dewdrops have begun to condense, not yet freezing is the autumn air,
There is no better time than this in a year.
I've been sitting out in the open for some time, fireflies pass me by on occasions,
And those southbound black cuckoos are on their way.
Cold are the terrace and the stairs, warm is the balustrade that I've been leaning on,
Though I think of retreating, I linger as I hesitate.
I think of her, ever since our parting,

I've come to understand the meaning of pining,
The most saddening is the hourly gongs that tells of the deepening of night,
I continue to grieve alone, taking notice of the shadow of flowers as they shift.
I suppose tomorrow night's moonlight should still be bright,
Yet who can predict whether the weather would be cloudy or fine.
Our mutual love was deep, but after our separation,
It has been more than a year in time.
I hope that I can healthy remain, so as to your presence and good wine
Accompany for the rest of my life.

096 -
Although I'd like to remove my outer robe, still cold is the air,
I've no intention to raise the beaded screen, deep in a dark corner I dwell.
How many blooms are there among the apricot blossoms?
Tear drops and the traces they leave have been washed away by vernal rains.
All day curls of smoke rise from the burning of aloewood incense,
Slowly I wake from last night's insobriety, vexatious is my mood aroused by spring.
Those swallows have yet again delayed their return date,
Depicted on the delicate screen is the long journey over the rivers in the west.
097 -
A breeze waft through whirling up petals as the spring chill comes to an end,
Drifting pollen sends its fragrance aflutter, scattering crimson around day after day.
More drinks add to insobriety that survive previous nights intensifying distress,
This vernal season sees no less misery than last spring's despair.
Gone are butterflies, away flit orioles, there is no one to my feelings sense,
The edifice may only be a river away, yet my anticipation has brought no mail.
Disappointed is my gaze and my looks frustration express,
Twilight only comes when the sun sets.

098 -
098 ZHAO Lingzhi Lyrics to the Joy of Peace and Tranquillity
As usual, here comes the spring breeze,

Willows by the canal their tender touch feel.
Rendering almost everywhere a lemon tint,
Vernal equinox is the time, it turns out to be.
Last year a fair was held at the scenic ground,

Tonight I see no trace of it, not even a drop of rain nor a shred of cloud.
Ruined is an emaciated life,
How many sunsets did it take to bring along such a downfall?
099 -
099 ZHANG Lei Lyrics to the Melody of a Romantic
Around the pavilion trees their leaves shed,

Drawing near is the Double Ninth, here comes the garment pressing sound of fall.
I cannot help but becoming melancholy like Yu and going grey like Pan,
Pinning yellow chrysanthemums to my hair would only those flowers disgrace.
Evening arrives at the Chu sky, white duckweeds spread to where mist pervades,
While knotweeds extends to the water's edge.
The verdure seems full of vigour, yet reticent is the sunset scene,
Over the southern waters wild geese skim, as I on the west tower remain.
How fare your beautiful self ?

We rely on only letters and notes to keep track of each other in different places.
I'd gaze at the gathering of clouds in the blue sky in vain,
There'd fly a blue bird sometimes high sometimes low.
I'm feeling particularly upset as I stand against the wind,
My devoted heart and two leaves of inch-long brows
Are overwhelmed with emotions.
When affections swell to an inexpressibly critical point,
They could only be carried away by waters that eastwards flow.

100 -
100 CHAO Buzhi Lyrics to the Water Dragon Chant (In rhyme with Lin
Shengzi's Cherishing Spring)
I'd like to ask why spring must dash in a hurry,

As it brings along flurries of winds accompanied by sudden rains.
Elegant flowers over delicate calyxes in little garden beds of low stockades
Do not survive and keep well.
Adrift are lush blossoms, though as far as keeping spring,
They are no better at it than those drooping willows.
Even if spring never passes, there would still be those who fear it would,
Such worry is a thing of the mortal realm.
Vernal sentimentality surges often and wide it spreads,

I could not bear to mouthfuls of good wine waste.
It is just the way it is that blossoms of peach trees turn to fruits and stones,
The transience of spring isn't the reason for their becoming emaciated.
Worldly achievements in the mind of the aged
Like the passing of spring are fleeting and momentary.
The most anyone can accomplish is lasting friendship,
Drinking opposite each other like old acquaintances once did in bygone days.

101 -
101 CHAO Buzhi Lyrics to the Salt Wrapper Melody (Plum blossom viewing
at the Bo Shrine)
It blooms like a snowflake, and wilts like a snowflake,

Unusual among flowers it is, most special and rare
Its fragrances comes not from its bud, nor from its calyx,
Full of fragrance is its stem.
In the way of the wind from the creek, it persuades the moon over the creek to stay,
It shames blossoms of peach trees making their crimson pale.
Throughout the night, it kind blooms sparsely and delicately,
To a unique charm portray.
102 -
102 CHAO Buzhi Lyrics to the Melody of the Remembrance of a Youth
(Farewells to the town of Li)
Countless is the number of willows that line the main avenue,

Ruthless is the decorated boat navigating further away,
Rootless is a traveller like me who continues to peregrinate.
The Southern Mountains remain in sight to see me off,
Yet the height of the town walls people's gaze separate.
Varicoloured are gardens and creeks green tinted with red,

When I here visit again, a thing of the past shall become of this landscape.
Master Liu's sideburns could not the colour of grey escape,
How could ruddiness of peach blossoms any better fare?

103 -
103 CHAO Buzhi Lyrics to the Melody of an Immortal Who Lived in a
Cave (written on the day of Mid-Autumn Festival in Sizhou)
Mist shrouds over green waters, from the blue sea a golden mirror rises.
On a long night across the deserted stairs the shadow of cinnamon trees recline.
Dewdrops a chill spread, sporadically here and there hum insects in the cold,
Distant is the immortal capital, except for the road to the Bridge of Azure.
Not yet let down is the beaded crystal screen, extended is the mica shield,
With a depiction of the lightly powdered Moon Goddess and her desolation.
Let us gather every nuance of moonlight
So as to instil them into cups of drinks,
And while waiting for the day to break, let us bottom up such heavenly wine.
Then let us pick up a cane chair each and the South Tower climb,
To admire the bright jade as it cast flawless rays over thousands of square miles.
104 -
104 CHAO Chongzhi Lyrics to the Linjiang Narcissi
Recollections of the West Pond come to me, how we drank in the pond,
Year after year, how we had many a joyful moment.
Since our parting, you have not so much as sent my way a note,
When we do come across each other on occasions,
I cannot even sense goodwill that a new acquaintance usually holds.
I've prepared a bed of embroidered quilt hoping for a good night's dream,
So as to allow me to the rivers and lakes cross.
In my wistfulness how could I consider where it would lead me towards?
For I know once spring has gone,
There is no one to prevent blossoms from drifting to their fall.

105 -
105 SHU Dan Lyrics to the Melody Dedicated to Lady Yu
Flowers of lotus have wilted in the waters that the sky runs into,
At sunset dusky waves undulates.
Silhouetted against cold-seeming clouds a pair of swallows flit across,
On a raised chamber on the east shore, leaning against the balustrade I gaze.
Life's vicissitudes makes wine the best partner when it comes to faring the old age,
Now that snow has covered the historical Changan Avenue.
When you do the lofty terrace scale,
Post me from the river's south a spring sprig off a plum tree that is blooming away.
106 -
106 ZHU Fu Lyrics to a Fishermen's Melody
Fine is the drizzling rain and tender the wind,

Households and their willows give the enshrouding mist a hue of green.
Blossoms cling to trees as they are wet and weighed down in their drift,
Endless is melancholy
That follows spring and the waters flowing east.
How long last ninety vernal days?

Even if one sets aside his gilded tortoise to sobriety lose, spring is still unable to stay.
Let us become attached to the wine vendors of Dongyang,
And in a carouse participate,
Easily becoming recollections drawing another year's tears are transient joys of today.

107 -
107 MAO Pang Lyrics to the Melody Sympathising Those Who Have
Drifted Apart (Farewells to a coutesan named Qiongfang composed in a
Buddhist cottage in Fuyang)
Tears dribble wetting balustrade and flowers appearing like dew,

Shapely painted brows gather tight to grief put on view.
We each contribute feelings that are mutual,
With nothing to say, we could only give each other silent looks.
Interruptive rains and remnants of clouds have slackened my thoughts,

Shrouding me in loneliness from dusk till dawn.
On a night like this deep in the mountains,
Already flowing with the tide to return to you is my broken soul.
108 -
At the end of the bridge with red balustrades is the fragrant thoroughfare,
Veiling the street are delicate willows, fragile and weak.
Edifices adorned in the colours of gold and jade rise into the azure sky,
Blooms on a clear day cast onto screens reflections with a red tint.
Noblemen with saffron robes on white horses make their sprint,

Day after day they arrive at the red-light district.
Their inebriated eyes don't decent people meet,
They are greeted by fine dust scattered among the scented afternoon breeze.

109 -
Around the walls of the mossy garden flourish weeds,

Inside the courtyard weak is the sun, curled up are plantain leaves.
Over the stairs the butterflies hover and fly,
Warm are screens and curtains that hang freely..
On the curtain hooks rest a pair of conversing swallows,

In the terracotta gutter catkins make their whirling drift.
Faint is the sound of a few games of coin toss,
Behind the window with a green screen I drift off with spring.
110 - ()
110 LI Yuanying Lyrics to the Melody of an Immortal Who Lived in a
Cave (Prologue omitted)
After the passing of a snow storm, the garden wakes to a fine morning.
Willows offer their visitors eyefuls of green.
There is also the wind breezing through
Many a bloom of plum trees, contrasting one another in the distance,
Accompanied by smiles and light laughters every now and then.
The most vernal of the year is not when flowers are in full bloom,
But the blooming of lightly scented ones that are charming and delicate.
When it comes to the day of the spring equinox,
Hundreds and thousands of purple and red are the colours of chaotic blossoms,
Yet half gone is springtime.
It is best to cherish such glorious moments and go on excursions readily,
Never mind the spring chill, drinking among flowers will naturally warmth bring.

111 -
111 SHI Yan Lyrics to the Blue Gate Toast
Hun horses neigh at the northerlies, Han pennants flutter in the snow,
Colourful clouds gather as the setting sun dwindle to a beam of twilight.
Ancient trees the sky join, mountains ranges cross and intertwine,
Everywhere spread desert sands and withered grass.
Stars a ladle form traversing before this inn steeped in silence,
Wakeful I remain, to watch the wick of a lamp in vain burns alight.
Smoke enshrouds the incense burner in the shape of a duck,
Ice forms over a weeping candle, dawn finds it hard to arrive over a frosted sky.
I will not forget how her make-up barely covered the effect of time,
Before I could my cup empty, overflowing I've become with parting grief.
In drunkenness I see the sadness in her eyes,
Dreaming of our intimacy makes me sentimental in my waking hours.
They lead me to dwell on my true feelings,
I barely have the heart to recall what you once whispered to my ear:
Whenever you return on a galloping horse,
Remember to come by my door where I would be waiting with a smile.

112 -
112 LI Zhiyi Lyrics to an Adagio of a Pond of Withered Spring
Faded has what remains of winter cold,

A light drizzle has been, so has the vernal equinox.
Paths are paved with petals and their remaining crimson,
And the breeze continues to wrinkle the pond surface.
Swallow fledglings flit their way across the courtyard,
Drifting catkins cling to sleeves and collars.
Nice is the weather, day and night,
That invites one to savour, for it certainly is as potent as wine.
I've been needing to again shift my belt hole,

Only because I've thinner become.
Not seeing her makes me miss her,
Yet seeing her makes no difference at all.
Being able to see her every now and again
Is no comparison to having her companion lifelong.
Heaven ages not, yet we haven't been able to life partners become.
Let me dispose of my regret and leave it with the willows in the courtyard.

113 -
113 LI Zhiyi Lyrics to the Melody of Divining Numbers
I live where the Yangtze begins,

You live where the Yangtze comes to its end;
Day after day I long for you yet I see you not,
Though we the Yangtze's waters share.
When shall the waters run dry?

When shall this regret come to an end?
I only hope that your heart is like mine,
And disappoint not our mutual wistful affections.

114 -
114 ZHOU Bangyan Lyrics to the Chant of an Auspicious Dragon
Along the Medal Terrace, there remains plum blossoms that are wilting still,
Already beginning to bloom are peach trees.
Quiet are the streets of this neighbourhood,
Swallows that have nests here are about to make a return to their origin.
In silence I stand still,

I recall her petite figure, and how she'd suddenly look out the windows.
In the morn, she would powder her brows with the colour of the moon,
Her sleeves would move air and her laughters would fill the room.
Once upon a time, upon Master Liu's return,

He visited his old neighbours in his old neighbourhood,
Of all dancers of his contemporaries, there was only Madam Du,
Who could still command what she used to.
I pick up a brush to a prose compose on coloured sheets,
Springing spontaneously to mind are the writings devoted to the Yan Terrace.
Who remains to accompany me, to drink alfresco in this famed garden,
And to go on walks to the town's east?
Everything has left with the wild geese,
I hope to hold onto spring, yet its departure deeply disappoints me.
Along the main avenue willows bow like curls of golden strands,
I come home late on horseback, over the pond fly threads of drizzle.
Heart-rending feels the garden, beyond the screen drift catkins in the wind.

115 -
115 ZHOU Bangyan Lyrics to the Melody of a Romantic
Fresh green spreads across the little pond,

The breeze curtains sways, against the setting sun patches of shadow play.
Envious of the edifices here are returning swallows;
From the earth grow many plants in bloom, surrounded by mossy walls.
In her boudoir, where is she behind layers of drapes adorned with phoenixes?
From where music of strings and pipes can be heard often.
Wanting to words utter I said nothing, for I have broken many a promise;
Before I can sing, choked with sobs I've become, as spirits has grief brought.
From afar I can tell that she must have dressed up with make-up applied,
The red gate gapes, towards the west chamber heads she to the moon admire.
In agony will be my dreaming soul for I am unable to her side reach tonight.
When could I let her know of a helpful revelation of a secret kind,
That involves sending the mirror and swapping the incense of affectionate tales?
Heaven would then show us grace, and allow us to meet for a little while!

116 -
116 ZHOU Bangyan Lyrics to the Duke of Lanling Melody
Drooping willows hang straight, which fog renders as strands of green.

By the embankments built in Sui, I've seen them many a time
As they caress the water and send their catkins adrift amid parting melancholy.
I scale height to look towards the old capital,
Who knows who I am? For I am a weary traveller retired from the capital's bustle.
Along the path from the pavilion, one year goes and another comes,
There must have been thousands of feet of willow twigs that have been plucked.
These days I have time to old paths trace,

Accompanied by wine and grieving strings,
Burning bright still are lights, yet I have to retire from my seat,
Pear blossoms and elm wood fire signify the approach of the Cold Fare Day.
What saddens me is the wind that hurtles like an arrow,
As I half-heartedly pole through pleasant waves
Soon I've left a fair distance and many ferry stops behind,
And the one on my mind is in the north beyond the sky.
How miserable, when regrets pile.

By the waters I linger, along the sandy bay silence pervades,
The sun slowly sets, yet spring prevails.
I remember once I held her hand under the moon,
As we listened to a flute play on the Bridge of Dew,
Deep in thoughts I am, thinking of our bygone days,
They all seem like dreams to me, in my solitude I let tears roll off my face.

117 -
117 ZHOU Bangyan Lyrics to the Melody of an Inlaid Window in the Cold
In the shade of willows crows caw,

Long I stand with only a single layer of clothes, a screen hangs behind the red door.
Blossoming away are half an acre of phoenix trees,
Here locked in silence is a courtyard of melancholy drizzle.
Awash are empty stairs, deep is the night yet there continues the rain,
Much like old flames sharing a night over a dwindling candle by the west casement.
It also resembles an night stay by a southern river,
Where there'd be lights flickering in the wind, illuminating a young wayfarer like me.
Late it is for sightseeing of interesting places.

Cold and smokeless are stoves at the inn,
The town has banned raising of fire for it's the one hundred and fifth day of the year.
I call for a drink at the pavilion selling wine,
For all fellow tipplers around.
The East Garden comes to mind, where peach and prune trees blossom in spring,
Yet is her delicate face with little lips there still?
When it comes to my homecoming, there must be remnants of blossoms still,
Waiting to be gathered by this traveller who wine brings.

118 -
118 ZHOU Bangyan Lyrics to the Melody of Six Failings (Written after the
roses have wilted)
I'm putting on a light robe to a banquet attend,

Of the saddening life of a dejected wayfarer, precious time only go to waste.
I hope spring could for one moment stay,
Yet it lapses like flitting birds, once gone, they leave no trace.
I'd like to ask which way is home?
In a night storm, a beauty of the Chu palace was laid to rest.
Her fragrance touched where her hairpins and jewellery had fallen,
Petals fall along the peach blossom-lined creek or drift among rows of willows.
For whom do I affections maintain?
Nonetheless, there often come bees and butterflies to a match make,
As they bump into window inlays.
The East Garden is calm and still, becoming shrouded by shadows of greenery,
That quietly surround the base of flowering clusters. There goes a sigh.
Strands of willows seem intent on bothering passing wayfarers,
As if tugging their clothes for a word, to endless parting emotions express.
Tiny is this withered flower that can barely serve as a hairpin or a headdress,
It is after all not quite a golden hairpin as it quivers by itself,
Looking for someone to come to a rest.
Now it has gone with the flow, let it encounter neither morning nor evening tides,
For on the drifting red I've inscribed my wistful writing,
How could it their undulation survive?

119 -
119 ZHOU Bangyan Lyrics to the Melody of Night-flying Cuckoo
On the bridge over the river where I had seen you off, how cool the night is.
Far and low inclines the moon, as it its splendour casts,
On the bronze plate the candle has wept away all its tears,
My clothes come into contact with cool dewdrops thick and fast.
When we were finally about to part,
The breeze carried the drumming from the wharf, stirring trees bearing starry flags.
Bright is my horse that can my mind read,
Even when I my whip apply, it knows to a slow pace keep.
After some distance and many turns we've come to an open field,
Gradually people's chatter fades, I've brought home nothing but melancholy.
I wonder why I this same place return to,
Lost jewellery can no longer be found, away I wander among the winding paths.
There are only pulse plants and a field of barley
Under the setting sun growing to match a person's height.
I linger among them and gather some grass to sit on,
I begin to drink as I sentimentalise and look out to the western sky.

120 -
120 ZHOU Bangyan Lyrics to the Melody of a Garden Full of Blossoms
(Written on a summer day on Mount Wishless by the Li River)
The spring breeze is all but gone while oriole fledglings little remain,
Rains plums nourish, in the afternoon mature trees' foliage refreshed seem.
Remote is this place enclosed by mountains,
Often damp are clothes that need to be dried over stoves.
Quiet is this place where birds are at ease,
Beyond the little bridge, before my eyes is the verdure and its green.
By the balustrade long I stay, there are yellowing bamboos and reeds,
That makes me wonder if I could just set sail for the Nine Rivers region.
Year after year, I am like migratory swallows

That fly over vast deserts and waters to nestle on rafters here.
Let us not brood over matters beyond our control, but bring along always spirits.
I am a weary wayfarer roaming the Yangtze's south,
I cannot bear to hear elaborate music of pipes and strings.
All I wish for is to have at the banquet a prepared pillow and bedding
For me to sleep on when I become the worse for drink.

121 -
121 ZHOU Bangyan Lyrics to the Melody of Passing By Houses of
Coutesans
Moonlight floods, through rustling leaves wafts a cool breeze,

Neighing of horses along streets and alleyways have just died away.
Against an open well I idly lean, smilingly I wave to fireflies fan away,
Only to my delicate, painted silk fan break.
Against the balustrade long I lean in the deep of the night,
Melancholy my sleep replaces while the timing arrow time keeps.
Regretfully brief were my best years, now we are thousands of miles apart,
Dreams have leaden become, and rare are letters, few and far between.
I strive vainly to my hair and sideburns comb,

The bronze mirror shows me losing flesh, slothful in keeping my look I've been.
Scented by plum blossoms is the breeze and damp is the ground,
The rain has a rainbow produced and nourished even mosses,
Under the arbour, fallen petals have disappeared.
There is no one who would believe that I've mundane become,
Because of you I've lost my flair like Jiang Yan had lost his brush,
Like Xun Qian who continued to dwell till he died in the loss of her beloved.
Nonetheless there traverses the Milky Way and its gleam,
Visible still are sparkles here and there few and far between.

122 -
122 ZHOU Bangyan Lyrics to the Melody of Overflowing Blossoms
Low is the white plastered wall, over which plum blossoms extend into sight,
Giving off an aroma that is the same as ever.
Dewdrops on petals condense, washed off seem to be their cosmetics,
Revealing their spectacular beauty and elegance.
Last year, at the grand viewing I gathered alone
Some refreshing and fine tasting delicacies.
Yet ever more precious are impressive tree among snow and ice,
They are like an incense burner surrounded by a quilt of white.
This year's blossom viewings come and go hastily,

Which have been regretfully few leaving a lingering sense of depression.
Long I stay to recite and gaze at what fall on green mosses
From their whirling drift.
Next time we meet, it could be time to savour wine made from these green fruits,
And we're likely to be somewhere on an expansive river as we fog and billows face.
Nevertheless I could still dream of a branch of handsome blooms
That the water give a reflection of in the sunset.

123 -
123 ZHOU Bangyan Lyrics to the Melody of Great Gulps
Night fog has cleared away, quiet are spring fowls,

From the roof comes the sound of pelting rain.
Over the wall extends the green pennons of bamboos,
That seem to have washed away all rouge and powder as their shoots interlace.
The dampness of this weather strings loosen
As coldness pillows and drapes penetrates,
Among the bamboo grove insects fly into meshes of cobweb becoming stuck.
There is no traffic at the house of mail exchange,
Non-stop is the trickling sound off the eaves, I've just entered a sound sleep.
Regretfully there is too much worry that comes to frighten me,
Hard to catch are light-footed dreams, leaving me to pity my isolation.
A traveller like me hopes for a prompt homecoming,

Yet foremost on my mind is the worry that floods would coaches hold up.
Regretfully this makes me thin and pallid like Lancheng once was,
And weak and feeble like Wei Jie towards his end.
On an ordinary day, such a sight is enough cause a heartache.
I blame not Ma Rong when he in Pingyang stayed,
Tears would come flowing from anyone who hears his mournful pipe play.
After all I'm surround by desolation in a land of weeds,
Where speckles of crimson the ground pave,
Beyond the gate there grow cherries the size of peas,
Who have I to venture the night together and share the candle flame?

124 -
124 ZHOU Bangyan Lyrics to the Melody of a Lady Confidant (On the
year's first full moon)
The wind sways the candle and its flame, and dew the lamp dampens,
Under way is the lantern bazaar., brilliantly ablaze.
The moon cast on roof tiles its flowing rays,
Thin clouds scatter, perhaps getting ready for a descent by the moon goddess.
Dressed in light and graceful clothes she would be,
She is likely to resemble a southern lady with a delicate waist.
Pipes and drums roar, people crowds gather and their shadows overlay,
Throughout the streets waft a musky scent.
Seeing as how the city's late-hour curfew is lifted for the night,
Brightly lit are thousands of households to compare with daytime,
Feeling happy and joyful everyone wanders around as they pleased.
Present also are adorned carriages and silk kerchiefs,
As they pass through, light dust horse hoofs trails.
This is one of the best times of a year,
Except waning is the mood I used to have.
Nonetheless lapsed has time, I make my return in a hansom,
Coming to an end are songs and dances.

125 -
125 ZHOU Bangyan Lyrics to the Melody of a Pacified Storm
Don't let your skilful singing get to your shapely brows,

How many others are there who could this song appreciate?
Come another day when we meet again under the moon and blossoms,
Let us sing it again.
Wonderful music must be remembered along with those who it composed.
How I detest the sound coming from the town tower tolling the passing of the night,
Urging us to rise.
How could the heartless the agony of moving apart comprehend?
I cannot push away your lovely arm when you a chalice raise in front of me.
In liquor I steep,
Tomorrow when I drink, who'd be there to hand me cups of spirits.
126 -
126 ZHOU Bangyan Lyrics to the Melody of Butterflies Chasing Flowers
Bright and clear is the moon, yet in consternation are crows on tree boughs.
Deep in the night, the pail and the pulley hang by the well with gilded rails.
As she wakes to my calls, her eyes open shining bright,
Her tears fall, damping the cotton filling of the red pillow that is turning cold.
We each other's hands hold as the frosty wind brush against her hair,
I linger on as I take my leave, unbearable are the words of our parting sorrow.
Upstairs beyond the balustrade stretches the Big Dipper,
Wintry is the dewy air, cocks crow as the distance between you and I grows.

127 -
127 ZHOU Bangyan Lyrics to the Resolution of Connected Rings
I have no one to disclose my complaints to,

For I've lost contact with my lover, receiving from her not a letter nor word.
There may be someone with capable hands that could Connected Rings solve,
Giving a outcome that seem to ease the wind and the rain, thin the fog and clouds.
Empty is the Swallow Tower,
Covered in dust is the lock and all furniture.
I am tempted to graft and inarch the branches and roots of
What I had once planted by hand, crimson peonies.
The fragrant grass begins to grow on the sandy isle,

As boats follow the water's edge, we each look at different corners of the sky.
I can still recall when we were in correspondence,
We'd talk casually about this and that, yet all those have since been set on fire.
Spring has returned to this waterside lodge,
How I hope someone could send me plum blossoms from south of the Yangtze.
For what remains of my life, I could only in the company of spirits and blossoms,
For your sake, let my tears roll.

128 -
128 ZHOU Bangyan Lyrics to the Adagio of Worshipping Stars and the
Moon (Autumnal thoughts)
Nocturnal shades drive away the hours of the night, mingled in dew is thin dust,
Dim is moonlight that meanders along the alleyways.
A lamp's glow comes through the window and the bamboo fence,
This must be the garden where Lady Autumn once stayed at.
Smilingly we meet,
We are like embracing emerald boughs and jadeite trees,
Colourful and magnificent are clouds in the warmth of sunshine.
Her bright and spirited eyes are pure like orchids that I rarely see in my life.
It is from paintings that I've come to an ancient beauty know,

Who could've known that it leads to a dream of the Fairy Terrace.
The touch and feel of intimacy has since lingered on,
And I'm afraid of having my reverie dispelled as the wind blows.
Then I remember the desolation I'm in, staying overnight at an empty inn,
Behind many closed doors, through the shabby walls autumn insects drone.
Be that as it may, my wistful feelings hanging by a thread
Can creeks or mountains cross knowing no boundary at all.

129 -
129 ZHOU Bangyan Lyrics to a Border River Chant
An autumn night like this goes from clear to dark and hazy,
That transforms the garden into a bleak and wintry place.
Long I stand to listen to the sound of coldness,
Thick are clouds with no sight of wild geese, nor their trace.
Deeper sinks the night, gone are people while silence pervades.
Lighting the walls is a lamp glowing in isolation.
Already awake from a drunken stupor,
How do I pass the rest of the night that remains.

130 -
130 ZHOU Bangyan Lyrics to the Lament of Those Behind Adorned
Windows
Someone gives my drunken self a hand in mounting the horse,

Morning breezes puff through, yet they sober me not.
Reflected in the rippling water are green tiles and crimson eaves,
Through veils of dropping willows, I a ferry terminal come across.
Once upon a time I wrote on the now failing wall an inscription,
Covered in cobwebs it is, over the fading ink mosses grow.
I think of what has come and gone, years like water have flowed by,
Long I hang about, infused with autumn thoughts are my sighs.
I've grown tired of revisiting where I had been,

Whatever happened in Jiangling,
Why bother at all asking Yang Qiong of it again?
An old melody dreary sounds,
Locking listeners' brows in frowns, yet for whom is it performed?
If she was here before me,
She'd behold me most attentively with the greatest devotion.
I need not hear the Melody of the Town of Wei,
Before the song is sung to its end, my tears have begun to flow.

131 -
131 ZHOU Bangyan Lyrics to the Melody of Weichi's Chalice
Along the street that follows the Sui canals,

As evening hours approach, over trees rises mist that thick clouds turn into.
Enshrouding the sandbar is the subdued shine of a pale moon.
Deep in a recess under a bridge for another night I moor.
Emotionless are those decorated boats,
Which are not concerned at all with the misty billows in the waters ahead.
They bide their time as travellers drunk become and layers of quilts embrace,
Ferrying away their parting sorrows and regrets.
I thus think of my time in the capital,

Long I used to lean on the balustrade among a sparse wood with a joyful company.
No stranger with courtesans and women of the streets I was,
Familiar was I with their splendid singing and dazzling dancing.
Yet here I am now, in a fishing village by a wharf,
Where a night drags on like a year, I mutter to myself as incense burns.
I wonder who is there that can my monotonous life feel for,
For I still dream of having a loving partner with my heart and soul.

132 -
132 ZHOU Bangyan Lyrics to the Melody of the West River (In
remembrance of bygone eras at Jinling)
In this prosperous region, who remembers the South's grand eras?

Mountains and fields of the countryside and the winding Yangtze
Surround and build up away from the city.
Raging billows like loneliness towards a solitary castle heave,
On the distant horizon navigate sails and masts of ships.
Off the precipice rugged trees overhang still,

Who still comes here to secure the boat of a gent who never worried?
All that remains on a historic site is sentimentality.
And fog has come to one half of a castle conceal.
Deep in the night, over the parapet the moon shines,
In grief I look towards the east where pass the waters of River Huai.
What a flourishing city full of wine vendors' pennants and operatic drumming!
Faint is the memory of the Wangs, the Xies and their neighbourhoods,
Swallows have come and gone for generations that all have lost count of.
There are now ordinary people along the same streets and alleyways,
Telling tales of the rise and fall of former times in the setting sun.

133 -
133 ZHOU Bangyan Lyrics to the Melody of an Auspicious Crane-riding
Immortal
Fields of the countryside quietly surround the town walls,

Long is the journey that sees passing travellers' carriages leaving dusty trails.
The setting sun behind glowing mountains falls,
Twilight weakens and lingers around the lonely town's corners and rails.
Lissom was she as she waltzed along,
Passing through the little pavilion, why the need of making a commitment?
Flitting orioles offered me an advice, so again I undid my embroidered saddle,
And unhurriedly I spring wine sipped at.
I don't remember when I returned as evening arrived early,

Who helped me onto my horse? I woke to find myself in an adorned chamber.
Here comes gales to stir curtains and drapes,
I bring myself, rather drunk still, to among the peonies pace.
I feel for the West Garden, for there is no ground that's not covered in petals.
Oh easterlies, what has yet again instigated your rage?
As time must pass, so let it be,
For blissful and joyful is the time spent detached from the worldly.

134 -
134 ZHOU Bangyan Lyrics to the Adagio of Waves Dredging Sand
The day is leaden, wilted by frost are grasses by the shore,

Enshrouded in fog is the tower of the town.
In the field south of the town is a luxurious carriage ready to depart,
By the East Gate the farewell banquet is drawing to a close.
Swaying in front asking me to stay are drooping willows,
She wipes away her tears, and picks a sprig for me with her bare hands.
Where to have the wild geese from Hangpu flitted?
It has been long without word on where they have been.
Stirred by sentiments, before my eyes lie the expansive land and the vast sky.
As I face the chilly dew and breeze, there is no one around,
All I have with me is my sob throughout the night hours.
I say the most indelible of all is the sorrow of parting.
I haven't yet my jade cup emptied,
Pray that a cloud remnant could a waning moon over the west chamber keep.
Losing its shine is the silk lace of a worn and wrinkled quilt,
Loose is the fragrant sachet, spent is the scent.
My singing of lament goes on, so does my drumming that jags a jade pot.
Regretfully the passing of spring abides by no-one,
Against the colour of the night, on the ground scatter snowy pear blossoms.

135 -
135 ZHOU Bangyan Lyrics to the Melody of Forever Should Exist Heaven
The spring breeze warmth spreads, bright light the fog breaks,
All over the terrace by the pond spread vernal shades.
Right now in the courtyard there is no sight of the moon,
In the darkness approaches the Day of Cold Fare.
Those swallows on the beams must have been here before.
They seem to be deriding my worrying alone behind close doors.
Drifting petals whirl by, wafting flowery scents to the gardens of my neighbours,
Leaving on the ground fallen blossoms in disarray.
I still remember that time when we met by chance

In the countryside where there parked a carriage of polished wood..
I saw what seemed like a relay of candlelight in the Han Palace,
Giving rise to smoke that finds its way into the estates of a pentad of aristocrats.
Green is the verdure, hard to discern in the fields are tracks.
Wittingly I wine bring along as I the past trace.
Near the town bridge in the distance, by the willows locates a household,
It turns out that we do each other know.

136 -
136 ZHOU Bangyan Lyrics to the Melody of Sauntering in the Palace at
Night
Through the leaves the setting sun on water shines,

Light waves heave, rippling away for a thousand miles.
On the bridge the piercing wind my eyes hurt,
Long I stand there at sunset watching the city becoming aglow with lights.
By the plain window of an old chalet,

I listen to a few leaves taking their fall from the phoenix tree by the well.
Feeling attached to a light quilt I am not, time and again I rise,
Yet who would know that it is for Lady Xiao that I a letter write?
137 -
137 HE Zhu Lyrics to the Melody of Green Jadeite Bowl
Lissom and graceful are a lady's steps, yet she'll never walk towards where I live,
Nonetheless my eyes follow her as she leaves behind her dusty trail.
Who have I to spend my youthful days with?
On an arched bridge, in a blooming garden, or behind green windows and red doors,
Where my lady could be, only spring knows.
Under drifting clouds, the night veils over the pond surrounded by fragrant verdure,
I pick up a brush to compose more heartbroken verses.
How much idle melancholy can one hold?
As much as a river of creeping weeds, a town of whirling blossoms,
And a season of constant drizzling rains as plums ripen.

138 -
138 HE Zhu Lyrics to Melody of the Night Watcher
Towards the East Gate we made our way, passing by willows outside the gate,
As we go our separate ways, your delicate hand their shoots pick time and again.
At the fall of a leaf see another arrival of fall,
Alone at the Yangtze's south I the balustrade of a high-rise lean against.
By the balustrade that extends and winds, long I stand there and gaze,
I scratch my head pondering in the twilight haze.
Without end spread my regrets that sorrows unveil,
Across the sky they permeate in search of its end.
139 -
139 HE Zhu Lyrics to the Melody of Obliged to the Imperial Grace
Comfreys and angelicas cover the sandbar, traversing the tracks are their rootlets.
Stained with dust are my socks as I saunter along towards you,
As you your hair bun adjust and frown ease,
As our eyes meet, words cannot express the deep affection they exude.
A light breeze wafts through willow strands, on a ferry I southwards move.
I think of old acquaintances, how we are all separated by myriads of mountains.

Among blossoms so deep hide scarlet doors, where are they?
Half ripened are plums,
That have just come through an evening shower of light rain.
I'm losing my soul as spring takes off taking my spirit away.

140 -
140 HE Zhu Lyrics to the Cold-hearted
Light make-up enhances her coquetry and elegance,

Ever more enchanting she becomes every time she turns her head.
I am reminded of the tale of Sima's cittern play that won the heart,
That led them to paired nuptial sashes wear.
I remember the days in the elaborate hall, so much fondness and submission,
Slight were her frowns and light her smiles, endless was her charm.
As we lay next to the incense burner in the shape of sleeping ducks,
Behind the screen embroidered with mandarin ducks wading the water,
Bashful was she as she her fragrant robes untied in the dark.
Ever since the Festival of Lanterns,

We haven't had the chance to the countryside or the street market visit.
There have been many a time I wished to the paired swallows entrust
With my devotion and attentive words,
Yet regretfully getting in the way are layers of hindering screens.
No one knows when we could reunite, as I steep in wine in the height of spring,
Being an idler I find the day long and tedious to the extreme.
Lethargic I remain as I wake from sleep,
There the sun still shines on the tips of flowers and sprigs.

141 -
I do not believe that spring would the aged dislike,

For how many more chances do they have for seeing off vernal times?
To spring cherish, they should not decline occasions to indulge in its delight.
Lovely smiles and pleasant singing are all to my liking,

You may frown at my drinking spree for which the flowers are liable for the blame I find,
Yet everything and everyone at their truest are only seen through drunken eyes.
142 -
Shreds of colourful clouds vanish behind the corner of the high-rise,

Between yellowing willows rest crows in the shade,
There she is plucking a twig of plum blossom basked in moonlight.
She holds the fragrant, pastel blooms smilingly as she returns to her privacy,
Behind the window screen she lets down curtains and drapes,
For easterlies tend to wintry become as deeper sinks the night.

143 -
143 HE Zhu Lyrics to the Adagio of the Stony State
Abated is the chill after the passing of the drizzle,

Clearing the sky is a setting sun, expanding in the air is the feel of spring.
Around the pavilion and along its gallery willows have begun to yellow,
Of those on horseback, who is the first to a sprig pick?
Fog extends across the vast waters that a few returning wild geese reflect,
Snow on this barren land has all but into the desert sands disappeared.
I still remember when I the border crossed, it was in the very same season.
When it was time to depart, on an adorned high-rise with good wine,

Arias were accompanied by emotional tears, and soon came goodbye.
A year has since passed and now I look back,
We have been so far out of each other's reach all this time.
I would like to know in our hearts, how much new sorrows have there piled?
Not yet spread out are plantain leaves, nor have cloves budded.
Wilted we each have in a corner of the world,
Growing tired of the scenery that reminds us of our pleasurable times.
144 -
144 HE Zhu Lyrics to the Melody of Butterflies Chasing Flowers
How often I have sentimentalised spring, yet spring still comes to its end,
Under willows slight is the shade, that seem to get in the way of flowing threads.
At the horizon by a mount, where a lady named Peach Leaf used to visit on foot,
Where she used to clothes wash, drifting duckweeds are blooming.
All day I new verses long and short chant and mutter,
Through the curtains gleams of light escape, as the Hun strings my heart reveal.
The pitter-patter of the rain is kept out by the wind that sweeps,
Faint is a hazy moon as clouds gather and scatter.

145 -
145 HE Zhu The Heavenly Gate Ballad (On the Emei Pavilion of the Rocky
Isle)
Strategically located is the unapproachable gate of this massive isle,

Which the north and the south divides, that all war lords seek to occupy.
Fog and smoke have lifted, making it available for the idle to scale and gather sights.
When the moon comes over the quiet waters with ripples sparkling brightly,
I'd suggest a new rendition of the Warbles on Hun pipes.
In the breeze drifting over the railing,
I can hear distinctly night-hour gongs coming from the direction of the West Shire.
146 -
146 HE Zhu Lyrics to the Melody of a Heavenly Aroma
A shroud of mist permeates the woods, twilight sinks behind distant mountains,
And evening bell tolls diffuse throughout.
Candles project light onto windows and curtains, crickets urge weavers on,
For all are in dread of the winds and dew of high autumn.
There is one wakeful, pondering lady,
Who must be heeding the sound of garment pressing.
Such resonance can even a tired officer in a far corner reach and upset,
For soon old age shall befall him as he progress towards his life's end.
I was once vainglorious and a bacchanalian,

Asking of easterlies to entrust spring in me forever.
Later I roamed the northland on horseback,
Followed by my travels by boat along the southern waterways,
Yet I have no one around to my deep regrets comprehend.
Thanks to the glowing moon, which knows where I have been,
It arrives accompanied by clouds, and sees off my dreams as it takes its leave.

147 -
147 HE Zhu Lyrics to the Melody of the Xiang Gazer (Spring thoughts)
Annoying is the warble of orioles that my pillow reach,

Through the drapes drift flowery scents,
Still inebriated is my soul, one half steeped in melancholy and the other in a reverie.
The quilt some fragrance retains, I've very few holes left to tighten on my belt.
Easily gone is spring that leaves me emotional spring after spring.
Spots on bamboos are tear marks still fresh,
Yet faint is the potpourri pouch's orchid scent,
Nonetheless, warm and cosy is Xiang's weather.
I remember once upon a time on this river, splendid was the scenery,
Many a time a lady of the like of Never Misty came to our party.
One must accept that a rematched string breaks easily,

Regardless whether the instrument is a zither or a cittern,
Once far and away goes someone, there leaves only sorrows in a melody.
Nowhere to be found are traces where her silk stockings have been,
Where we once were to ripples make have shallow become.
Paddling on a green boat with carvings of birds passing by flowering duckweeds,
I see many high-rises and adorned pavilions along the shores.
I don't know how to put in the post my pining thoughts,
Luckily I see a pair of swallows on their way home.

148 -
148 HE Zhu Lyrics to the Melody of Green-head Ducks
Within her estate is a scenic waterside pavilion with beaded screens.

Carried by the breeze is impressive flute play expressing grievance,
Such heart-rending music can be heard by those passing by on horseback.
In use is the banquet hall, full of dressed up femininity,
They are fine-tuning their strings, and I can her voice recognise still.
Musky candles dense smoke give, nearly full is the jade lotus that time keeps,
I must go and get changed though I'm not even tipsy yet.
I pull the embroidered screen over, and line up a pair of pillows,
Gradually a fragrant scent the chamber fills.
Along the gallery shadows play, the bell toll is faint and the moonlight soft,
What a surreal experience this has been!
Ever since breaking the jade hairpin in half and sealing silvery notes with tears,
Her dancing shoes have been collecting dust.
Many a magnolia canoe have been loaded with parting grief,
As they sail along southern waterways against the setting sun in the west.
I shall remember next year, around this time after the rosebushes have wilted,
I do hope our rendezvous won't be declined by her.
Far and away is the Phoenix City, fragrant and delicate are southern plums,
I shall send her spring, a sprig of plum blossom.
Beyond the Blue Gate, she could only follow the spread of verdure
As she looks for traces of her gentleman.

149 -
149 ZHANG Yuangan Lyrics to the Adagio of the Stony State
On the water frozen streaks remain as spring comes around slowly,

Across the sandbar permeates mist.
Under the sun effervescently fragrant are blooming plum trees by the creek
With sprigs of sparse buds eager to burst into a blossom.
At the world's end with old regrets, does anyone know how it grieves the soul?
Beyond the pavilion, the gallery and the gates, ranges of mountains fold.
Endless is the blue that enters my sight, it's a season predisposed to woes.
Emotionally stirred, it springs to mind that the pavilion is behind locks,

How I long for easterlies for I've somehow pallid become and losing flesh.
I've turned my back on our intimacy and pillow talk,
And beautiful scenes that we shared as we drank.
What my heart wishes for and all the misery it has suffered,
Let us only attend to those when I have made my way home.
When we see each other again, we will have been parted for a year or so.

150 -
150 ZHANG Yuangan Lyrics to the Duke of Lanling Melody
I raise the beaded screen, an early rain has come to a stop on a greyish day.
Outside the balustrade, swaying willows in occasional sunshine bathe,
The verdure onto stairs encroaches contrasting the crimson of peonies.
Easterlies growing jealous of flowers
Blow tender petals off budding sprigs.
I pull out the blind set, the musky scent of the wood makes me heavy-eyed,
I've become experienced in drunkenness that I hesitate to more imbibe.
I recount bygone times in the ancient capital cities of Changan and Luoyang,
How spirited and uninhibited youths indulged in singing and dancing.
Well-equipped horses and polished carriages used to rush the well-dressed,
And sped along the avenues together, then at the palatial garden they'd hold hands,
At the first light of evening they'd have rendezvous to attend,
Who spared a thought on what it would be like to drift from place to place?
Loneliness sets in when we think of happy days.

Faded have clothes as collars pale,
When the strings are played broken are notes along the scale.
Sprigs and the moon as delicate as jade and springtime are things of yesterday.
Evocative of regrets are those palatial columns, to which return pairs of cranes.
Such longing could only be
Drowned in intoxication, but only ever temporarily mislaid.

151 -
151 YE Mengde Lyrics to the Melody of Congratulations to the Groom
I wake to orioles' warbling chatter,

Over mosses on houses twilight hovers,
And everywhere countless drifting petals scatter.
Blown away are these remnants of blossoms that no one ever sees again.
Leaving willows by themselves to frolic and sway.
The weather gradually warms up, summer days begin to arrive,
Out comes silk fans in search of the moon and its shine,
Then come veiling clouds on which ride the moon goddess and her entourage.
Old regrets come to mind, how hastily passes time.
Here I am in the Yangtze's south recovering from a dream on a boat in a stream,

Where billows the sky reach and green waves undulate in the shape of grapes,
And in the air shrouds misty rain.
Before my eyes glaucous ripples spread far and wide,
Who would like to duckweed flowers pick and send?
I stare in disappointment as I have only a magnolia canoe,
When could it tens of thousands of leagues sail through?
I farewell a lone wild goose, yet I lose sight of it among myriads of peaks.
Who is around to sing me a song to Golden Strands' tune?

152 -
152 YE Mengde Lyrics to the Melody Dedicated to Lady Yu (Composed
when drinking with Gan Yu and Cai Qing under an apple tree)
Fallen blossoms are dancing in the wind as they drift,

Come again has the evening rain.
Dawn arrives to find the courtyard half cover in crimson that has perished,
Only willows gracefully sway thousands of their yard-long strands in the air.
Under blossoms we each other's hand hold affably,

And eagerly drink our cups dry.
Oh pretty lady, frown not with your delicate brows,
For I am also emotional, yet becoming empty on wine we are and late is the hour.
153 -
153 WANG Zao Lyrics to the Melody of Touching Up Rouged Lips
Graceful is the new moon,

Wintry is the night, quiet the river surface, as the Big Dipper hangs over the hill.
I rise to claw my locks, on the window lanky is the silhouette of plum sprigs.
What a frosty weather,

Yet idle is the hand that has no reason to raise a drink. Do you know how I feel?
After a roar of duck quacks, the urge to home return is as strong as spirits.

154 -
154 LIU Yizhi Lyrics to the Joy of Seeing Migrating Orioles (On the road at
dawn)
The sound of bugle is rushed along by the early light,

Though birds have not yet risen from their sleep,
Already awake are crowing roosters nearby.
Fog spreads and scatters over the village where horses neigh and villagers rise,
Through the woods the setting moon still shines.
Tear streaks a light film of frost form,
Somewhat weak are spirits that against the chill warmth provide.
A weary wayfarer of the world I am, who has become rather unable to endure
The capital's scenery and hardship rendered on life.
It comes to mind that ever since our parting, she's been weighing on my mind,
Hard to find is a wild goose which could my pining convey.
Layers of viridescent drapes depth create, winding screens scented warmth guides,
What knows them of the drift of a man in his twilight.
Laying blames on the moon and blossoms for all the misery I've come across
Is not something I haven't previously tried.
This kind of mood hopefully gets curtailed,
Yet it tends to come back ever more intensified.

155 -
155 ZHAO Ji Lyrics to the Melody of a Pavilion in the Yan Mountains
(Upon seeing apricot blossoms when heading north)
I make a few cuts of white voile and overlay them into a few piles,
On which I smooth out blusher and rouge colouring them pastel.
It's a new kind of make-up that dazzles with an infused fragrance,
Paling in comparison are maids of the Palace of the Budding Pearls in heaven.
Yet they shall soon wither away,
Not taking into account the onslaught of heartless windswept rains.
How miserable, I ask of the desolate garden and courtyard,
How brews the mood depressed by the approach of spring's end?
I'd like to send it along with my myriads of parting sorrows and grief,
Yet when have these paired swallows ever been able to our words convey?
Being beneath far-flung skies on distant lands,
With countless mountain peaks and rivers of water in between,
Which direction lies the Palace of the good old days?
How could I not yearn after what once were?
Only ever in dreams when I'd sometimes there return.
Yet it is all losing ground, lately of homecoming I dream no more.

156 -
156 HAN Liu Lyrics to the Melody of the Terrace of the Zenithal Sun (On
New Year's eve)
Frequently strikes the sound of the timepiece's silvery hand,

Again comes the time to set alight candles made of red wax,
Years have gone by in such a hurry that disturbs my soul.
I see off the old and greet the new,
Yet how much time does that help to idle away?
Have I become used to drinking throughout the night as I age?
When I wakeful become, afraid of catching a cold I am.
I put my hand over my cup as plum blossoms drift by
To accompany me as I verses mutter and recite.
Young maids nearby have begun to don spring clothes,

Who have gathered up their hair with jade pieces
And golden hairpins in the shape of a swallow tail.
Seductive they are to easterlies,
Which know well how vernal sentiments are difficult to suppress.
Florid appearances are hard to maintain year after year,
Such splendour should be enjoy in the moment to seize the day.
Thus I make a climb uninhibitedly for the the terrace still covered in melting snow,
To look at the gardens in the sunset's glow.

157 -
157 LI Bing Lyrics to the Han Palace's Spring Melody
By the river elegant plum blossoms

Towards groves of bamboos
Extend a sprig or two.
Yet easterlies their presence cherish not,
Leaving them to the tyranny of snow and frost.
Unfeeling seem swallows,
Which are afraid of the vernal chill and of missing out on the season of bloom.
Yet there are still those wild geese from over the northern border,
Which may have seen blossoms on their return.
Shallow is the creek, lucid like a jade belt,

How could extravagant high-rises ever compare to
An ordinary cabin and picket fences?
Broken-hearted I have been since the departure of an old friend,
I've been dispirited to even new verses write.
Under shreds of clouds and pale moonlight,
In front of a creek and a sky, who have I to share the time?
Anyhow it crosses my mind that these blossoms do not their fragrance moderate,
Their romantic aspirations need not be exposed for all to comprehend.

158 -
158 CHEN Yuyi - Lyrics to the Linjiang Narcissi
Loudly I recite the Chu Verses to pass the afternoon of summer solstice,
Among remote corners of the world I roam as seasons hurry along.
Pomegranate blossoms are no comparison to a whirling dress in red,
Though no one understands what it means to convey,
At the end of the dance there comes a breeze to curtains raise.
There are myriads of things I'd like to do yet I've become senile,
East of the parapet wild cottons bloom brightly.
I can hold my liquor as well as I could last year,
I stir the water beneath the bridge,
Hoping tonight it can the Xiang region reach.
159 -
159 CHEN Yuyi Lyrics to the Linjiang Narcissi (A night visit to a small
pavilion reminiscing times spent in the Luo region)
In the bygone era how they used to drink on the Midday Bridge,
Among them sat many a fearless and gallant man.
Water runs in long channels that reflect the moon in silence,
Among sparse shadows of apricot blossoms,
I reed play till daylight dawns.
Twenty years have gone by like a dream,

Although I'm still alive, it has been no less horrifying.
At leisure I make a climb for the cockloft to fine weather enjoy.
Throughout the ages much has happened,
Now I hear fishermen's singing as midnight approaches.

160 -
160 CAI Shen Lyrics to the Su Wu Adagio
Wild geese land on the sandbar, mist shrouds over the cold river water,
No longer blaring is the sound of bugles from the ancient fort.
Faint is the blue mountains, decayed have rustling leaves,
In the sky hover evening crows here and there still.
The upstairs basks in twilight,
In sight are sails that must have travelled thousands of leagues to home return,
Late it gets as so much time has gone by.
I gaze at the dusky clouds in the sky, where now resides the lovely lady?
My dreaming soul has distanced itself far and away.
I reminisce about where I've been behind red doors and deep within an estate,
Along petal-paved garden paths, I spontaneously think of her florid face.
Even if I'd taken up a whole roll of silk to a letter write
And expressed my lament through golden strings,
Hard to compose is my bitterness at heart.
Parted are our parting sorrows, in the company of wine
I feel miserable, I've leaned against every balustrade of this high-rise.
Although it's getting late, I linger on, hoping to rely on westerlies
To blow dry my teary eyes.

161 -
161 CAI Shen Lyrics to the Melody of Green Willow Sprigs
There sound warbles of cuckoos,

It's a pity that there goes again the vernal season.
With a garden of easterlies, cherry-apple trees have begun to unfold their blooms,
And drifting like snow are pear blossoms.
On what remain of clove trees condense tearful dew,

Yet they never can compare with my heart-rending gloom,
I'm much like Xiuwen once was, emotional and sentimental,
Yet romantic I am not.
162 -
162 ZHOU Zizhi Lyrics to the Melody of a Partridge-filled Sky
About to burn to its end is the last of the candle remains,

A sudden chill of autumn ripples the curtains and drapes.
On leaves of phoenix trees fall the midnight rain,
Expressing parting sorrows is every leaf in every susurration.
I once tuned the fine zither and stirred the precious incense burner,
Then we sang together the Partridge verse.
Tonight in windswept rain on the upper level of the west chamber
I need not listen to arias to be flowing with tears.

163 -
163 ZHOU Zizhi Lyrics to the Melody of Walking on Grass
Emotions flow like strands of willows, people drift like catkins,

Rolling of teardrops come to a stop as we each other gaze at.
From willows along a misty creek millions of strands droop,
Yet they've never been able to a magnolia canoe fasten.
Through the sunset fly wild geese, along the shores mist shrouds the verdure,
By now myriads of melancholy sentiments have mushroomed.
Ponder not over what tomorrow shall bring,
For there is still tonight to get through!

164 -
164 LI Jia Lyrics to Spring of the Royal Terrace
Viridescent is the verdure, to the south spread lush and luxuriant fields.
Pleasant willow strands and whirling petals seem to know how we feel,
How we tend to feeble become in the presence of spring melancholy.
I'm reminded of a gorgeous lady who used to go on outings with me,
We'd sightsee together in the capital on the day of the Cold Fare.
Here and now at a remote corner greeting spring,
In this vast world I'm a visitor.
Some worries disentangle themselves only to again intertwine;

I quietly wipe away the tears, yet more come trickling down.
I lean against the balustrade of a high-rise,
While all over casts twilight,
All that is visible is the sight of dusky clouds in the azure sky.
What should've been done has been done,
Yet how could I forget what I should forget?
I'd like to ask of wild geese and carps to again help seek her tidings.
165 -
165 LI Jia Lyrics to Thinking of an Aristocrat
The sight of lush and luxuriant verdure reminds me of your noble self,
Beyond the willows buildings stand tall grieving souls,
And unbearable to the ears are cuckoos' warbles in a row.
Dusk approaches,
As rain blows on pear blossoms, tightly shut are doors.

166 -
166 WANQI (MUQI) Yong Lyrics to the Three Terraces (Composed officially
for the day of Spring Equinox)
Early in the night over the pear blossoms rises the moon,
There stand cheery-apple trees half drenched in rain.
Spring of the royal gardens cannot refrain from crossing the blue gates,
In the moat the water swells flowing into the southern waterways.
Calm are easterlies, off willows hang golden strands,
The imperial palatial edifices in the distance stand clear of smoke or mist.
This is a affluent age with much joy in the court and throughout the empire,
On the nine crossroads resonate the drumming and flute play of peaceful times.
All of a sudden there burst intermittent warbles of orioles,

Overhead flit swallows all over.
By the green water I see reflections of the water pavilion and the swings overlap,
Games in the grass see pairs and pairs of playful ladies gather.
In the season of malt candies, sidelined are taverns along the excursion paths.
Quietly admired are glamorous peach blossoms growing out of red-door estates.
During the night that is becoming short, out go saddled stallions,
The collars of the inebriated return stained with fallen flowers and drifting petals.
On a night that is neither cold nor warm,

There are clouds in a sky that is neither fine nor overcast.
On a day that forbids the use of fire, they new powder and rouge try on,
The year has seen off a third of its time, coming to its best days.
On the day of the spring equinox, in the palace there shall be a relay of candles,
Light smoke shall scatter into aristocratic estates fronted with pagoda trees.
Guards have been stood down, wide open is the Gate of Heaven,
All summons are put on hold and all officers are on a break.

167 -
167 XU Shen Lyrics to the Melody of a Young Pagan God
Feeling low in spirit I turn to play with the turtledoves,

Only to disturb the shadow of a canopy of blossoms.
At leisure I try on spring clothes, then my hands feel the chill,
Yet the incense has burned out and the ash has grown cold.
Ever so easily I dwell in melancholy, how can I cope?
It is all because I've been constantly ill of late.
I was already thin with a narrow waist, now my sideburns have greyed,
How could I my own reflection face?
Looking back, the tears we shed at the time of our parting

Fell on our robes that remain stained, she is probably still pining for me,
As the sun rises, she'd rather not wake, forever relying on spring inebriation.
Wild geese come not, horses stay not,
Closed off behind doors is a garden of scenic views.
Long I stand alone, all day I lean against balustrades everywhere,
Long persists daylight in my solitude.

168 -
168 TIAN Wei Lyrics to the Adagio of the River God
Over the estate's terrace hangs the moon of autumn,

Lightly freshened up, much like a plum bloom dabbed with fragrance and snow.
Cool and pure is her poise,
Complemented by her delicate feet dancing small steps in her silken socks.
The rain has just stopped,
Outside the buildings the quacks of a stray wild goose recede into the distant.
From the outlying mountains comes no news of travellers yonder.
As I find it difficult to my emotions articulate,
How could I have it written down to a letter compose?
Blooms have withered and their foliage has been pruned,

Becoming loose are my lavish robes, all because of parting sorrows.
Overly emotional I must have been,
For my soul is grieving as bugles blare and sunset and twilight approach.
Such a sound causes me to choke with sobs.
Blossoms in the garden have all but fallen and spring has gone,
This is where the bright full moon differs, it relentlessly waxes and wanes.
She is flawed in that she leaves not her scent behind like fallen blossoms,
Which tends to the attention of paired mandarin ducks draw.

169 -
169 CAO Zu Lyrics to the Melody of the Mount Mo Creek (On plum
blossoms)
Cleansed of make-up is her true look, without the help of powder and rouge.
Beyond the grove a branch of bamboo extends,
I think of her in this cold weather at sunset.
Twilight falls over the courtyard, I wonder from where comes a faint scent,
A light breeze wafts through, as snow takes its fall,
What more could be said of the riverside walk?
The moon's outline is tinged with shadow, empty feels my dreaming soul.
When fruits ripens,
There shall shower a drizzle pristine and fine.
I've been self-disciplined all my life, casting away emotional worries,
Thin and pallid I've become like Shen Yue of Dongyang,
I'd like to know whether blossoms have taken any notice?

170 -
170 LI Yu Lyrics to the Melody of Congratulations to the Groom
From the gold burner scatter twirls of smoke in seal script,

Deep in a hangover I am, in the shade is the courtyard in the afternoon,
The hall is quiet and undisturbed.
Where are those noblemen in search of fragrant verdure?
There are only willow catkins drifting over the paths.
On a jade pillow, slowly I sober become,
Beyond the screen scatter the remains of blossoms after spring has passed,
Steeped in tedium, I'm weak and weary from the wine I drank.
Messy is my hair, though for now I don't feel like combing it.
I shall not dwell on what happened in the Yangtze's south,

I've travelled from place to place in search of his whereabouts,
Unfortunately stray wild geese cannot be entrusted with assignments.
On the balustrade of the west chamber I lean under the moonlight,
Still not yet decided is his return date.
I'm afraid maybe it's like a message in a bottle that has sunken into a well,
Maybe his horse will not come and the silver candle holder shall in the dark remain,
Yet here I am pacing under the phoenix tree in vain.
Who have I to at my side as I a pretty phoenix mirror face?

171 -
171 LIAO Shimei Lyrics to the Swaying Red of a Candle Flame (An
inscription for the House of Floating Clouds in Anlu County)
In the bright and clear sky,

Among clouds soars the magnificent high-rise.
From a height I gaze at Ziwei, a star said to be most evocative of emotions,
Which can endow one with confidence and enable great compositions and writings.
Wistful thoughts sadden me in the dimming twilight,
Then I recall the day when we whispered to each other by the crimson balustrade.
Messages can hardly be obtained from northern wild geese,
Countless willows line the shores, like their catkins everywhere scatters parting grief.
Years of time has been hurried along,

Where flows water that once flowed by?
Heartbreak doesn't have to happen at sunset,
A sight of endless plains is enough to grieve the mind.
The sky clears up late, the waves carry along the evening rain,
There is no one around, along a deserted crossing a boat drifts.
Over the river tower a few peaks,
At the horizon spreads verdure, and a jagged smoky silhouette of trees.

172 -
172 L Binlao Lyrics to the Cold-hearted
Late in spring in the house of red lanterns,

Quiet is the day, in my languor I haven't bothered combing my hair.
All of a sudden I hear crows caw and orioles warble,
Provoking a great deal of fresh melancholy.
I remember the year when I secretly gave away my heart,
In front of blossoms, separated by mist and distance we looked at each other.
Then we inscribed on pillows poems and verses,
And pawned precious hairpins for spirits
To drink to your hearts' content in the mossy garden.
How could I ever forget the cloisters

Where we held hands under a full moon before lustrous flowers.
Right now an evening rain drizzles,
Leaving bees and butterflies to lament and worry,
Standing by a porthole at leisure looking out to the lush plantain leaves,
Who is around to restrain me from what I do?
Though in solitude I appreciate the nicety of a Qin zither,
My tears roll and fall on the frets and strings all over.
As my waist gradually thins,
My heart has drifted far and away with willow catkins.

173 -
173 CHA Chi Lyrics to the Melody of Beyond Blue Skies
On board my magnolia canoe I row, carrying what seems a boat of melancholy.

The waves take us far and away, only to be obstructed by the mountain range,
This time I am determined to leave, I cannot be further detained.
What more could be said for I've long had a decision made,
How time lapses as frosty autumn has yet again arrived.
Lamentable is life, ever as trivial as duckweeds.
The need to part comes ever so often, leaving deep regrets and grief
To follow the easterly flow of rivers and creeks.
I recall being in a sunset watching cold mist catching twilight,

As I rowed and my oars in the water casually glided.
I had a liking for waterside plum blossoms, whose mild fragrance moved me.
I was inclined to their blooms pick and their delicate nature behold.
So I spontaneously an aria sang, then someone returned with a lingering echo,
That made it an heavenly experience.
I think of my friend who must in such a remote region remain.
Yet once spring has gone, there shall come autumn's full moons,
And he will be alone as he spends time at the waterside venue.

174 -
174 KONG Yi Lyrics to the Melody of Southern Waters
The sound of bugles grieve in the wind,

Inside the tower I listen to the the Chieftain being played three times.
A galloping courser come seeking to stay overnight,
As snowflakes drift all over this lonely village.
Vendors of spirits dim their lights,
Knocking on the windows are whirling, scattering leaves.
There come a few shrieks of wild geese
As they suddenly take off from the misty river,
Crying along as they dash through freezing cloud streaks.
It is just as well the moon is obscure and pale,

At this point in time there is no place where I wouldn't grief-stricken feel.
Our homeland's plum blossoms have come to my dreams enter,
On my mind worrying me is the lady wearing a green silk dress.
I'd like to ask the elegant beauty with a subtle fragrance
Whether her pining brings her to millions of teardrops shed.
I guess by a screen with jade inlays
Is where she'd while away twilight as her brows the weight of lament bear.

175 -
175 YUE Fei Lyrics to the Melody of a River of Blossoms
Raging with fury that raises my hair and topple my crest

I lean against a rail as heavy rain breaks,
I look up to roar at the sky
With high hopes at heart.
Achieving high ranks by thirty on dusty battlefields, and dusty the ranks are,
Means three thousand miles on the road following clouds and many a moon.
Never take for granted time, once hair has greyed,
There leaves only regret.
As long as the Jingkang disgrace still awaits revenge;

How can my remorse be laid to rest?
We shall charge our chariots to stomp out all intruders on the Helan Pass.
I swear we'd feed on the flesh of the northern tribes when hungry,
And cheerfully drink their blood when thirsty.
The day we recover what used to be our territory,
We'd pay our respect in the direction of the Gate of Heaven.

176 -
176 ZHANG Lun Lyrics to the Swaying Red of a Candle Flame (Yearning
under the first moon of the year)
Into the sky soars the twin towers guarding the main gate to the palace,
There within stands the twelve-storey Phoenix Tower in the spring chill.
At the time of last year's Festival of the First Full Moon,
There I was at the emperor's service and present at the banquet.
In the grand hall raised were all beaded screens,
There gathered a group of ladies who had descended from their heavenly abode.
In the sky spread auspicious rainbow clouds,
Underneath glimmer candle lights, as orchestral music rise to heaven reach.
Time slides away like sand runs through fingers,

As if in the blink of an eye the season would change and stars their bearings shift.
On this night who would a mourning court officer think of,
Looking back I realise how distant from Changan I've come.
From worldly attachment am I not yet free?
Sentimental I am about my short-lived dream in the land of immortals.
Full of deep regrets I am, in the company of a few flickering lights in the cold,
And a few cries of homecoming wild geese.

177 -
177 CHENG Gai Lyrics to the Water Dragon Chant
Last night stormy winds and abrupt rain blasted,

In the garden at home not many blooms would have been spared.
Bearing scores of melancholy and intense regrets,
I idle away and fail yet another year of spring.
Willows and peach blossoms have turned enervated and insipid,
Apricots are green and plums small, yet at least they keep me company.
Even if spring could stay on and flowers bloom for long,
After all we are the ones who languish.
As I bygones recollect south of the pond,

I bemoan my hoary hair, I cannot bear to the past reminisce.
All I have these days are a pair of time-worn eyes for admiring blooms,
And for shedding sentimental tears.
I don't mind coming across blossoms frail and flimsy,
Yet it saddens me to find myself ageing in loneliness.
When it comes to the time when various blossoms flourish wildly,
In moonlight and the glow reflected off clouds, I must drink till I'm beyond tipsy.

178 -
178 ZHANG Xiaoxiang Lyrics to the First Melody of the Western Six
States
I take a good look at the River Huai and its catchment,

Beyond the border spread stretches of plains.
Battle dust the sky darkens, in piercing frosty winds the border is in a standstill.
I stand still disappointed, recollecting how it used to be,
Such is our a miserable fate that mortals like us cannot battle with;
Along the Rivers Zhu and Si where Confucius once lectured
And where string music flourished, now reek of offensive smells.
Across the water is our lovely homeland,
Under the sunset cattle and sheep are shepherded home,
And they have put up battlements all over this land.
Their chieftain likes to hunt at night, their cavalry's torches form a bright flow.
Tartar pipes and drums our sorrows resonate, aiming to stir our souls.
I think of the arrows by my waist and the sword in the scabbard,

In vain they dust and moths collect, whatever for!
Opportunities are easily lost, while there is no lack of ambitions,
Another year is about to lapse. Yet distant remains the recovery of our capital.
As shields and banners flutter I think of the far away,
Hoping beacon fires would cease and truce could be called.
Ambassadors from both sides hurry to and fro, seemingly to a treaty negotiate.
I've heard about the people of the central plains,
They'd often look to the south for imperial ensigns and pennants.
For those who have drifted here,
Our chest is filled with indignation and out pour our tears.

179 -
179 ZHANG Xiaoxiang Lyrics to Remembering Your Charm
Over the Lakes of Dongting and Green Grass

In the days approaching Mid Autumn waft not even a breeze.
Three million acres of lustrous jadeite field
Carry only a canoe bearing me.
A white moon adds its glow to that of the Milky Way,
Lucid is the celestial belt and the sky around it.
Pleasant is the sight that delights the mind,
Yet its subtlety is difficult to verbalise and reveal.
I should bear in mind that I've spent years in the southern coastal states,
Where I disciplined myself to uphold my integrity and courage.
Short and thin is my hair, and my sleeves are light and insubstantial,
Nonetheless steady I row in a vast billowing sea.
For spirits I shall drink from the West River, for a cup there is the Big Dipper,
And I shall treat Nature as my guest.
I drum against the the boat and loud I sing
Losing track of what day today is.

180 -
180 HAN Yuanji Lyrics to the First Melody of the Western Six States (On
peach blossoms)
Anxious are easterlies, at first they take on sprigs of peach trees.

Intense is the crimson powder on her face, charming she is, seemingly tipsy,
As she leans against doors in the colour of red.
I remember that year I saw her vaguely in her new make-up,
By the shore she was, halfway through was spring, warm was the weather,
She turned around the arched bridge heading towards the town's west.
The verdure was soft and fair.
I raced my horse to the willowy wharf where I reined in my neighing horse.
I recognised her thin brows and smile, and her lightly powdered face.
For I once stole a glance through her window, then I was reluctant to turn away.
Where we held hands seems to be enshrouded by a mist-like fragrance,

Blossoms fall following my footsteps, regretfully almost through is spring.
Thin and pallid I've become, yet who is around to offer sympathy?
Only blossoms know what is on my mind, as in vain drip my tears.
Swallows that used the grand hall visit
Have taken wing in misty drizzle in pairs.
Naturally I've grown old, though I still hope for spring to stay for long,
So that I could dream of a rendezvous.
Where Master Liu of the old times had left romantic tales,
The blossoms there must still his sorrows feel.
Pervasive is the haze of dusk as I gaze at the waters of the Wuling Creek,
Impossible to trace are bygones, legends and myths.

181 -
181 HAN Yuanji Lyrics to the Melody of an Approaching Joyous Event
By the old Pond of the Green Gaze,

Whenever I hear strings being played I grieve.
How I still hear some operatic sound that has survived,
Regretfully my hair have also greyed.
Apricot blossoms have nowhere else to go to avoid the melancholy of spring,

But to bloom in the wild amid drifting mist.
There is only the moat that murmurs without a noise
That seems to sympathise with my silent sobs.

182 -
182 YUAN Quhua Lyrics to the Melody of an Auspicious Crane-riding
Immortal
The fields have just had a rain,

Rumpled are some leaves that flutter still though the wind has come to a stop.
Among the woods the sun sets,
Reflecting thick melancholy onto distant mountains that teal brows resemble.
Along the path where I came,
Among rocks there are flowers in bright yellow that are half abloom.
Nowadays only the flowing water of the brook
Knows me like an old friend.
I've nothing to say. In deep silence stands the roadhouse,

I dismount from the horse looking for where I once an inscription wrote.
Wearisome is the life of a vagabond,
For whom parting sorrows taste most bitter and awful.
Although I could put out of sight incense and the mirror,
When I here revisit again another year,
Would I be able to find the same countenance and peach blossoms?
I vaguely remember the porthole window of the loft,
That appears in my dreams often.

183 -
183 YUAN Quhua Lyrics to the Melody of the Sword Approaches
At night comes rain, then there also arrive easterlies to make it stop.
The cherry-apple tree is at its most charming as they on branches remain.
Quiet is the garden as I listen closely to the warbles of orioles and swallows,
That sound just like my sadness, as I worry that spring would pass away.
It's a lovely tree, the sun casts the midday shade under its verdurous foliage.
Layers of drapes have not yet been raised, suddenly I wake
In loneliness to the sight of catkins in the wind.
On the quiet I shed a few tears into the misty waves,
Then I saw a few acquaintances by the shore,
They tell me how they've withered of late.
I've written many a letter offering various greetings,
Yet I cannot anything substantial write.
Broken-hearted I am at sunset that has thousands of peaks under twilight.

184 -
184 YUAN Quhua Lyrics to the Melody of Young Master An
Thousands of strands of svelte willows

Form an even patch of light yellow veiling cawing crows.
Chilling through the robes is the cold of spring that has barely arrived
After a burst of winds and rains.
I'd like to ask swallows that have hither flown,
As you came by the river bridge along the green waters,
In the adorned high-rise did you catch a sight of her?
Gentle she would be as she shuts the screened window,
Her saddened zither and leaning cittern would be in dust covered.
Deep and multiplying has been Yu Xin's melancholy,

Which shows in frowns, but all because of whom?
Along I stand in easterlies shedding tears
For misty waves to carry towards the east.
As daytime lengthens in pleasurable spring,
How do I the hours while away in my languidness?
Idly I lean on my pillows listening to the twitter and warble of orioles.
Becoming awake I lethargic feel,
Yet over the flowery thickets there is twilight still.

185 -
185 LU Song Lyrics to the Melody of an Auspicious Crane-riding
Immortal
My powdered face has left on the pillow an imprint,

As I wake from slumber, my hairdo is lopsided still.
By the screen the incense burner has chilled, yet my brows are crinkled teal,
Touched with powder are my teardrops.
Silent and deep is the hall in the lengthening day,
Swallows flit to and fro by the open well outside the screen that sways.
I regret that I have no one to whom I could convey
My wistful thoughts of late, and becoming generous is my waistband.
Thinking back, bed chamber curtains in red shimmered in a dimming light,

A pale moon outside the screened window was the scene from that night.
Remote was the terrace and an intimate dream that no promise provided.
When he returns, I shall point out the blossoms for his attention,
Before I tell him what weights on my mind in detail.
I shall ask him if he inadvertently let slip youth,
How would he be able to feel contented?

186 -
186 LU Song Lyrics to the Melody of Divining Numbers (Singing praises of
plum blossoms)
Outside the roadhouse by the Parted Bridge,

In loneliness bloom wild blossoms.
Sunset has arrived as I dwell in melancholy in solitude.
Weathering wind and rain.
I have no intention to spring hold onto,

I'll leave jealousy for various flowers to endure.
As blossoms fall to the ground and dust turn into,
There leaves only fragrances that doesn't change.
187 -
187 LU You Lyrics to a Fishermen's Melody (Addressed to Zhonggao)
As I look towards the east, where lies home on the shady side of a mountain?
Three thousands miles and much more is the distance in between,
Though possibly in vain, I've written for home a letter that fully uses every sheet
Accompanied by flowing tears,
Yet when I do a reply receive, it shall be sometime next year.
To the water under the crimson bridge I say,

When could I be let go on a canoe to my brother seek?
I've grown really old having travelled all over the world!
Filled with melancholy I wakeful stay,
Twirls of steam over a cup of tea rise to intertwine with strands of my grey.

188 -
188 CHEN Liang Lyrics to the Water Dragon Chant
Flourishing blossoms extend well into the high-rise,

Half raised is a painted screen swaying in soft easterlies.
Spring has taken its leave from the fields, soft and tender is the grass,
And drooping willows a golden undertone catch.
The sun that sets late urges flowers to bloom,
Clouds have thinned after a rain over the loft,
There is a slight chill and a shred of warmth.
Regretfully a verdurous and lively world is not fully appreciated by sightseers,
Who direct all their attention towards maidens and ladies.
Alone and up on high I gaze at the far and away,

Towards buildings in the south returns a wild goose with a trill.
Once we played field games involving golden hairpins and a green-bridled horse,
They have become things of the past like passing clouds and winds.
My robe belt is losing its fragrance, tears have dried on my green handkerchief,
How many regrets have been concealed?
Most saddening is the time when scattering mist shrouds a pale moon
As cuckoos cry bleakly.

189 -
189 FAN Chengda Lyrics to Thinking of a Young Lady of Qin
On the corner of a high-rise,

The shadow of the balustrade lies under the moon over the east chamber.
Under the moon over the east chamber, winds fill the sky
And carry apricot blossoms adrift like they do snow.
Through the mist the lapse of time the timepiece in the form of young dragon chokes.
Drapes sway in the the dark as the wick of the lamp burns out.
As the wick of the lamp burns out, a transient vernal dream comes to a close,
I wake to an expansive sky on the Yangtze's south.

190 -
190 FAN Chengda Lyrics to the Melody of Enchanting Eyes (Along the way
to the Duckweed County, suddenly the day turns clear, lying in the carriage I
was, rather sleepy I was, so I stopped briefly by some willows next to a pond.)
Mild and warm is sunshine that falls on purple mist that floats,
On a beautiful, cosy day I take off my leather coat.
This weather makes me heavy-eyed, flowery fragrances intoxicates,
Feeling as if I'm ready for a nap after a drink of Head-propping Wine.
Waning springtime is just like a pond of vernal waters,

With gentle ripples as its surface.
Wafting along and dragging here and there are feeble easterlies,
I think of keeping away from it but then I just don't bother.

191 -
191 FAN Chengda Lyrics to the Melody of a Frosty Sky at the Crack of
Dawn
Clear is the evening as the breeze eases, overnight lapse vernal feelings.
Quiet is the sky and sparse are blossoms that are lovely and comely,
Clouds float by, blooms appear like snow on sprigs.
Extremely beautiful they are, also just as extreme is melancholy,

Yet who have I to disclose my emotions to.
Only a couple of flights of low-flying wild geese,
Know that I've been leaning outside an adorned chamber under the moon.
192 -
192 CAI Youxue - Lyrics to the Melody of an Approaching Joyous Event
Day after day I cherish what remains of spring,

Once passes spring, there shall be little of tomorrow to look forward to.
I think about getting drunk to spring hold onto,
Yet I'd only wake up to loneliness.
There's not a worry about not coming across spring next year,
Yet I keep in mind that charming spring could feeble be.
Sleep not in front a lantern,
Do allow tonight to stay on and linger.

193 -
193 XIN Qiji Lyrics to the Melody of Congratulations to the Groom
(Farewells to younger brother Maojia who ranked twelfth)
From trees comes the sound that call forth spring from cuckoos,
Furthermore when partridges have stopped their coo,
Cuckoos intensify their trills.
When their have cried away spring exhausting their voice,
Regretfully wilted have all blossoms.
Perhaps that is still no comparison to partings in the world,
For once she played pipa on horseback as she headed towards the dark border,
Then there was the Long Gate from where fragrant carriages left the palace.
And swallows once flew by to a returning concubine escort.
Generals have after countless battles suffered ruin and shame,

Gazing in the direction of where we parted, everything is so far away,
And from old acquaintances we are parted by death.
The waters of Yi murmur still in wintry westerlies,
Everyone present has what seems like snow on their clothes and crests.
Heroic warriors sing away in our grief that never ends.
Those crying birds, if they could comprehend such sorrow and gloom,
It probably wouldn't be tears that they cry but blood.
Who is with me to intoxicated become under a bright moon?

194 -
194 XIN Qiji Lyrics to the Melody of Congratulations to the Groom (An
ode to pipa)
The phoenix tail of Lady Yang's pipa and her pick made of scented dragon wood
Since the Kaiyuan years' ban on the playing of the the Feather Dress melody
Have survived heaven knows how many years of seasons and moons.
Faring the worst were those travellers at the Xunyang wharf,
Though their ferry had always been ready to depart.
There was Zhaojun's journey over the border under ochre clouds in the snow.
On horseback she left with her melancholy that five thousands miles grow,
In the direction of the Morning Glory Hall, she saw not even a wild goose,
The strings may my heart comprehend, yet hard to convey are my sorrows.
There has been no sight of messengers from Liaoyang,

Locked within this side of the window is the chill as I lightly gather and slowly pick
A tune as my eyes well up with sparkling tears.
Holding a pipa I try to control myself yet somehow my hands manage
To a sad and gloomy Liangzhou tune play.
Ancient history escapes not from vanishing into thin air.
Master He's scheduled performances could no longer be heard,
I think of the Agilawood Pavilion, the bustle to its north had faded away,
As I play the tune to this point I can no longer my sob contain.

195 -
195 XIN Qiji Lyrics to Remembering Your Charm (An inscription for a village
wall in the County of Eastward Flow)
Over the pond in the wild blossoms fall,

Swiftly time lapses, gone is the day of vernal equinox.
All of a sudden there come easterlies to rob me of a dream,
I feel cold lying on a pillow shielded by the mica screen.
I've brought wine to the winding shore and have my horse tied to a willow tree,
This is where we bade farewell.
Since you've been gone seemingly deserted is this place,
Swallows that have been here before may something remember.
I've heard that to the east of the verdurous field

Passersby have seen delicate footprints under screens.
Never-ending nostalgic sentiments flow on like a river in spring,
While fresh melancholy piles on like the Cloud Mountains that range away.
Even if tomorrow I could drink till I see you again,
A flower in the mirror could never be picked.
Nevertheless I would still be surprised and carry on to enquire,
How many strands of your hair have since turned grey and white?

196 -
196 XIN Qiji Lyrics to the Melody of Spring in the Han Palace (On the first
day of spring)
Spring has returned, the evidence of which lies on ladies' hair

That hairpieces in the shape of a swallow's tail wear.
Yet callous winds and rains continue, unwilling to the remaining chill withdraw.
Last year's swallows
would probably tonight dream of their return to the West Garden.
Utterly inseparable from fermented orange wine
Are plates of prepared green chives.
Yet as I smile, the time has come for easterlies

To provide warmth to plum blossoms and willows, catching not a break.
When they do have an idle while, they turn to alter faces in the mirror.
Such melancholy never pause for a moment,
Is there anyone who can an intertwined riddle solve?
I'm most afraid of seeing blooming and wilting blossoms,
At dawn wild geese from the border shall be the first to take off.

197 -
197 XIN Qiji Lyrics to the Water Dragon Chant (On mounting the Pavilion of
Delight in Jiankang)
Under a vast stretch of autumnal sky in the land of Chu,

In an expansive autumn feel, towards the horizon waters flow.
As I gaze at the distant hills, my melancholy further grows,
Peaks and summits undulate like hair clasps and buns.
Behind the top of the tower the sun sets, in the cries of stray wild geese,
Being a wayfarer in the river's south I have a typical Wu sword examined,
I have used it to knock against balustrades everywhere,
Yet I've come across no one who could comprehend how I feel on heights.
Mention not perch that make good dishes,

As everywhere blows westerlies, has anyone seen the return of Jiying?
Those who were meticulous with their land and houses should feel ashamed
In front of the talent of Master Liu.
Regretfully years and eras have lapsed in gloomy storms,
How trees have weathered and survived.
Who would beckon for me
A pretty lady with a cardinal scarf and green sleeves to wipe away a man's tears?

198 -

198 XIN Qiji Lyrics to the Melody of Fishing with Bare Hands (In the Jihai
year of Chunxi I am to travel from Hubei to Hunan by water, on a pavilion on a
hill in the company of Officer Wang Zhengzhi I this compose.)
How many more storms can I weather and survive?

Spring is about to take its leave in haste.
Once I worried that flowers blossom too early in lengthened spring,
Then there were fallen petals forming a sea of drifting red.
I wish spring would stay!
I hear they say that flowers and verdure of the world have nowhere to return to.
I resent the silence of spring, I guess only those eager creatures
Weaving webs under the decorated eaves would drifting petals trap and capture.
The tale of the Long Gate must have yet another impediment caused,
All because someone was jealous of her delicate and thin brows.
Although one could spend a thousand gold nuggets for Xiangru prose,
Who is there to listen to such love and affection? Dance and twirl not!
Have you not realised that Lady Yang and Flitting Swallow have dust become.
The most bitter is melancholy that fester in idleness.
I shouldn't lean against a balustrade up on high, the inclining sun twilight casts
Over mist-shrouded willows rendering a heartbreaking landscape.

199 -
199 XIN Qiji Lyrics to the Melody of Forever in Happiness (Reminiscing the
bygone days on the Beigu Pavilion at the capital's entrance)
Among the eternal presence of rivers and mountains

Never discovered again is the heroism once seen in Sun Zhongmo.
Those waterside dancing halls, singing podiums
And places of romantic interest have long been destroyed in storms.
At sunset, the verdure, trees and ordinary alleyways and paths,
Describe the locale where they say Jinu once resided.
Back in the days of armoured horses and metal halberds,
Imposing was their vigour that could thousands of miles prance like a tiger.
The emperor was indiscreet in granting a generous enfeoffment to a general,

Resulting in a northern expedition that went shockingly awry.
Now aged forty three,
I return to what I still remember well the Yangzhou avenues ablaze with lights.
Rather unbearable is the scenery at the Bili Shrine worshipping a northern king,
Flanked by sculptures of immortal ducks and temple drums.
Who should we dispatch to the great Han general, Lianpo, enquire,
Whether he still has his mighty appetite?

200 -
200 XIN Qiji Lyrics to the Magnolia Adagio (On seeing off Fan Cui in Chuzhou)
I feel dispirited as I aged grow,

As I drink at a parting banquet, I taste my fear of the fleeting time.
Especially when Mid Autumn approaches close,
Though bright and clear is the moon, we won't be together when it its fullest shines.
The river water feels not and takes nothing to mind,
It follows the westerlies in sending away boat after boat.
On an autumn night on the river I think of the delicacy of watercress bream,
In the still of the night in front of a lamp I cannot help but wistful feel.
Already in your army uniform, ready you are to have an audience with the emperor,
For His Majesty admire and respect virtuous and wise characters.
I remember once in the middle of the night,
I was detained to edits draft as His Majesty decided over affairs at the border.
When in the capital, if old acquaintances ask about me,
You can tell them that I've been drinking to drown my depressed soul.
Often I see wild geese taking their fall from autumn skies,
In my drunkenness I seem to hear the sound of a vibrating bow.

201 -
201 XIN Qiji Lyrics to the Melody of By the Honourable Terrace of The
Zhus (In late spring)
My precious hairpin is about to come off, by the Wharf of Peach Leaves,

Mist shrouds the willows darkening the atmosphere of southern waterways.
Afraid of going upstairs as storms rage through nine out of every ten days.
Every drifting petal grieves the soul,
Yet there is nothing that governs their fall,
Who is around to persuade orioles to their warbles stop?
I glance sideways, thinking perhaps I should use flowers to divine a return date,
Yet it involves so much counting after I've just managed to pin back my hair.
Behind the bed curtains lights grow faint as I sob and mumble in my dream.
It is spring that brings along troubling thoughts,
Yet where has spring itself disappeared to?
It just doesn't understand that it should take away with it all the worries too.
202 -
202 XIN Qiji Lyrics to the Melody of Green Jadeite Bowl (On the first night
of a new year)
Easterlies of the night call to bloom blossoms of a thousand trees,

As if blowing adrift stars that drizzle like rain.
Precious horses and lavish carriages go by leaving a scented trail.
Phoenix flutes music perform as the timekeeper witnesses the turning of hours,
Throughout the night lanterns in the shape of fish and dragons dance and gyrate.
Golden are the willowy tassels of her butterfly hairpin,

Among giggles and chatters her scent is fading away.
In the crowd I look for her presence everywhere time and again,
Suddenly I turn around, and I see her there,
Where lights are dim and faint.

203 -
203 XIN Qiji Lyrics to the Melody of a Partridge-filled Sky (Written by the
Lake of Geese after recovering from an illness)
Reclining on a pillow and a mat in my lodge by the creek, autumn approaches with a chill,
Close to the water is a patch of cloud that scatters as evening arrives.
Lotus flowers blooming red gather close as though they are tipsy,
Quiet are white geese for they must be steeped in melancholy.
Some once outlandish writings composed, while others a pretty pavilion built,
Every hill and every ravine can romantic and delightful appear.
I know not how my health has withered,
Though of late I've been feeling too lethargic to set foot upstairs.
204 -
204 XIN Qiji Lyrics to the Bodhisattva Melody (Written by the Jagged Cliff in
Jiangxi)
By the Terrace of Solitude, lucid is the water of the river,

Yet mingled within must have been myriads of travellers' tears.
Northwest is the direction towards Changan,
Yet in between obstruct countless mountains and hills.
Blue mountains cannot hinder

The waters that must eastwards flow.
Melancholy gets hold of me as the night falls over the river,
From deep in the mountains come coos of partridges to my ears.

205 -
205 JIANG Kui - Lyrics to the Melody of Touching Up Rouged Lips (Written
in the summer of the year of Dingwei when passing through Wusong)
Carefree are swallows and wild geese,

From the western shore of the Great Lake they take off to clouds chase.
All around mountains and hills gloomy seem,
Imminent is a shower of evening rain.
By the Fourth Bridge I stand,

How I wish I could Master Lu's neighbour become. Yet what good could come of it?
By the balustrade, on the past I meditate,
As withered willows their strands of varying length sway.
206 -
206 JIANG Kui - Lyrics to the Melody of a Partridge-filled Sky (I dreamt of
something on the first night of a new year.)
The waters of River Fei eternally drains towards the east,

We shouldn't have allowed such pining to ever begin.
In dreams I behold you no better than I could in a painting of you,
And in the dark there are cries of mountain birds that startle me.
Before spring turns everything green, my sideburns have greyed,

Extended partings lead to growing insouciance dulling grief.
Why must we see off with bright lanterns yet another New Year's eve,
As we wistful remain and the distance between us keep?

207 -
207 JIANG Kui Lyrics to the Melody of Walking on Grass (I've come
eastwards from Mian. I arrived in Jingling on the first day of Dingwei, I had a
dream on the river and thus I this wrote.)
I see swallow-like delicate figures and I hear oriole-like soft utterances,

I must have entered again the heavenly territory.
Long is the night, yet how do I make the unfaithful aware of it?
Already tainted by wistful thoughts is spring that is barely here.
The letters I've sent since our parting and the clothes I made for you when we parted,
Carry my drifting soul that follows you as you a long journey embark on.
At River Huai's south, bright is the moonlight that cools myriads of mountains,
And there goes obscure darkness that no one cares about.

208 -
208 JIANG Kui Lyrics to the Melody of Celebrating Palatial Spring
(Prologue omitted)
A pair of oars rowed among the undulating water shield,

Through pines the rain drizzled over my straw cape,
At twilight my grief expanded to the vastness fill.
I called out to the gulls to rendezvous with,
Elegantly they fluttered their wings as they made their descent,
Then they turned their back to flit over the tips of trees.
On my return this time
I followed restless clouds and snow on a boat sailing alone at night.
Saddened I was when I saw again the faint outline of those hills,
Low was the curve of their teal silhouette.
Along the Creek of Gathered Fragrances pervaded the spring chill,

I got up to dance and sing, taking no notice of who else joined in.
To the west of Hanging Rainbow Pavilion I floated my boat,
Such lively spirit could never be suppressed.
As I sobered up, many waves had rippled far and away,
I pictured in my mind her loveliness adorned with pearls and delicate footwear.
Where am I at this moment in time?
Here I have only the balustrade to accompany me for a little while.

209 -
209 JIANG Kui Lyrics to the Melody of Heavenly Joy (Prologue omitted)
There was Yu's soliloquy reciting his lament in the Yangtze's south,
The whispers I hear make this place seem ever more desolate now.
Bronze door rings moist with dew and the stone well covered in mosses
Are where I hear crickets hum and moan.
Their grieving tone sound like sobs,
Like those of a pining, wakeful woman, who'd rise to weaving continue.
She'd sing the melody of the Ranging Hills,
What sentiments is she feeling alone at night in the chill?
From the west-facing window blows in a fine drizzle,

For whom does the rain breaks, in concert with garment pounding beats?
As I recall the day when we autumn greeted,
And the villa where we paid respect to the moon,
Aroused are a myriad of poignant feelings.
When I the Bin region's poems peruse,
Those celebrating by the fence with bright lanterns are ordinary girls and boys.
If I were to a cittern tune compose, ever more bitter would be every note.

210 -
210 JIANG Kui Lyrics to the Melody of a Celestial Pipa Player (Prologue
omitted)
They came on a boat with double oars,

Much like the Peach Sisters from an operatic play.
Drifting petals fell on her fan as she sang,
This pretty lady was such an extraordinary belle.
Springtime gradually fades away, as the verdure across the sandbar spreads,
There even come a few cuckoos' warbles.
The avenue of Yangzhou that goes for miles and Du Mu's karma,
These are all romantic bygones that should be left unsaid.
The time has come again for candles in the palace to be lighted,
I can't help but dwell in melancholy as seasons rush to each other replace.
I'd like to dispose off a heart full of pining
In amongst fallen pods of elm trees on the deserted front stairs.
Millions of willow strands that can crows keep out of sight
Have been fluttering and whirling like drifting snow for a toast.
I'd like to venture westwards through the Sun Gate,
So here of my old acquaintances I shall my leave take.

211 -
211 JIANG Kui Lyrics to the Melody of Eight Stops (On seeing off Hu Dehua
in the central Xiang)
Lotus flowers pollen scatter, phoenix trees their remaining thinning green sway,
In the garden a drizzle has come to a stop.
In idleness I lose myself in staring at my own shadow,
Then I see fireflies hovering in the darkness by the bamboo fence,
While on mossy stairs crickets interrupt one another's pathetic chirps.
To bid you farewell, again I set foot on the westwards trail,
Yet is there anyone on the water who'd for us the pipa play?
The most pitiful of this stretch of landscape
Is left for the cuckoos to cry over always.
I regret that we never have the time to deepen our acquaintance,

Now what for must we yet again part ways in westerlies?
The chill gives rise to mist over the sandbar, as rowing oars carry you away,
In haziness, like a leaf your boat sails.
Once there was Wenjun awaiting her husband's return,
Her melancholy grew as her footsteps in bamboo groves paced.
On your arrival, you could drink with her and
Let down the beaded screens to gaze at the moon through an exquisite haze.

212 -
212 JIANG Kui Lyrics to Remembering Your Charm (Prologue omitted)
Drifting petals overspread the boat,

I recall when I first came, I had pairs of mandarin ducks for company.
She is not around on any walk or slope,
Though by the water stand many well-dressed ladies wearing jade pendants.
Wavering lotus leaves send a cool breeze, swaying seemingly tipsy lotuses,
In the air bulrush blossoms scatter and whirl.
Charming is their movement, their fresh scent takes a leap into verses.
In the sunset, the water is covered in patches of green,

If she saw not her beloved, how could she bear to her feet move and leave?
I'm afraid her dancing robe may not the chill withstand and may come undone,
My melancholy blows in westerlies along the southern waterways.
Tall willows and their drooping strands yield a shade,
Fish spindrift puff, such attractions detain me to tarry among blossoms.
Surrounded by pads and patches, hard to track is a trail out of the sandy bay.

213 -
213 JIANG Kui The Yangzhou Adagio (Prologue omitted)
In this famed town on River Huai's left bank,

At this lovely place called West of Bamboos,
I hop off from the saddle to take a little break from my journey.
Down the Avenue for over a mile I follow the spring breeze,
Passing by verdurous shepherd's purse stalk by stalk.
Since foreign horses have crossed the river to trespass,
Ponds and terraces lie in ruins among mature trees as everyone warring abhors.
As dusk arrives, the dreary sound of bugles blow in the wind,
Reverberating in this deserted city.
Du Mu relished his life here,

Yet if he were here to relive it now, he'd be confounded by the way the city is.
Although he was skilled in writing fresh verses like February's new moon,
And enjoyed sweet dreams inside brothels, hard to compose would be passion.
Those twenty four bridges may still be existent,
As ripples glitter and undulate, cold is the moon that is silent.
I think of the peonies by the bridges,
For whom do they come into bloom year after year?

214 -
214 JIANG Kui The Adagio of Lamenting Along a Gallery (Prologue omitted)
By and by completely blown away are catkins from willow sprigs,

Here every household has their doors shielded by the green.
The water meanders along the waterway from afar,
On which scatter sails on their return, where to though?
I've seen a great number of people,
Yet is there anyone who shares the spirit of the willows trees along a gallery?
If trees could affections feel,
How could they remain so fresh and green?
At twilight, I cannot discern those tall towers of the town,

All that I can see here and there are myriads of mountains.
Gone had Wei Gao,
Yet how could he have forgotten the pledge he made with a jade ring?
He'd better here return as soon as he possibly could,
Lest the crimson flower finds no one to admire its bloom.
One may have a pair of scissors from the Bing state,
Yet it can hardly the thousands of strands of parting sorrows sever and break.

215 -
215 JIANG Kui Pale and Yellowing Willows (Prologue omitted)
From the desolate castle comes the sound of bugle to break the day,
That blares through the drooping willows of streets and alleyways.
On the horse I'm thinly dressed feeling the chill that grieves me.
Before my eyes spread light yellow and fresh green,
That I'd come to known well from my days in the south of the Yangtze.
Right now everywhere is quiet and still, tomorrow returns the Cold Fare Day.
I've deliberately brought along some spirits to this cottage by the bridge,
I was afraid that the pear blossoms might have given way to autumn shades.
There flit swallows that have returned asking where has spring moved on to?
There is only the pond that ever viridescent remains.

216 -
216 JIANG Kui Lyrics to the Melody of an Obscure Scent (Prologue
omitted)
In those days the moon cast its rays,

How many times did its shine fall on me as I by the plum trees my flute play?
Aroused was their beauty
As I their blooms pick despite the wintry cold.
Aged has He Xun and his talent,
He must have forgotten how to compose verses that please even spring breezes.
It must be the fault of those thin and scanty flowers by the bamboo fence,
In the cold a waft of fragrance drifts in to join those seated.
By the river still is the silence ,

Though I wish to mail send, remote are the roads, as night snow begins to pile.
With a jade cup in hand tears come easy.
Reticent are plum blossoms as memories take hold of my mind.
I'll forever remember where we held hands, where
Thousands of trees a cold pressure applied over the frigid green of the West Lake.
Petal by petal, every plum blossom has been blown adrift,
Just when do I get to see them again?

217 -
217 JIANG Kui Lyrics to the Melody of Scattered Light and Shade
On a mossy bough of a blooming plum tree,

There are a pair of little green birds, resting together for the night.
We come across each other on foreign land, by a fence in twilight,
Silent she remains as she leans on bamboos slender and tall.
Zhaojun never gotten used to the remote foreign sand,
She must be secretly reminiscent of the Yangtze and its watery landscape.
If her jade pendant bearing her spirit could return on a moonlit night,
It would a secluded and serene plum bloom transform into.
Not forgotten are old tales of palatial lives,

Once there was a princess in her sleep
And there fell plum blossoms to her face decorate.
Take not after spring breezes that linger not for any beauty,
To house a belle you should make grand arrangements.
Otherwise everything would vanish with the flow and its waves,
Leaving you to lament and sing the depressing Jade Dragon melody.
By that time, if you want to seek again this faint fragrance,
It would have crossed a porthole and ended up in a verse.

218 -
218 JIANG Kui A Recital of the Magnificent Edifice (Prologue omitted)
Cold is the moon that over the desert shines,

Washed of dust seem the palisades that surround the castle,
It was only this year that Han emperor special rewards granted.
They rearranged some foreign melodies
For all to appreciate Hun's melodies and songs at banquets.
This tower we are on soars high, its crimson balustrades meander and wind,
And its green eaves seem like flying jadeite.
Many beauties gather within, their fragrant powder comes off to drift
On this cold night with a light breeze.
Right here, it would be fitting to have the presence a heavenly poet,

Who rides a yellow crane through white clouds to share with us pleasant time.
I've long hoped for stairs to heaven,
Yet all that I could see is the verdure that spreads for thousands of miles.
The taste of wandering the world
Relies on wine and spirits to melancholy relieve
Or immersion among beauties to ambitions loosen.
From mountains in the west
Comes autumn's evening freshness after a rain passing a rolled-up screen.

219 -
219 JIANG Kui Lyrics to the Melody of Sky-shading Apricot Blossoms
(Prologue omitted)
Willow strands droop low to stir the pond with mandarin ducks,
It reminds me of a lady called Peach Leaf who once asked to cross the river here.
I shall be casting my melancholy eyes to follow the spring breeze,
As we are about to part, I lean against the paddle to linger a little longer.
Sailing pass Jinling, I pass by many soft spoken ladies and their dancing figures.
I guess tides know best that most toilsome is our obligation to life endure.
The verdure spreads to the entire sandbar cover leaving no way home,
In the sunset, I steer the boat along, but where towards?

220 -
220 JIANG KUI Lyrics to the Melody of a Red Corolla (Prologue omitted)
At the back of this town, there are a few mature plum trees,
They haven't fully blossomed for use as hairpins.
The surface of the pond has iced over, by the walls snow has piled waist high,
Heavy are the clouds that are growing heavier still.
Green vines traverse paths in bamboo groves at ease,
As laughters approach, fowls resting on the sand take off startled.
These wild woods and springs that have long been here,
And terraces and halls of bygone eras call to me to them mount and visit.
I've ventured to the south and to the north, yet whatever for?
Now I have come to roam the waters of Chu under the clouds of Xiang,
Everywhere I look it grieves me.
Stuck on crimson doors are figures of roosters on January the seventh,
And there are gilded platters of swallows to spring greet,
Evoking sentimental sighs over the passage of time.
I remember the day when we had a nice gathering in the west chamber,
There were drooping willows swaying millions of golden strands.
By the time I there return on the saddle,
I'm afraid spring would probably have long vanished.

221 -
221 JIANG Kui Interlude No. One to the Rainbow Robe Melody (Prologue
omitted)
From the hall on the terrace I gaze at the faraway,

Lotuses have withered and I haven't been able to return home.
I've been stricken with illnesses and lacking in strength,
Especially as the need for a white silk fan grows rare,
I'm beginning to feel the need to put on more clothes.
Time slips like sand through the fingers,
How fleeting it is like swallows' visits in pairs to beams made from apricot trees.
Where could she be? A screened window frames a pale moon,
On which I seem to see her lovely features.
Deep must have been the silence, accompanied by crickets' disorderly chirps
That disturbed Yu Xin's spirit causing his melancholy to multiply and complicate.
I dwell in memories of my youth and those roaming days,
Music from a flute used to a dividing range cross,
And peaceful was life by the willows in the countryside.
Yet I've heard no more of those fallen blossoms,
Hushed is the murmur of the flowing water that let go its lucid green.
For so long I've been adrift, yet what else is there to prompt me
To lie drunk by a little burner used for warming up spirits?

222 -
222 ZHANG Liangneng Lyrics to the Melody of Overlapping Hills
In the shade of willows and in the presence of bright blossoms long dwells spring,
Those crimson peonies by the balustrade have budded and ready to bloom.
Light is the rain and soft the breeze as birds chirp and twitter away,
On a day that arrives overcast, carrying a shade of grey.
Mention not the bygone times.

If health and weather permit, let us make a climb.
There is no places we've been before that cannot be found and revisited,
Yet never ever reacquired is a person's innocence.
223 -
223 LIU Guo Lyrics to a Sugary Chant (Prologue omitted)
Reeds cover the entire sandbar,

Over the sand and silt flows a shallow stream.
Twenty years have gone by before I again mount this southern tower.
We moor the boat by tying it to a willow tree, yet it unsecured seems,
We are only days away before we again the Mid Autumn moon greet.
The Tower of Yellow Cranes and the hill it sits on,

Did you ever come to they visit again, my friend?
Same as ever is the landscape that becomes enshrouded in melancholy of the day.
We're hoping to pick up some cinnamon to go with the spirits,
Yet we'll never have the mood we once had in our younger days.

224 -
224 YAN Ren Magnolia Lyrics
Spring breezes waft only in the garden's western corner,

Over a ground of shepherd's purse butterflies flit between its flourishing flowers.
Icy is the viridescent pond that reflects with its abyss,
Paved are garden paths with scattered petals blown to their fall.
Sentiments grow provoking regrets when my hair becomes wispy and short,
As I dwell in thoughts of you, my robes seem loose as I thin and pallid become.
The precious mirror box offers reflections clear as moonlight that deceive not,
You can have a look for yourself on your return tomorrow.
225 -
225 YU Guobao Lyrics to the Melody of Winds Soughing Through Pines
Throughout spring I've spent a considerable amount on ladies,

Ending up inebriated by the lake day after day.
Even my white stallion has become familiar with the directions to the West Lake.
It would give a proud neigh as we arrive at the front of a drinking house.
A garden of red apricot blossoms' scent is immersed in the sound of pipes and drums,
There in the shade of viridescent willows a swing sways.
A fine day it was, warm breezes wafted for miles along the way,
Ladies took to pinning flowers to their head tipping their hair.
Adorned cruise vessels set sail carrying spring away,
Cheerful sentiments lingered over the misty waters of the lake.
Tomorrow I shall there return with what remains of my intoxication
To seek her out along the trails.

226 -
226 ZHANG Zi Lyrics to the Melody of a Garden Full of Blossoms
Lofty phoenix trees washing in moonlight and grasses moist with dew
Depict late autumn that surrounds the House of Precious Hairpins.
Like wild flowers blooming in the green, fireflies flit by the wall.
In the still of the night I hear a intermittent dreary noise,
There is little change to the notes that are doleful and dismal.
Vying for a partner, it eagerly murmurs and whirs,
Urging wholeheartedly for a new day to dawn.
I remember when I was little, I'd carry a lantern to water its hole,
Then I'd tiptoe and follow its sound.
I'd brush by flowers as I search by myself for its whereabouts.
Then I'd bring it to the front of the hall for fighting games,
Although small was our place, I had a delicate showy cage.
I shall say no more, its hum from a groove under my bed
Accompanies my lonely sigh on this chilly night.

227 -
227 ZHANG Zi Lyrics to the Melody of a Pavilion in the Yan Mountains
I've just woken from a dream to a heavily overcast sky,

Light is the shower rushed here by daybreak.
Cold air pervades the bamboo groves, acres of trees sough and sway,
Fresh green has spread all over to reach the southern waterways.
There hasn't been anyone coming by,
So I let ajar the crimson doors that a cloister face.
Disconsolate I feel, casting at the clouds an empty gaze,
A letter from him is something I've yet to obtain.
I'm reminiscent of our excursion along this mossy path,

Who else could accompany me on the swing?
Colourful are the ropes and polished the posts.
I roll up the screens made of rhinoceros skin,
To look at clouds that seems lonely like my pillow embroidered with a phoenix,
There must have been many times I've stood long to gaze.
How could I bid him to come hither?
A flowery mist the little courtyard pervades.
How I'd like to keep him here until we are grey and never let him go away.

228 -
228 SHI Dazu Lyrics to the Fragrance of Damask (Ode to Spring Rain)
Cold is the air that flowers are shivering in, smoky the mist that willows shrouds,
Hundreds of miles have been stealthily urging along the passage of spring.
Grey and gloomy is the atmosphere throughout the day,
Dwelling in melancholy I thought of taking off but I stayed on.
For the fear of heavy moist pollen, butterflies spend the night in the West Court,
For the love of moist soil, swallows make their return to the southern waterways.
Yet rain is most annoying when it interferes with a romantic rendezvous,
Stopping an adorned coach from driving down the trail of the Hills of Du.
The lookout from the dim and dismal river

Is a scene of the spring tide turning into evening rapids,
Yet hard to locate is a state ferry crossing.
Faint is the distant mountain peaks,
Charming like a teary Lady Xie's brows.
Along the shores, it is the time for fresh green to multiply,
And for fallen blossoms to carry away sorrows in the tide.
How I remember the day when we close the doors to keep pear blossoms inside,
And trimmed the wick of the lamp as we talked throughout the night.

229 -
229 SHI Dazu Lyrics to Pairs of Swallows (Ode to Swallows)
Visible is the passage of early spring through the screens,

The swallows that return have hardship endured in the cold.
With their wings spread they hope to all cram into their former nests.
So they scrutinised the carvings on the coffers and beams,
In whispers they discuss, yet a decision is hard to reach.
Then with elegance they flit away brushing through blossoms,
As their green tails shades of crimson cleave.
Fragrant is the path, muddy the soil under the grass soaked in rain.
They race one another close to the ground, rivalling one another's grace.
From the building in red I come home late,
Seeing plenty of shady willows and blossoms along the way.
Those swallows must be resting comfortably among flowery scents,
Forgetting that there is someone wistful at the world's end.
Grief and frowns have ruined her teal, delicate brows,
Day after day in solitude her thoughts drift beyond the decorated balustrade.

230 -
230 SHI Dazu The First Bloom in Easterlies (On spring snow)
Spring snow swiftly drifts to the heart of orchids and onto grass blades,
While easterlies attempt to intervene and fresh warmth provide.
Somehow I doubt there'd be much left
Of the coolness that lingers from the cold of dusk.
Their whirring in the sky is caught in the mirror,
Posing their soft and flexible poise and figure.
I guess at home they probably don't have the screens raised,
Inevitably missing out on a pair of swallows that abruptly there return.
Green has not yet fully spread, yet willows have begun to white buds show.
Almost out of bloom are peach trees, already blooming are apricot blossoms.
I recall an old acquaintance from a previous trip to a mountain's shady side,
We agreed on visiting the garden there another time.
Pots that have cooled need to be fired up for ironing,
So I take a break from pulling needles that spring clothes stitch.
I'm afraid if I wear my embroidered shoes to vegetables pick,
I might drifting snow encounter on the Ba Bridge.

231 -
231 SHI Dazu Lyrics to the Joy of Seeing Migrating Orioles
The moon seems to ripple with drops of ray, close to heaven is its clarity,
Unstained by the earthly.
Everywhere eyes can see gather colourful lanterns and silvery silk ribbons,
Like the zodiac's starry radiance.
I regret that impoverished are my desire for poetry and spirits,
Letting down much of spring's scenery.
The most bored of all are those accompanying scented candles
That follow many a wild and eccentric tourist.
Places I've been are scattered in memory, Master Du had long become history,
I can hardly bear to hear the music of reed blowing in easterlies.
Dim is the lamp in the Willow Garden, by the Plum Blossom Hall snow piles,
Who have I to share my heart over fresh spring wine?
What I have with an old flame still hasn't come to fruition,
So I shall follow what I did once and travel wide.
Except I'm afraid that I might cause her grief on wintry nights,
Who'd stare through the screen of her windows as she pines.

232 -
232 SHI Dazu Lyrics to the Melody of Three Lovely Ladies
As hazy light reflects off colourful roof tiles that are glazed,
Visible on a sunny day are breezes along the eaves carrying a drizzle of catkins.
I lay my zither across the bed, recalling where tear trails that dust replace
When I used to these strings play along its phoenix neck.
I venture wearily beyond the bedchamber drapes,
Lately I've often dreamed of a nobleman and his stallion.
I dare not say this is me pining, yet when I adjust my skirt by myself,
I'm dismayed by a narrowing waist.
I am reminiscent of that distant night on the southern loft,

I remember among bright lanterns with green tinsels we sang abreast.
When I set foot on the Bronze Camel street again, I knocked on every door
To enquire about her fame and reputation.
Regretfully along with easterlies
She passed away with her regret like all blooming flower must wither and fade.
Now I can only rely on what I remember of this belle
To write down a description of her once I am by myself.

233 -
233 SHI Dazu Lyrics to the Melody of an Autumn Day after Rain
Grey and gloomy is the river, in sight are shrivelled willows and withered lotuses
Sharing with me shades of autumn.
This neglected chamber braves the cold first, beyond worn screens is a dusky sky,
A flight of wild geese on their journey forceful winds loathe.
Letters from home,
How I wish they could appear before my eyes like the blue southern mountains.
I think of a bygone era,
Who was it that never returned from enjoying perch delicacies of the south?
Again arrives the end of a year, withered I am as I brave the wind,

In the night I hear the sound of autumn, swaying the stillness of my peace.
Crickets in the wild chirp their grief, cold is the room around a gleaming lamp,
I read and book leaves turn becoming sentimental over my greying strands.
I've lost all acquaintances from my youth,
Pitiful and poignant
Is the inevitable passage of time that disturb the soul,
We used to fragrances gather in the waters of the south,
And we once plum blossoms plucked by the misty roadhouse.

234 -
234 SHI Dazu Lyrics to the Melody of Night-blooming Silk Trees
Willows lock in the spirit of orioles, among flowers swirl butterflies' reveries,
Caught up in Pan An's melancholy I must have been.
Before I a light robe don,
I've become absorbed in concealing tears and their trails.
As I bygones recall, my fear of the passage of time grows,
Spring has long arrived to visit bringing a fine drizzle to the pond.
At the scenery I gaze, half abloom are the trees of plum,
Very much like Lady Xu's half-finished make-up.
Every waft of breeze an inch of tender heart disturbs,

How she used to in the songs she sang her grief express
Under candlelight surrounded by smoky twirls of burning incense.
On the loom spreads a piece of magnificent fabric,
Why hasn't it been embroidered with a pair of mandarin ducks?
In my tipsiness I lean, there is the moon that inclines next to a parapet.
Back in those days, who dares to frivolous and foolish behave!
Those endearing words I withheld,
In a scented chamber on this long night, I shall them recollect.

235 -
235 SHI Dazu Lyrics to the Melody of Green Butterflies
The evening rain hasn't struck down any trees in the palace,
On their pitiful, sparse leaves settle cicadas that in the cold linger.
Short is the season that has autumn turned into,
Causing any mood to verses compose to fall melancholic.
Night-time longer extends, it's hard to refrain the soul from dreaming away,
I'm growing old as the scenery is turning cold.
I long for the joy of seclusion, where wild flowers bloom by the garden's brick well,
And spiders cobwebs weave in the corners of its rails.
For no reason, mole crickets chirp disturbing the night,

Like the lady who wrote on fans self-torturing poems,
And lotuses that bitter seeds produce in fall.
In front of her chamber she played her reed,
In the wind Lady Xie let her tears roll.
In dusk in this familiar garden, in reluctance I continue with verses and spirits,
Young wild geese have travelled far, offering no more greetings.
Hindered by a vast stretch of mist, the land of Chu is home to many pretty ladies,
Yet who shall my lovely companion be?

236 -
236 SHI Dazu Lyrics to the Melody of Eight Stops
A river in autumn carrying rain flows its water pass the chilly sand,
From a loft I look out in my melancholy solitude.
Amid the mist the rustle of straw capes disturbs my poetic thoughts,
And there is also the frantic flitting of gulls that interrupts,
Making nice lines hard to come up with.
Coldly I look at the picturesque scenery before me,
I recognise on the other shore a faint outline of cottages.
Half of which must be a village of fishermen and woodsmen,
As twilight approaches they rush to bamboos set alight.
I should have confidence that my fine taste hasn't stale become,

In hand I have a cup of wine,
To console my lonely heart and state of mind.
I speed along in the southern fields and pole past many ferry crossings,
Just so I get to see her comely teal brows when she sang.
Yet the remains of the day fade in a hurry,
Casting all the worries in the world onto the foliage of mature trees.
I cannot help it that we are a world apart,
I look as far as I can in the direction of the Huai Hills,
Though wistful I am, there comes no wild geese to a message bring.

237 -
237 LIU Kezhuang Lyrics to the Raw Haws Melody
The brilliance of lanterns outshines moonlight's glory,

As the drumming of dramas and shows last into the wee hours.
Everything is the same as it has been as always,
Except my state of mind and feelings have differed from that of the middle-aged.
Lightly I render my brows that appear in the mirror,

With sincerity I pay my respect to the moon I see from the chamber.
When crowds scatter and city noise disappears,
Close creeps the season of melancholy.

238 -
238 LIU Kezhuang Lyrics to the Melody of Congratulations to the Groom
(On the fifth of lunar May)
Deep within a garden pomegranates flowers give,

Inside, raised are the drapes, I'm dressed in hemp clothes holding a round fan,
There comes a midday breeze to ease the summer heat.
Boys and girls vie with one another boasting their own craft,
New designs of hair charms and tiger figures in wormwood.
There have been many tourists lining up by the shore to boats race watch.
The old and senile have outgrown such occasions to join in the fun,
Leaving youths of the fields to vie for the flags and the drums,
By the creek sprays splash and spatters prance.
His spirit was virtuous and honourable his soul,

We are reminded of his life by the summer orchid we pin to our clothes,
And by the delicacies and spirits we offer as sacrifice.
Who'd believe that his grieving apparition would after a thousand years
Crave for rice dumplings at the bottom of these billows?
Not to mention his complaints of greedy pythons and angry dragons.
If he could really wake up to the present day,
His death by drunkenness back all those years would not have so painful seemed,
Let it all be in the name of humour, as we give our condolences to bygone millennia.

239 -
239 LIU Kezhuang Lyrics to the Melody of Congratulations to the Groom
(On the ninth)
Deep and intense is the darkness of the infinite sky,

How it the windswept drizzle tolerate
That chaotic strands of melancholy interweave.
I used to set my eyes high that had no regard for the seas of the four corners,
I rely on tall buildings over a hundred feet
To the sight of an expansive precipitous landscape gather in autumn colours.
Now this grey-headed scholar is teary over a great nation's disgrace,
Yet as dismal as it seems, I won't be heading north to any tear shed.
Though I'm reminiscent of bygones, they leave not a trace in their wake.
Arrogant was I in my youth and trenchant my writings with lofty aspirations,

Now my glorious moments have all but withered away.
Leaving me a heart imbued with bleakness.
I've been sentimental over the lack of fresh minds nowadays,
So I love to mention the liberal intellects of the era of Jin.
I'd recount the tale of the blown away hat year after year.
If we snubbed spirits in the presence of chrysanthemums,
They just might make fun of our reticence.
Wild geese are about to take off for the north, as the sun takes cover in the west.

240 -
240 LIU Kezhuang Magnolia Lyrics
Year after year my horse gallops along the streets of Changan City,
As I take an inn for home making home seem like an inn.
Shelling out coins for spirits, yet how little does that cost a day?
Under candlelight I'd gamble away nights catching no sleep.
Easy to obtain seem an embroidered message of a weaving wife,

Hard to ascertain is what weighs on her mind.
A man can achieve a great deal for China from being in the northwest,
I shall not shed any tears into the water next to the Bridge of Water's West.
241 -
241 LU Zugao Lyrics to the Melody of a River Town
I raise the drapes at the front of the chamber to reveal a new fine day,
I put out the light of the lantern, the chill of morning lingers.
The fragrance of scattered powder drifts, day after day I grieve among them.
I recount to myself the decade that I'd spent in and around the West Lake,
How often did I really have the company of a pretty maid?
Past has my prime, I grow sentimental over my roaming solitude,

So I hold onto spirits, why should I stay sober for anyone?
Vast is the sky and idle the clouds, yet I no longer hear any flute music.
Carting spirits and shelling out for flowers are what youths would do,
Yet I just don't seem to be in that previous mood.

242 -
242 LU Zugao Lyrics to the Melody of a Banquet at the Town of Clarity
The reed plays the message of spring's arrival,

Light is today's breeze, chaotic is the chirps and warbles I hear through the wall.
In this river town, rushing to rise and fall is singing from all over,
And ladies donning damask and silken clothes balmy fragrances scatter.
The waters of the river gurgle to riverside ice dissolve,
In tipsiness and in dreams, my best years have stealthily slipped away.
If the lady with teal brows was ever again detained behind the Sui moat,
Her heart would flee nonetheless away from the palace.
Lately shrieks of wild geese would come from stretches of clouds,

Followed by their graceful appearance in a flight, then never to be seen again.
Drizzling is the sound of spring, pale is the moon enshrouded by melancholy,
Such is this season's garden scene.
Sorrowful on the inside, rent is the heart before a word could be uttered,
Even though I have yet to make a climb so that I could look out far.
How unbearable would be the sight of wilting grass that spreads to the horizon,
And drifting plum blossoms that whirl at dusk.

243 -
243 FAN Fang Lyrics to a Southern Country Melody (An inscription for a
brothel in the County of Southern Swords)
I am afraid to lean against the balustrade,

Below the chamber gurgle the creek and beyond the chamber hills range.
Here remains the landscape of old times
That changes not, yet never returning are evening drizzles and morning glory.
They seem to be taking after phoenixes whirling in a heavenly soft flutter,

Under the moon often heard is the clatter of jade pieces hanging off their waist.
Lower inclines the moon and heavy grows frost,
As the night falls deeper, I pick a bloom of plum blossom to admire alone.

244 -
244 LU Rui Lyrics to the Melody of an Auspicious Crane-riding Immortal
Moist clouds adhere themselves to the silhouettes of wild geese,

I look at the long journey ahead and in melancholy I lose myself,
Steeped in parting sorrows I find it difficult to composure maintain.
How I wish a thousand gold could buy time,
Yet there comes faint tolling of bells urging the day to break,
Followed by crows cawing from everywhere for night-time to arrive.
I think to myself the joyful blossoming periods,
How they many emotions harbour, yet they could only be revisited in dreams.
Even though floating clouds never return,
They should some correspondence send at least.
I feel extremely alone, I still bear in mind our vows and oaths,
I aimed for a soaring future like a crane, leaving an open end to our rendezvous.
My attempt to our affections sever
Has only caused even more regrets over time.
Why does heaven allow flitting pairs of swallows
To dash in the glow that powder the remains of the day?
Looking into a mirror we could our wistful thoughts relay,
To see who has withered away?

245 -
245 XIAO Tailai Lyrics to the Melody of a Frosty Sky at the Crack of
Dawn
As heavy snow drifts and falls, I suffer the torture of the wintry cold.
Born lean and tough is my saving grace,
Utterly fearless I am of bugles that blare without a break.
Extremely gloomy is the atmosphere, even shadows take their leave,

There is only the moon that I could confide to.
From the outset I possess not the disposition of the spring breeze,
Yet how do I tell this to the cherry apple trees?
246 -
246 WU Wenying Lyrics to the Melody of Crossing a River of Clouds (On
the spring equinox day at the West Lake)
A bashing blooming flower my greying sideburns contrast,

Though it fell not in the evening breeze, its petals now embellish the lush grass.
The waterway comes to a fork shaped like a swallow's tail,
On oars rest gulls, I rein in my horse tarrying under lingering clouds of the day.
Among thousands of strands of willows and their plaintive green
By and by I lose my way in what seems a heavenly place.
Something takes hold of my heart,
I saw her with blossoms between us, all I saw of her was her back and slim waist.
I loitered by her residence, yet regretfully there is no way in,

I so wished she would leave behind a shoe for me to hold on to.
As another rendezvous would be impossible to expect,
I've only come to realise that fateful attractions
Can cause one to wither away in spring.
What tomorrow brings is as hard to predict as the wintry haze
That can shroud over the entire lake causing troubling windswept rains.
Dusky is the silhouette of hills, green ripples scatter leaving not a trace.

247 -
247 WU Wenying Lyrics to the Melody of Night-blooming Silk Trees
(While sailing along the White Crane River towards the capital, I moored at
Fengmeng and grew sentimental.)
The willows shade the river bridge,

Over the Gusu Terraces orioles melodious warbles give.
My whip is often scented by the fragrances of spring.
How I used to moor overnight, tenderness would draw me into a deep dream.
I'd be composing using a rare rhyme, my cup would be staying filled with spirits.
We'd be trimming the wick every so often as the timekeeper rushed along.
We went on excursions together, chasing each other through verdurous fields,
And rowing side by side in a mere.
For the past decade it's been a reverie of loneliness,

Much like the West Lake without swallows and empty nests at the Wu Palace.
A revisit emotions evokes, leaving me to steep in spirits like I've always been.
In the creek the rain splashes hard, on the shore flowers tremble in the wind,
I should follow the last few crows and flit across this boundless desolation.
From the loft where she used to reside, who could point out for me
Where we had spent our time at sunset in a grassy field?

248 -
248 WU Wenying Lyrics to the Melody of Drifting Frosty Leaves (On the
Double Ninth)
Cleaving through the haze is the parting sorrow that cuts my heart,
The setting sun conceals itself and its glow behind frosted trees.
I water the chrysanthemums with half a teapot of autumn spray,
Raising a scent that scatters after a windswept rain from the west.
I let loose the bridle to allow the horse to dash like a bird,
Yet bleak is the terrace, who'd come hither to bygones mourn?
I recall passing through the mountain range's south when I was tipsy,
Among colourful fans came sobs of cicadas in the cold that put me to sleep,
Paying no attention to the ladies who waited on me.
I shall follow the tradition of the festival and have a spree,

Dusty is paper and filled with grubs are brush barrels,
For a year I haven't a poem composed for I've trouble to even a verse complete.
Tiny is the moon that shifts away from the fence in the east,
Wintry is the night with odd chirps of a few odd crickets.
Already turned grey is my hair, a million strands of fatefulness and melancholy,
A startling change of wind has come to blow away my bonnet that is my office,
So I concentrate on admiring the dogwood flowers,
Next year I shall arrange to return to this blue peak.

249 -
249 WU Wenying Lyrics to the Melody of a Banquet at the Bright City
(Cherry apple trees with intertwining boughs)
Embroidered drapes hang between mandarin duck columns in pairs,

Around the dense red blossoms, heavy clouds hang low to Qin trees shelter.
Their delicate roots intertwine and their flowers overlap,
Envious of their charm are those behind the beautiful screens.
In easterlies stems and roots cross as they sleep,
Dreaming of becoming hairpins in the shape of a swallow's tail
Surrounded by bright candles that a cheery grove illuminate,
The widowed moon would feel deserted and shy away.
Overwhelming are myriads of sentiments that shroud one's loneliness,

She used to bathe in the Pond of Magnificent Purity with spring water and breezes.
She used to braid her hair into connecting buns to two united hearts signify
And to express her gratitude towards His Majesty's grace.
Who would rather be in her place to utter words of immortal regrets?
In darkness within a locked-up hall, insects hum by the dimming lights.
Let us bygones recount and disappoint not the fanciful spirit of springtime
The glowing blossoms in the morning and the verdant fields at twilight.

250 -
250 WU Wenying Lyrics to the Melody of Heavenly Joy
Misty waves pile towards the western hills and the Peach Leaves Wharf,
I ride the tail of the tide with ten years of heartbreak.
Again I those willows pluck, telling the agile gulls of my parting sorrows,
Alone I lean over the lofty pavilion looking at what has become a thing of the past.
A sudden cold draught blows, over the sand mist floats, beyond which sails pass
In the twilight before a range of verdant hills.
Then there is the splashing river water
To a mirror of autumn colours provide and my withered look reflect.
At the magnificent hall candles had dimmed seeing off guests,

When she turned to cast a glance, beautiful was her sparkling eyes.
Immaculate was her unblemished figure and her soft hands touched by snow,
I still remember the affections and a piece of melon that we shared.
Empty cups haven't been rinsed, my dream isn't wet from walking through clouds,
But from bearing the tears I still have to shed.
What a pitiful autumn night, there come crickets' chaotic chirps in a drizzling rain.

251 -
251 WU Wenying Lyrics to the Melody of Overflowing Blossoms (Guo
Xidao offered daffodils as a gift and asked for a composition.)
Graceful is her delicate bloom, bright is her colour with white dimples,
Yellow like bees are her filaments that a faint halo resemble.
Verdant and vivid leaves by her side her beauty complement.
Last night chilly was the courtyard, under the moon I her bloom met,
In my deep sleep I worried about her suffering the force of winds.
While my heart had yet to recover from being fretful,
The day had dawned, and there was the pot green and fresh,
I realised that true was the portent of a blooming dream.
The spirit of the Goddess of River Xiang pervades this remote green,
Her graceful waves lead to ancient sandy shores and clouds where regrets heap.
In the shadow of rock piles,
Her faint fragrance scatters, the charm of plum blossoms pales in the chill.
Next to the incense burner, twirls of its scent towards pillows drift,
I seem to see her with her beautiful hair let down.
I should call for company to she admire in the Hall of the Magnificently Pure Mere,
With stacks of cups filled to their brim.
252 -
Flowers blossom in clusters at the front, behind the doors she dwells in an old dream,
Silent is the sunset as swallows return with melancholy,
She works her delicate hands to draw the drapes from hooks and clips.
Drifting flowers give no sound as spring sheds her tears,

Floating clouds shadows cast and a bashful moon screen,
Easterlies of night-time can be wintrier than autumn winds.

253 -
The mirror-like rippling water surface reflects every trace of the chill,
There she is by the water as if she's angling for a crescent,
Moonlight washes over the pavilion by the pond as the night like autumn feels.
Swallows make mention of their return awaiting to take off at dawn,

Those waterside flowers seem to have lost their brilliance from spring,
As westerlies sough the phoenix tree by the well begins to shed its sentimental leaves.
254 -
254 WU Wenying Lyrics to the Melody of Touching Up Rouged Lips (The
lantern night has just cleared up.)
Clouds of grey have been blown away,

Lunar Goddess arrives at night to show her fresh, cleansed face.
There is not a grain of dust, smooth and silky is the celestial realm.
As I revisit this place where imperial coaches once passed through,

Everything seems to have happened only yesterday.
Her tenderness flowed like gentle water, in a small chamber with scented bedding,
A springtime reverie accompanied by music and singing is taking place.

255 -
255 WU Wenying Lyrics to the Melody of By the Honourable Terrace of
The Zhus (The coming of spring on New Year's eve)
Among festive red cut-outs adorned with greenery,

Blossoms of spring have hairpins on hair become.
Easterlies in the remains of the day the passage of time takes hold of.
Someone a candle lights by the western window,
Wakefulness makes its approach towards dawn,
Amid rounds of laughters arrives the New Year among warbles of orioles.
These wine cups are from before, her hands used to bright mandarins open,
Her affections still touch somewhere deep within.
In a reverie I return to the lake shore, only to lose my way in its mirror.
Have mercy on the land of Wu over which drift countless speckles of frost,
Where wintriness eases not,
Against them, like rain plum blossoms fall.

256 -
256 WU Wenying Lyrics to the Melody of By the Honourable Terrace of
The Zhus (Sightseeing at the garden ruins by the Turtle Creek as a traveller)
Following a redolence of seclusion I've come to an ancient garden pace,

Along its narrow paths through cold but verdant bamboo groves.
By the creek we struggled with the grass, your feet left on the sand prints of lotus.
On my frosted sideburns I take pity,
This year's Cold Fare has arrived
To again find me deep in the cloudy hills.
I idle away the daytime, why do the heavens seem hard on spring,
Turning a slight overcast into a shower?
Along the gallery spreads sap green, riding the wind is my homecoming dream.
I become sentimental over the shadows of blossoms by the balustrade at home,
Where along the paths warble orioles,
They bring me to suddenly stand still and brood, turning me into a stone.

257 -
257 WU Wenying Lyrics to the Fragrance of Bathing in Orchids (On the
Double Fifth in Huai'an)
Around her wrist wrapped rainbow silk strands, ornate cut-outs draped over her hair,
Concealed behind azure silk curtains she slept.
With a silver carafe in an open courtyard, she sang by the window with cloudy inlays,
The past that was my youth is becoming faint.
Remember how I once wrote on her red dress,
It breaks my heart to think that long faded have those florid characters on scarlet.
Dreaming in May, long gone are my years of prime,
Like soft sweet flag leaves on the sandbar I am frail.
Sing not those classical melodies from south of the Yangtze,

No amount of suppressed sorrow could raise the submerged spirit of a Chu river.
In the balmy breeze swallows their fledglings nurture,
As a drizzle falls on yellowing pagoda trees,
A clear, reflective river is good for bathing in orchids behind curtains and screens.
The romantic tale of Qin's Phoenix Terrace reminds me that I too should head home
To prepare spirits infused with cuts of calamus for drinking by myself.
Yet in melancholy I steep as I a new moon admire,
Which has been following me from its distant corner in the sky.

258 -
258 WU Wenying Lyrics to the Melody of Winds Soughing Through Pines
I listen to the wind and I listen to the rain, passing away the day of vernal equinox,
Grasses once wilted have grown thick to bury petals of blossoms.
Before the building among green foliage the path comes to a fork,
Every strand of willow is an inch of tender heart.
In the chill of spring I was overwhelmed by what I had drunk,
On top of which I had a dream before I woke to a morning and orioles' warbles.
Day after day in the west garden I tend to its upkeep,

And continue to admire every lovely day.
Yellow bees make their way towards the rope of the swing time and again,
All because there still lingers the fragrance from her delicate hands.
I lament over the fact that you're not here for us to be like a pair of mandarin ducks,
Overnight mosses have grown to cover the secluded stairs.

259 -
259 WU Wenying Lyrics to the Oriole Warbles Prelude (Prologue omitted)
The lingering wintriness deprives the ill of their liquor,

Leaving them behind closed adorned windows with aloewood incense.
Arriving late are swallows that fly towards the town's west,
Seemingly aware of spring's coming to its end.
Decorated boats make their shifts, the vernal equinox has come and gone,
Light mist slowly rises to shroud the trees around where the Wu Palace used to be.
I think of my curbed affections that accompanyiesmy drift,
They have all but scattered with tiny catkins in the wind.
For a decade I lived by the West Lake, to the willows I'd have my horse tied,
When the dust was light and the mist mild.
Then I'd follow the drifting red up a creek that seem so heavenly,
For there was a lovely maid who secretly wrote to me of her affections.
Next to a silver candle holder generous was spring and contrived seemed dreams,
There was singing and dancing in splendid clothes as red candle wax dripped.
Deserted is the embankment at dusk, let's hand it over to twilight,
Returning it to gulls and egrets.
Secluded orchids wilt apace, around which pollia clusters continue to spread,
Here I am still roaming this watery region.
Ever since I left, I've not heard from the six bridges of the Lake,
Gone has the past like withered flowers, buried is the verdure along with its scent,
That have endured many storms and their rage.
The glisten of ripples jealously show, distant hills have the look of bashful brows,
Lamps from fishing boats cast shadows on those inns by the river in spring.
Remember when we once crossed the Wharf of Peach Leaves with stubby oars,
It is as if I am back at the red-light house.
At our parting I wrote a poem on the shabby wall,
And our tears and ink fell bleakly onto the dusty ground.
I look out from a lofty pavilion into the distance, it's verdurous all the way,
I lament over my sideburns that are turning grey.
I secretly check up on myself, traces of laughters and tears of sorrow
Remain visible on my handkerchief made of raw silk.
A lost phoenix with its wings drawn cares not to dance to a broken mirror.
I only wish to a letter write diligently to express in full all my regrets and grief
For a wild goose to carry away across broad waters and through clouds in the azure.
Long is my longing that I can only press onto the zither's frets.
A heart has been broken to pieces over thousands of miles south of the Yangtze,
I could the tune of Raise a Soul play again, yet is there any wounded spirit?

260 -
260 WU Wenying Lyrics to the Adagio of Cherishing Yellow Blooms
(Prologue omitted)
By a shore off the Wu waters I bid a guest farewell, frostily wintry is the night,
By a long-span bridge maple leaves take their fall.
We gaze at the sky but see not its boundary, the town behind us fades,
We pass by gloomy pavilions, with regret we let the water carry us further away.
The sight of withering verdant patches and wilting red outfits
Deepens melancholy that brings a deep frown to the brows.
This is reminiscent of Shen Yue's thinning waist in those days,
On a magnolia canoe he idled away.
The music from an immortal's jade flute called away phoenixes,

Crushing a forlorn spirit that had since faded away, irrecoverable by any eloquence.
Tipsy was her hair as she asked you to stay, by the porthole you a candle trimmed,
Wishing you could sing away your regrets for clouds to carry into the heavens.
Simple is autumn that comprehends not and follows not your boat.
Yet the dying red follows the lead of a drifting canoe in chilly billows.
When you dream of her, you'd be grieving like a wild goose over the South Tower.

261 - ()
261 WU Wenying Lyrics to the Melody of the Terrace of the Zenithal
Sun (The falling of plum blossoms)
Traces of powder and make-up have fallen with the shadows of heavenly clouds,
In the wild waters of the deserted bay there is no one around.
Buried under ancient piles of rocks are remains of a fragrant nature,
Golden sands latch onto bones in chains.
It's not the playing of a flute coming from the South Tower that I detest,
I hate the morning breeze that reminds me of the great dividing range.
Being a vagabond half of my life, here in the garden at twilight,
Cold is the moon over the balustrade.
In the Long Life Palace she attends to her gloomy look in the mirror in vain,
Is there anyone still applying the plum bloom make-up
And secretly covering up blemishes on her face?
In the drizzle returns a wild goose
To this lonely mountain where the spring chill spreads without end.
Even an aria cannot a drifting spirit raise,
I'm dreaming of someone in white untying her jade by the creek.
Yet disturbed I am by warbling birds in a sky bright and clear,
Moist and round are broad leaves.

262 -
262 WU Wenying Lyrics to the Melody of the Terrace of the Zenithal
Sun (At the House of Prosperity and Joy I was allotted to rhyme with the word
ru)
Slender bamboos stand still with grace, next to drapes of willows I halt my horse,
By the balustrade I look out to a picturesque portrayal of a fleeting moment.
Who is around to an inscription of this mountainous scenery provide?
Before the House there fly wild geese writing a slanted flight.
An easterly hurries along seeing off the setting sun on its incline,
Stirring the chill that lingers as I sober up from the evening drinks I imbibed.
I ponder over how often we get to come before blossoms,
And why did Xiangru suddenly find himself senile?
Our sentimentality is evoked not by the lofty height,

But by aslant pillows next to a lamp and a smoky burner when it's raining outside.
Afraid of rowing a boat I've become,
Afraid perhaps of seeing my withered reflection in the water that flows?
Should drifting petals be able to sink to the bottom of the West Lake
And stir up green billows, those fish would be most worried.
I hope I won't have to here return when all velvety petals have been blown away,
That would have me pouring tears over wastes.

263 -
263 WU Wenying Lyrics to the Melody of Three Lovely Ladies
Used to getting drunk among the landscape of lakes and mountains I am,
Staining spring clothes with tear marks and liquor spills everywhere.
Again I pass through the capital,
Over my threadbare collar and sleeves with holes I lament,
I've no one to wash off the dirt and dust on me.
Petunias wind along the winding path behind the doors of the ruins,
Off an abandoned well green vines sway in the wind.
I look to offer my greetings to my host's neighbours,
Where paired swallows that flitted before the Xies used to their nests build.
In the world of mortals, vernal dreams must come to an end,

I could only blame my youthful self, ever so short is our fateful reverie.
Well adorned was the house with the music of a Qin zither,
Next to cherry apple trees that I have a predilection for,
Banquets would run into the night.
Then dancing came to a rest and hushed were singing,
Still blooming were the blossoms, yet you had decided to change your mind.
Long I stand on the bridge over the river, though I should go,
Tears stream all over my face in the twilight.

264 -
264 WU Wenying Lyrics to the Ganzhou Melody of Eight Rhymes
Vague is the sky in which mist spreads far in all directions, what era am I in?
From the azure of the sky a shooting star takes a fall.
In a mirage I see a grey precipice and cloudy trees,
A gilded estate for young ladies within an overlord's palace has ruins become.
Along the path as straight as an arrow, piercing winds my eyes prod.
The water stained with make-up flowers dye and an odour gives.
Sounding like the passing of a pair of mandarin duck slippers
Are rustling autumn leaves along the gallery.
In the Palace, deeply intoxicated is Lord Wu,

The weary guest of the five lakes who their beauty gather angles wide awake.
I ask the grey ripples which reticent remain,
Grey is my hair that cannot mountains' green compete with.
Waves hurl sprays into air as I look over the balustrade from a high altitude,
Seeing off scattered water fowls and the inclining sun that sets over the sandy bay.
I call for spirits to be taken to the Zither Terrace,
To offer a toast to autumn that is as high as clouds.
265 -
265 WU Wenying Lyrics to the Melody of Walking on Grass
Her smooth skin is enshrouded by voile, a fan hides her cherry lips,
The powdery print around her neck still a faint scent of make-up diffuse.
Cut pomegranates pile like whirling crimson skirts,
Wormwood figures have her worrying hair tipped.
In a dream at noon I see endless hills, out the window shoots time like an arrow.
Scars have healed and lightened on the wrist wearing threads of rainbow.
In the sound of rain the river do us apart,
In the evening breeze leaves of wild rice sway provoking autumnal sorrows.

266 -
266 WU Wenying Lyrics to the Melody of an Auspicious Crane-riding
Immortal
Strands of warmth my chaotic thoughts tug at,

As I stare at a hazy river and the setting sun, far and away drift blossoms and she.
Drooping willows shade the gardens of the Wu Palace,
Right in the misty chill are the town squares, over bridges waft warm breezes.
Her tender affections and kindness
Draw me into a longing, yet I have only spring wine by my side.
How could I have known that growing thin are my creaking bones?
By and by needing to be re-tailored are my old clothes.
Miserably gut-wrenched I am. Away flow blossoms with countless waves,

A crescent moon hangs over a lonely tower, it's been hard to make swallows stay.
Fans used for dancing have gathered much dust,
I'm still waiting for a pledge pieced together from your broken jewellery.
I thought of lighting a candle to a letter write,
Yet I have not the heart,
In silence I roll up the notepaper with my tears.
Although she might have gone to a heavenly place of crushed desires,
We should be able to dream of each other at least.

267 -
267 WU Wenying Lyrics to the Melody of a Partridge-filled Sky (Written
whilst at the Temple of Reformation)
In the pond lotuses dressed in red offer their company as I lean on the balustrade,
Crows on their return often bring along a sunset.
Cloudy or rainy as the weather may be, leaves from phoenix trees take their fall,
While under a bright moon, a precious fan some coolness provides.
Slim is the hope of homecoming in the vastness of waters and skies,

Through the porthole, pale is the blue silhouette of hills in autumn.
Wild geese, who have returned to the land of Wu, do help me to a letter send
To a cluster of dwellings by some willows not far from the Gate of Heaven.
268 -
268 WU Wenying Lyrics to the Melody of Sauntering in the Palace at
Night
I see no other on the West Tower, I see no wild geese either,

My memory of our parting seems a dream, like a Yangzhou reverie.
Light are clouds and sparse the stars as dawn arrives over the mountains of Chu,
I hear crows cawing, as I stand on a bridge over the river,
Yet much remains unsaid and unsettled.
Among the sound of rain hum insects,

As their sound interweave, how many strands of hair have turned grey?
Even if I could divulge to Lady Xiao how I feel, she might not comprehend,
Pining after Changan and staring at a lamp in autumn,
How many have worn themselves out doing so?

269 -
269 WU Wenying Lyrics to the Melody of Congratulations to the Groom
(Admiring plum blossoms with Master Lzhai at the Pavilion of Billows)
Cloudy mist shrouds over tall and mature trees,

I'm visiting the historical site honouring the hero who fought to our nation revive,
Recounting history in silence.
To those warships easterlies offered little help,
Wrecking dreams of recovering our great country and homeland.
He returned to build a little villa on this land that used to be part of the Wu Manor.
Under the bright moon, to the splendid columns cranes makes their return at night,
Regretfully blossoms and bamboos of those days are no longer around,
The dew on sprigs bear splashes of my sparkling tears.
Our leader takes our little spring-seeking flock,

Stepping on darkened mosses in search of this secluded cottage,
Wondering whether the plums have blossomed?
There I sing by the plum trees my newly composed melody over and again,
Urging those frozen buds and twigs to burst into a bloom.
My intent must be the same as our host's,
The future cannot compete with the present that is no better than former times.
Neither of us said a word as we gaze at the water surrounding the Billows.
Bearing such a regret, we allow alcohol to our spirit absorb.

270 -
270 WU Wenying Lyrics to a Sugary Chant
How do you depict a depressed soul?

It is the sinking of a leaver's heart in the season of fall,
While plantain leaves either raindrops drip or rustle in the wind.
As we all know the weather tends to clear up in the evening chill,
Though a bright moon hangs overhead, I dread mounting upstairs to see far afield.
In dreams years don't pass,

Flowers may be out of bloom, yet misty waters continue to flow,
Swallows are bidding farewells, yet I am still held up here.
Regretfully drooping willows could not clasp onto her dress,
For they might have extended endlessly to follow her sailing boat.
271 -
271 HUANG Xiaomai The Moon of a Xiang Spring Night
The spring equinox draws near, on boughs warbles of blue birds move the heart.
Wasted are arias all over in vain,
Giving way to the twilight that fades.
I wish to appeal to the blossoms of willows,
Yet I'm hesitant of catkins' frivolous nature that may not spring cherish.
The travellers' inn in the Chu region comes to mind, tender were parting sorrows,
Who have I to love and hold?
Over empty cups I tears shed in the night, reticent are blue mountains,
Through the doors shines a crescent.
Before this adorned edifice,
There is only a stretch of the Xiang water,
And swaying clouds of Xiang that float.
Days are long yet dreams short,
When, I'd like to know, could I again cross path with the lovely maiden?
In the face of all this,
There is nothing on earth as sharp as a pair of Bing scissors that could sever
Melancholy that scars the heart.

272 -
272 PAN Xibai Lyrics to the Melody of A Great Deal Of (The Double Ninth)
Before the Circus Terrace, by the fence of chrysanthemums,

I consult the calender and again comes the Double Ninth.
Right on its return, still lush are the southern mountains.
Last night I listened to the storm through the windows and curtains,
It was nothing like the season for a climb.
I have a heart filled with Song Yu's feelings,
And a complete likeness of Wei Jie's hollow cheeks.
Wearing scarlet evodia, in vain I drink.

The sound of garment pressing pestles brings a slight chill
That cools its way through my sleeves.
Autumn has all but passed, for already withered are lotuses and willows.
With reluctance I adjusted my hat that has slanted to one side,
When I gazed at the horizon and scratched my head.
Frequent are recollections of homeland's vegetables and perch
In season before the fall of frost and after wild geese have left.
273 -
273 HUANG Gongshao Lyrics to the Melody of Green Jadeite Bowl
Every year on spring and fall's Shrine Day all needlework stops,
How unbearable it is seeing pairs of dashing swallows!
On this day in this river town half expired is spring,
Here I am by myself still deep in the mountains behind many folds,
By the bridge over the creek lies loneliness.
Worn out are my spring clothes yet who could mend them for me?
Full of spots and streaks of tear marks they are.
In the sunset I get off the saddle on the verdurous shore,
There is no one to flowers wear and no one to urge me to quaff,
I'd intoxicated become and there'd still be no one to hold me back.

274 -
274 ZHU Sifa Lyrics to the Melody of Fishing with Bare Hands
In the westerlies, my sideburns float in the green fog,

In the water fragments of bygones flow.
Purple ribbons and silk belts in double knots
Remind me of our pledge in front of a mirror and our oath with a hairpin.
Yet difficult to recall they are, so I go about weaving a verse of reply,
Only to my heart break time and again.
Content was the flower relying on leaves, yet full of vicissitudes is life,
We had ample affections yet slim luck, jade hairpins break easily against rocks.
Beyond the red chamber, about to fall seem clouds in the pressing autumnal sky,
The shadowy moon shines still on my wakefulness.
Only heaven could ever decide whether to rain or shine,
In vain was the wistful who withered away.
You should drink up, do you not see,
The tears in the spring breeze outside the Long Gate?
It was a moment of ill decision, I regret not having opted for plain clothes sooner,
Among slender bamboos and twilight, leaning against the wintry green is my grey.

275 -
275 LIU Chenweng Lyrics to the Duke of Lanling Melody (On seeing off
spring in the year of Bingzi)
As I see off spring, gone is spring, not to be found amongst us.

Beyond the swing, the verdure spreads to the horizon,
Who is it that charged dust storms to the southern waterways obscure?
Reluctant to leave, what is it that I feel?
I'm reminded of the drifting catkins at the estuary,
Flitting crows pass me by, a change of scene turns a city desolate,
No longer sighted are bright lanterns and banners that I saw when I first came.
Gone is spring. Who suffers the most?

None but wild geese shooting for the border,
And swallows on beams without hosts,
Twilight shrouds over the Long Gate in the warbles of cuckoos.
I think of the jade trees that have withered and soiled become,
Full of tears would be the Han emperor's plate for collecting heavenly dews.
As I see off my guest at the capital I looked back many times,
Inclined has the sun yet I'm unable to go along.
Gone is spring. Would it come again?

It is all just like Jiang's proses on parting sorrows and Yu Xin's on melancholy,
Along the Su embankments the storm rages throughout the day.
How I have dreamt of homecoming, in a blossom like what I'd once experienced.
Life has me stranded in poverty,
Looking after my little child, chatting the night away.

276 - ()
276 LIU Chenweng Lyrics to the Appearance of a Precious Caldron (On
the spring moon)
Dressed in red for a ride in spring,

We galloped under the moon over shadows of poles and banners through the city.
I cannot see an end to the dancing and singing taking place on balconies,
Where lively lotus trot fragrant dust raises.
The music of flute has stopped inviting the bright phoenixes to rise homeward,
There is no fear of the golden vanguards falling intoxicated.
I wonder why along the imperial avenue the hustle and bustle would die away
When the songs reminiscent of the charm of a Tang songstress are performed.
Those a generation before us still remember the Xuanhe days,

Holding a bronze dew plate gathering tears crystal clear like water.
I cast my eyes about at the sandy bay where many beauties reside.
On the water moonlight ripples by noblemen's estates,
Their curtains reflections in the water make, casting ribbons of scarlet rays.
The moon is like an immersed grape spreading her luminosity for miles,
Visible to all those immortals and the talented,
Yet not one would such a kaleidoscopic image disturb and break.
Even children on bamboo horses are broken-hearted,

Let along those three thousand music players of the palatial band.
Long I've waited, yet spring hasn't returned,
When spring does come I shall languid become.
I think of getting in front of a lamp to my hair comb,
Yet I end up crying pearls under the rose.
Even if I had ever seen with my own eyes the dance of the Rainbow Robe,
A heavenly memory as such on earth I could only in dreams evoke.

277 -
277 LIU Chenweng Lyrics to the Melody of Forever in Happiness
(Prologue omitted)
The moon has just shown her face shining like a round piece of jade,
Thinning clouds fade and drift away, who springtime dominates?
In the palatial garden wintriness lingers, by the lake warmth wears me out,
As bygones flash before my eyes.
Among the grass is fragrant dust, bright lanterns light the night,
More often than not I've grown lazy towards going out side by side.
Yet how could anyone have know that on this night of no fire and smoke,
This town would melancholy seem as if it is enduring a storm.
In the old days of Xuanhe, the capital had crossed the waters to Lin'an,
Pretty was the scenery and things were much the same.
Turning the pages of volumes and volumes of literature on a windy fifteenth,
Those who verses compose suffer the most.
There is no place to take refuge south of the Yangtze, like Du Fu's night in Fuzhou,
The bitterness he suffered, who really knows how to cope?
In vain I face the dimming lamp wide awake,
All over the village resonates the drumming of the Shrine Day.

278 -
278 LIU Chenweng Lyrics to the Melody of Fishing with Bare Hands
(Prologue omitted)
How would I know where to spring has receded?

Now we've come across each other we should drink till we cups empty.
In our tender youth we had travelled the world with regrets,
By the smouldering willows of the West Lake I've come to take up residence.
Look back not, for the drizzle over the Parted Bridge
Drowns you in depression once you turn your head.
Easterlies waft through as before, in the face of peach blossoms in bloom again,
Master Liu would recognise them, yet could they also him recognise?
Stay, my friend, I'll harvest some chives for you this very moment,
Just like I did yesternight.
Deep were our cups as we drank and let loose our voices over songs,
Knocking over drinks dampening half of the sleeves of our spring robes.
I frowned in vain at the image of my grey hair in my drink,
Unavoidable it seems for each and everyone of us.
When parting we each other's hands grasp recalling delightful literary discussions
And our unreserved singing, yet when will we gather again like this?

279 -
279 ZHOU Mi Lyrics to the Melody of the Terrace of the Zenithal Sun (On
seeing off Chen Junheng who has been summoned)
Throughout the field flutter pennants on the capital-bound coaches,

For thousands of miles sands sweep in the sky that hangs low.
A golden seal hangs off your precious cummerbund,
The wind attempts to your felt hat steal as you hold a drink in hand.
As you the Qin region enter, the waters of Bian follow,
As you heights climb, I supposed you'd want to new verses compose.
You'll be enjoying an outstanding tour and the music of Tartar pipes and drums,
On top of coming across gallant stallions and famed songstresses.
In your tipsiness you'd come face to face with the Yan Mountains' snow,
Under the freezing moon frozen would be the river,
And there'd be clouds drifting over the mountain range at dawn.
I've senile become with only a few years left,
Fanghui used to roam the Yangtze's south, yet who pays that any attention now?
Easterlies gradually waft green across the shores of the West Lake,
Wild geese have made their return, yet I haven't made it back to the river's south.
I hold most dear our friendship, I could pluck all plums blossoms bare,
And I would still fail to my wistful thoughts convey.

280 -
280 ZHOU Mi Lyrics to the Jade Flower (Prologue omitted)
Ruby jewellery, precious nephrite and the floating jadeite in the heavens,
How they represent the passage of spring on earth.
In the Yangtze's south or her north,
Never seen was the flower of jade,
I imagine it would look like puffy pear blossoms or snowy plum blooms.
The hills by the Huai River weather what remains of spring,
Has anyone come across the noble and virtuous class?
Time and again flowers wilt and bloom,
Becoming jaded are the able and the courageous of the Jade Pass.
Tales have it that they sent a cut of a jade flower bloom in a golden vase
On a horse trailing red dust towards the capital with its fragrance.
Magnificent and harmonious was the time,
It appealed to most, it caused a stir drawing close Changan's bees and butterflies.
Although old would have been Du by then,
Yet I'm sure of his bygones, blossoms could still relay.
Especially of note was his youth; his Yangzhou reverie,
There was one bridge under the bright moon, Twenty Four was its name.

281 -
281 ZHOU Mi Lyrics to the Melody of the Capital's Bright Moon in
Autumn (Prologue omitted)
Wide is the misty water, in the remains of twilight wavers lofty trees,
Evening cicadas their misery bleat.
The sound of bugles wafts in the cold among the rhythm of garment pressing,
Leaves drift over the metallic rails surrounding the well.
My clothes are dampened in the shade of phoenix trees by chilly dew,
Flowers of reeds scatter like snow in this autumn season.
I regret over our parting, and I've been grieving inside,
Yet I have only insects of fall to relate to.
Being a traveller I fear recitals in low tones,

Long are bitter arias, beating to their rhythm had once chipped a spit pot.
Parted have precious fans and affections, faded has the fragrance of ruby robes,
There goes everything vanishing into thin air.
As I try maintaining elegance in westerlies,
Most vexing of all is the chill of a new season.
The southern flute sobs, under a pale moon who is it that in a west chamber stays?

282 -
282 ZHOU Mi A Melody Wandering in Spring (Prologue omitted)
Beyond the easterlies of the royal garden,

Flying in the air are warm strands and sunny catkins weaving spring sentiments.
Swallows and orioles have returned on time,
Ruffled are their feathers for spring loiters deep among rubies and jade.
Fragrant is the dust under a misty cloak,
Simmering for miles accompanied is the flute music among wild willows.
There goes an adorned boat sailing under the Bridge of West Chill,
Leaving behind half a lake's vernal landscape.
Among willow trees rises the mist forming condensate on the green,
In the reflection are beauties behind palatial screens and riders on levees.
Mild is the dusk shrouded by the cold, vulnerable are pear blossoms to icy dreams,
The fragrance of apricot blossoms casts a melancholy veil.
Here is a toast to the Cold Fare with singing and orchestral play.
Not even butterflies can help with the loneliness of otherwise a fine night.
The lake is now filled with a moon and blossoms, shattered and shaken,
How could I take leave of her on such an occasion?

283 -
283 ZHOU Mi Lyrics to the Melody of Overflowing Blossoms (On narcissi)
Along the shore of River Chu, I see again lovely tender narcissi,
I cannot utter a word but splash a few crystal tears, yet apathetic is spring.
I face easterlies in vain, for whom have I to my sentiments share with?
Over the rippling water cold is the path of sail amid an endless fall.
Fragrances waft following footsteps,
Calling to mind the dew-collecting immortal palm of the Han Palace
That stands firm and tall under the bright moon.
These frigid stalks are ever more expressive of grief,

Poets have long wasted time composing odes to delicate orchids and angelicas.
Far drifts springtime, who is there that truly relish her majestic scent?
Let us accompany each other through the wintriness of a year's end,
By the spotless porthole, incense smoke falls over the green duvet.
As I wake from a silent reverie, I see pristine dewdrops roll
On a stalk of white swaying between light and shadow.

284 -
284 JIANG Jie Lyrics to the Melody of an Auspicious Crane-riding
Immortal (On seeing the moon in the countryside)
In smoky twilight sky lost is any trace of wild geese,

Drumming and bell toll linger in odd beats,
Just drawing to a close is the bustle of streets.
The wind blows lanterns against wintry walls,
Moonlight scatters falling on chinks of cobwebs.
In silence I cry tears of petals of succulent rose,
I think of home, years of time has woven into a head of grey.
Perhaps if I could after death return as a homecoming crane,
I would be able to let go of how I had once made my way.
How extremely joyful! It was a heavenly spot immersed in the fragrance of lotus,
In the garden pear blossoms melted as we steeped in liquor on New Year's eve.
Only to realised at the end of a chess game that it was a century of a dream,
Although there were cherry pits to prove something, traceless remain reveries.
Lucid brilliance, I suggest you take the company of a reticent window
Instead of some nocturnal reed play from a red chamber.
For I'm afraid here on earth we often rearrange the tunes of Liang and Yi,
Which Your Ladyship may not recognise as our loneliness.

285 -
285 JIANG Jie - Lyrics to the Melody of Congratulations to the Groom
In a mansion of riches and wealth cold is my dream,

Regretfully the Qin zither sits aslant like a flight of wild geese,
Where dust falls on its strings.
You must have turned into a golden oriole and flew home,
Yet you should still be able to recognise my green-screened window.
As it rains, cherry blossoms fall like peas and beans.
Do you know how hard it is for such a regret to abate?
Opportunities of fame and fortune surge like turns of a game of chess.
Pallid and thin is my own shadow which leads me to bright candles detest.
At the House of Mandarin Ducks, in pieces is a jade flagon and spilt is wine,
And I ask of her whereabouts, when will I be able to her presence see?
Yet a jade hairpin cannot this divine.
Let me her graceful brows that heavenly seem
Depict and embroider onto a canvas of raw silk.
However, it'll never be a match for her coming in a new dress and fresh make-up.
Still available are rainbow fans and red clappers,
Yet regretfully there are no one who can the tunes from the Kaiyuan era appreciate,
Leaving my sleeves to drape in vain as I cold bamboos lean against.

286 -
286 JIANG Jie Lyrics to the Melody of a Lady's Headwear (On the night of
a year's first full moon)
The orchids are fragrant,

The raised pavilion in the pond and a clear sky after snow a picture paint.
Spring breezes have arrived at the House of Precious Hairpins,
In the music of pipe and wind instruments that pervades, reflections coruscate.
Though now lights and lanterns decorate everywhere,
It is not the same bright moon from that very year's first full-moon night.
Besides, years have gone by, and I've grown indolent and weary,
I've been shying away from taking note of hair jewellery that ladies wear.
Quiet is the township along the river upon the evening's first gong.
Has anyone learnt to prosperity cherish before they borrow from heaven more?
As I the wick trim and red wax remove, in a dreamy moment I seem to see
Her gilded coach furnished with silk.
On the notepaper of the Wu region glitter words written with silvery powder,
Ready to depict in a literary piece my homeland's landscape.
My neighbour's girl with her hair knot wearing green brings a smile to my face,
By the window she sings still, as the dusky sun sets in the west.

287 -
287 JIANG Jie Lyrics to the Melody Dedicated to Lady Yu (Listening to the
rain)
In my youth I listened to the rain in houses where singing pervaded,

Surrounded by bed curtains that candlelight veiled.
In my prime I listened to the rain as I travelled by boat,
The river was vast and clouds low, in westerlies trilled wild geese lost on their way.
These days I listen to the rain in the hut of a monk,

My sideburns have turned sparkling grey.
Ever so relentless are the joy of coming together and parting sorrows that follow,
Here I am taking heed of the rain dribbling on the stairs as a new day breaks.
288 -
288 ZHANG Yan Lyrics to the Melody of the Terrace of the Zenithal Sun
In the foliage orioles nest, calm are ripples carrying away petals that drift,
In the sunset boats sail past the Parted Bridge.
How often do we come across such scenery?
We must wait for next year to blossoms admire again.
Easterlies should seek company in rosebushes,
When rosebushes are in bloom, there is little that remains of spring.
Even more depressing is the verdure that spreads to the Bridge of West Chill,
Accompanied by twilight mist.
Where have those swallows migrated to?

Already covered in mosses would be the bend where the Weis used to reside,
Lush would be grasses by the Sloping Creek.
The ever expanding melancholy has now reached where gulls have taken off to.
My mind is no longer on continuing my opulent reverie,
Shutting tight doors after doors, I dose off slightly tipsy.
Raise not the drapes for I dread seeing drifting blossoms
And tremble at cuckoos' trills.

289 -
289 ZHANG Yan Lyrics to the Melody of Crossing a River of Clouds (I've
roam the west for a long time, Wang Jucun asked about what I've composed
lately, I thus this wrote to put in the post for him.)
Over the mountains vast is the sky that extends into the sea,
On a loft I look into the distant, the wind rages as the evening tide begins to swell.
Beyond the drapes turtledoves trill in the drizzle,
On the fields here and there, farmers work their spring hoes under the rain.
Willows fresh leaves sprout around the time of the Cold Fare,
By now the West Lake must have the viridescent received.
I still remember when I lived in seclusion there,
Outside by the door there stood two or three willow trees.
Sentimental I am at this desolate crossing on River Xu,

These stemless, scattered duckweeds, where after all do they float towards?
Anyhow, I've noticed that I'm slimming around the waist losing inches,
Even my shadow has become afraid of being drawn out by a solitary lamp.
I've often imagined that I might her lovely face see,
Yet of late, though optimistic I remain I've not a letter received.
Understandably letters have a long way to journey,
Yet how come I've received not even a dream?

290 -
290 ZHANG Yan Lyrics to the Ganzhou Melody of Eight Rhymes (Prologue
omitted)
Memory of the Jade Pass lingers, where we strolled about treading on snow,
Where wintriness chilled through our marten coats.
By the old track in a withered forest, horses drank from the Long River,
And at leisure we were.
Ephemeral are my dreams that take me back to the Yangtze's left bank,
Out pours tears from this old fellow by the city gate of the West Shire.
Although I didn't any inscription leave, my sorrows were felt by drifting leaves.
How I wish I could rein a cloud and ride away,

Who was it that dropped his pendant in River Chu
Giving the sandbar there its landscape?
I could pluck a reed flower and post it afar, yet I fear of stirring fall.
As I come face to face with ordinary bridges and water that flows,
What respond to my call are not the same seagulls of the old days.
In vain churns my sentimentality, wherever reaches twilight
I dread to a higher level climb.

291 -
291 ZHANG Yan Lyrics to the Resolution of Connected Rings (A lone wild
goose)
Dusky is the sky over River Chu,

Depressed am I being ten thousand miles from most, drifting in a stupor.
I look at the image of myself that plunges into the cold pond,
Cleansed is the sand yet withered has the grass, still is the water and distant the sky.
Unable to be completed is the letter I'm writing,
I should just put in the post a wistful thought.
Yet this would likely disappoint
Someone with a worn felt coat in the snow, an acquaintance with hope.
Who can comprehend a traveller's melancholy that piles?

Long and still is the night at the Long Gate where a fine zither renders grief.
I think of my comrades who still reside among flowers of reeds,
I recall it's about time, come spring, for them to be on a journey home.
We call out to one another in the evening rain,
For chances are, we might just reunite at the Gate of Jade.
Let us tease not the returning swallows in pairs,
When the painted screen is half raised.

292 -
292 ZHANG Yan Lyrics to the Melody of Scattered Light and Shade (A
chant on lotus leaves)
Viridescent, round and pure,

They spread from the shallow bay towards the distant isle with unrivalled grace.
I still have the hairpin she left behind,
If autumn offers not sympathy, how much scorching heat can it alleviate?
Under leaves that overlap mandarin ducks whispers exchange,
Do not tell this to the silk washers though.
I only fear that a song of sorrow would make disappear a fragrant waft,
And thousands of layers of green clouds would shatter.
I'm reminded of Lady Zhao's dance in the era of Han,

Fearing she'd fly away, the emperor's grab left creases in her heavenly dress.
Her much talked about robe still gives a withered scent,
Yet sentimental I've become over my sideburns peppered with snow.
Whirling in the shape of heart are dewdrops shimmering like quicksilver,
Yet overnight westerlies could blow them over.
I like to gaze at the lustrous and the silky that glitter splatter,
Tipping over half a lake's moonlight.

293 -
293 ZHANG Yan Lyrics to the Sound of a Pipe under the Moon (Prologue
omitted)
I'm a cloud that has roamed ten thousand miles,

Increasingly distant were pleasant times, yet where are old friends of mine?
By the window in the chill, in memory I dwell,
I'm still able to recall the paths we had taken.
There must be very few willows left at the Estate of Successive Prosperity.
Most irritating would be the noise of the nocturnal rain.
All of a sudden miserably wakeful I become
Facing a candle and shadows, in silence I can only a quilt embrace.
Zhang Xu, why did you return so late?

Half of the willows by the Parted Bridge have wilted leaving gulls and egrets.
A traveller's weariness after roving the world is the most bitter at such a time.
I only dread re-entering the West Shire for inevitably I'd tears shed
When I the Du neighbourhood and her whereabouts enquire?
I'm afraid of seeing her in her green sleeves, when the weather is at its wintriest,
Still standing by a blossoming plum tree.

294 -
294 WANG Yisun Lyrics to the Melody of a Heavenly Aroma (On the
incense named Dragon's Froth)
On a lonely peak rise waves of mist, in undulating billows the moon renews in hue,
The Dragon in his palace gathers at night drops of quicksilver.
Water rises sending adrift a raft in the wind, deep are dreams when roses are dewy,
Ready to be processed into intoxicating incense in the shape of heart.
On a red-hot burner over ideal heat,
They are turned into incense in the form of delicate jade rings.
A curl of green smoke whirls around the curtains,
Like a cloudy atmosphere over a sea it seems.
How often she drank herself half intoxicated compromising her charm,
She'd set alight spring lanterns, yet wintry are nights wilting flowers.
On top of it all, over that creek there'd be drifting snow,
Tightly shut would be her porthole.
Like the honourable Xun, when he of his old age took notice,
He inevitably forgot the good times he had when he used to drink.
I shall cherish the incense that lingers, keeping it trapped with my white quilt.

295 -
295 WANG Yisun Dainty Brows (On a new moon)
Over willows a new crescent emerges, through flowers its pale hue shines,
Abiding by its time as the night begins to fall.
I have a hope for us to reunite,
Pious is my worshipping, would I therefore someone meet on a fragrant path?
Not yet fully drawn is a painted brow,
Perhaps Her Ladyship still carries with her parting sorrows.
What I love the most is a curve of a small silvery hook
Hanging over the incense case in the autumn cold.
Never mind the wax and wane throughout the ages,

A jadeite axe may sharpen gradually, yet imperfect the golden mirror remains.
Still there is the Grand Liquid Pond,
Yet how lonesome the place is, who would again odes to its comeliness compose?
Long is the night of these familiar hills,
As I wait to steal glances of her roundness through the window.
Then I look beyond the clouds at our country's landscape,
Suddenly as old as the hills seem all cinnamon blossoms and their shade.

296 -
296 WANG Yisun Lyrics to the Melody of Heavenly Joy (On cicadas)
A shroud of Her Highness's grief lingers on

Humming year after year in the shade of trees in the court.
One minute they sob on boughs in the chill, the next they are among the foliage,
Pouring out their parting sorrows yet again.
A shower rains over the west window,
That falls like crystals that turn to nothing like notes from a jade zither's neck.
Lacklustre is the mirror and dull her make-up,
For whom does she her charming fringes maintain?
The bronze immortals let silvery tears wash their face,

Ever since the collecting plate was removed, hard to gather is dew.
Autumn disturbs their sickly wings, in their withered form they the world survive,
Yet for how many more day do they get to a sunset live through?
Ever more bitter seems their lingering sound,
In extreme loneliness I the Pure Bass play, suddenly I am overcome by sorrows.
My thoughts drift away thinking of soft breezes and millions strands of willows.

297 -
297 WANG Yisun The Adagio of Lamenting Along a Gallery (On revisiting
the villa Zhongan used to reside)
Rowing a boat all over the swamp in the east,

I still remember that day closed were the doors under the shade of the green.
Covered in mosses are the bottom of my clogs,
How could history matter when I have wine stains on my sleeves?
Although I wish to look for traces of the past,
Filled with melancholy is a garden that is turning autumnal.
Ever since a rendezvous when we blossoms admired,
Since our parting, their whereabouts are as diffused and scattered as winds and clouds.
Far travels water, yet who knows beyond where waters flow,
Farther still are myriads of mountains and hills.
Vast is the world and ephemeral are dreams,
Forgetful must be those delicately carved balusters and balustrades.
Hazy is the outlook in the twilight that pervades,
As I pat a mature tree, at hand is old age.
There are all but a few red blooms
That a graceful yet lonesome West Garden embellish.

298 -
298 WANG Yisun Lyrics to the Melody of the Terrace of the Zenithal Sun
(Prologue omitted)
In the shade of the garden lie remnants of snow,

In the shadow of drapes nippy is the cold,
Luxuriant and lush are green reeds looking like pipes of jade.
It's time for greetings written in ink of gold,
I wonder whose household spring has arrived at?
After a night of longing I fell into a dream by the window.
Regretfully who I thought of are separated by waters and shield by skies.
Miserable I feel, though trees are blossoming with a faint fragrance,
And shadows of their branches the ground traverse.
The Yangtze's south ineluctably offers a bitter contrast to parting sorrows,

Furthermore, on established avenues there are galloping horses,
while on the sandbar returning wild geese gather.
I wonder how I can get my hand on some notepaper
To diligently record what went on during those magnificent years.
These days everywhere I go grasses grow,
Yet even if I some height mount, not seen is the edge of the world.
Mention not how many times easterlies have approached
And how many times flowers have blossomed and flown.

299 -
299 WANG Yisun Lyrics to a Symphony to be Presented to Immortals
(Prologue omitted)
Lofty and lush grow layers of green, bright and delicate is the white,
Surpassing ripples and gentle waves.
In the blink of an eye passes time, appealing is the secluded feel,
We've met up again after spring has come around many a time.
I remember asking for wine where we blossoms admired,
Graceful they were and did not lose their powder till late.
Now in the gloom I am,

Especially miserable I've been of late, pining away,
I've almost forgotten the joy of returning at night on a coach under moonlight.
There is now only a branch of spring in bloom,
And I do easterlies resent, for you are as far away as the sky's end.
Although there are wilting blooms,
Scattered on battle clothes are quicksilver tears that fall everywhere.
Still, I make a pick with care
To while away a chest of suppressed regret.

300 -
300 PENG Yuanxun Lyrics to the Melody of Scattered Light and Shade
(On seeking plum blossoms but finding none)
The season cannot the river and the sky cross,

Regretfully grasses that fragrances give are wilting and on the drift.
Long is the road and desolate the wintriness, smoothly passes time,
Seeing beauties into their twilight years.
Misty winds and frosty rains the evening weather shift,
Making redundant breezes that brush through thousands of trees.
The lonely town is left as is with deciduous trees that whistle,
And the sound of the river flows day and night.
In the afternoon from the deep of the mountain comes the sound of a reed,
I fear that there'd be time when I'm in distress, then I'd offer my symphonic ode.
A multitude of things and matters negate the heart,
Weak friendship wears out those who go between,
Dewy are vines that cling onto clothes.
Secluded is life on the sandbar, yet between sleeps
I've lost the round pendant to the rippling waters of Li.
There are white gulls among light waves and the pale moonlight,
I tell them how I'm enjoying the unfettered clime.

301 -
301 PENG Yuanxun Lyrics to the Melody of Six Failings (On willow catkins)
Easterlies seem weak and feeble,

They have not the spirit they used to breathe.
Emotions need not be suppressed, for we live in the countryside,
Why be bothered by the mighty world?
Nonetheless I think of the way of office, stays are short and never long-term,
One soon finds oneself thousands of miles from home.
My wishful thinking hopes for the breeze to turn its head,
So we could meet under fans of foliage as hairpin-like sprigs sway.
There are those who have millions of willow strands
To shade provide for their garden which the river cannot divide and separate.
Once I docked at the Melon Bay where crowds pass one another year after year,
The sun fell drawing out a feel of fall, crows in the town fluttered at night.
Sleeping on board, luckily I had a sweet dream,
Back to linger on a lake I was, there was not a spot not covered by grass.
Silent is the drizzle, boredom encumbers the vernal spirit,
Which one hopes to alleviate at the House of Joy and Prosperity,
Yet in ruins is the drinking place by the Blue Gate.
I wonder who keeps in mind a destitute soul with little left,
Down dribble sparkling, soft and snowy drops and droplets
To my saturated tears shed.

302 -
302 YAO Yunwen The Adagio of the Fragrance of Fuchsia Evodia
The Double Ninth approaches, yet winds and rains have been persistent,
Rare is a lovely fine day that today is.
I wonder whether the fragrance of autumn has grown strong and thick,
As I'm about to take my guest and head west out of the town.
Feeling like a traveller, sentimental I am right now,
I fear when I a desolate terrace climb, I'd be even more overwhelmed.
The drinks remind me of the daisy grower who filters wine with his head cloth,
Except of the seated, there is not a seasoned soldier who'd drown in alcohol.
Extremely saddened I am, I'd soon sober up from being mellow,

Yet my melancholy cannot keep itself level-headed like the poems I compose.
I remember galloping in woods of catalpas,
Where my engraved bow shot with precision, yet let's dwell not on bygones.
I hear there has been an imperial award of a fuchsia evodia,
I wonder who could it deliver to the Han mausoleum.
Even if the bonnet signifying office goes with the wind,
I'd want heaven to know, my hair has become so very starry white,
At the end of a song, down shall trickle my tears.

303 -
303 Seng Hui Lyrics to the Melody of a Bright Golden Pond
Expansive is the sky and lofty the clouds,

A creek traverses before me and far travels water,
As the sun sets, spells of chill set in.
On the deserted garden stairs all is quiet, diminishing are catkins that drift here,
The scarlet doors are shut, still tender are the warbles of orioles.
I regret that in haste lapsed the vernal equinox,
I guess I still possess a lingering scent that has turned into inexpressible grieve.
For days the weather has been heavily grey,
Night after night I've been lethargic and drowsy, waking up to wilted blooms.
Locked into the brows is lament that compromises leisure,

When I could its essence savour, then I would an overview comprehend.
Deep and thorough is my attitude, yet it could all be self-assumed,
Steeping in lassitude I am, yet I'm afraid of being asked about it.
Who really knows that I've been dreaming of the Immortal Place,
While I've been hoping to the faint fragrance disremember, there come letters.
Even if I could orioles and blossoms retain,
Easterlies do not draw in their reins,
Therefore what I see before me only melancholy creates.

304 -
304 LI Qingzhao Lyrics to the Melody of Reminiscing the Flute Play on
the Phoenix Terrace
Cold is the incense from the wild lion of bronze,

My quilt red waves make as I toss and turn,
So I rise in languor to my hair comb.
Neglected is my mirror set as it dust collects, the sun has risen above curtain hooks.
I'm most afraid of the bitterness of parting sorrows,
There are so many things I'd like to say yet I leave them unsaid.
I've been losing weight of late, but it isn't the doing of drinking,
Neither is it because of autumn-induced woe.
Let it go, let them go, our parting this time

Is not something that singing the Sun Gate melody a million times could put off.
The age-old tale of the Wuling tribe comes to mind,
As mist conceals the houses by the waters of Qin.
There is only the waters that flow by the house
That could perhaps remember my pondering gaze.
Yet wherever I fix my gaze, from now on it shall have added to it
A share of fresh melancholy.

305 -
305 LI Qingzhao Lyrics to a Dreamy Chant
Last night the rain drizzled and rough winds blew,

Deep in slumber I remain, still lingering is the residual effect of spirits.
If I ask the curtain raiser,
She'd be sure to reply that those cherry apple trees are blossoming still.
Yet, doesn't she know? Doesn't she know?
It should be the season of thinning red and rich green.
306 -
306 LI Qingzhao Lyrics to the Melody of Becoming Drunk in the Shade
of Blossoms
A light mist and dense clouds shroud a long day in melancholy,

The fragrance of an exquisite essence scatters from the gilded beast-shaped burner.
Come again has the season of the Double Ninth,
Through the silk drapes and the embroidered pillow
Chilliness begins to penetrate in the middle of the night.
I sip at my wine by the east fence past the twilight,

I chrysanthemums and their subtle scent keep in my sleeves.
How could anyone not agree that this is soul lifting?
Yet when a westerly raises the screen,
I realise I have withered thinner than those yellow petals and leaves.

307 -
307 LI Qingzhao Lyrics to the Adagio of Resonance
Lonely and lonesome, bleak and bitter,

Deep in dreary thoughts I missed you miserably so.
In a season when warmth could suddenly a chill become,
Unable to rest was a weary soul.
How could light wine of two or three pours
Fend off a rush of wind in the late hours?
As wild geese flew by, in sorrow I dwelled,
And remembered how I had seen them before.
On grounds in piles were petals of yellow.

Wilting in grief, who'd these flowers pick?
By the window I pined,
In solitude how could I while away the day till darkness arrived?
Drizzle through phoenix trees fell,
At twilight, drops and drips dribbled and rolled.
In fall, how could sorrow possibly spell a melancholy overflow!

308 -
308 LI Qingzhao Lyrics to Remembering Your Charm
Bleak is the courtyard, windswept the drizzle,

Doors and windows need to be closed.
As the Cold Fare approaches with esteemed willows and charming blossoms,
So do various irritating elements of weather.
I've just finished composing a poem adopting a narrow rhyme,
I prop my head as I'm sobering up, special is the flavour of leisure.
Once all wild geese have taken off on their long flight,
No longer deliverable are millions of thoughts weighing on my mind.
For days the chill of spring pervades upstairs,

Low hang drapes on all sides, I don't even bother to gaze beyond the balustrade.
Cold is the quilt, burned out the incense, and I've just woken from a dream
That disallow a lugubrious soul from not rising out of bed.
This morning's lucid dew trickles, phoenix trees have begun to blossoms give,
How I wish to explore the awakening of spring.
High rises the sun and scattered has the smoky haze,
I shall wait and see if today turns out to be one fine day.

309 -
309 LI Qingzhao Lyrics to the Melody of Forever in Happiness
The sun sets into molten gold, evening clouds a doughnut of jade form,
Yet where is the person I'm thinking of ?
Smoky mist willows shrouds, from under a plum trees sounds a reed's lament,
How much has spring awakened?
On the day of this year's first full moon, balmy is the weather,
This time round there is no wind nor rain.
An invitations comes by way of a scented coach with a prized horse,
Thanks to a group of poetic drinking friends.
In our capital on its best days, often at leisure I was in my boudoir,

I remember the first full moon was especially emphasised.
I'd wear a jade coronet, cut a few paper flowers of white and gold,
And put on a cummerbund for an immaculate look.
These days I'm languishing away, my hair is thinning and my fringes grey,
Of going out at night I've become afraid.
Why don't I just keep myself behind the curtains,
And listen as others laugh and chat away.
310 -
310 LI Qingzhao Lyrics to the Melody of Sandy Creek Washers
Slouching is my coiled bun that I can't be bothered combing as I brood over spring,
The evening breeze puffs in the garden where plum blossoms begin to fall adrift,
Thin are clouds that float to and fro, among which a bright moon beams.
The jade duck incense burner the fragrance of an exquisite essence disperses,
Cherry red drapes of the bed chamber its bright tassels veil,
Are those rhinoceros horns still effective in shielding against the chill?

000 -
000 LI Qingzhao A Sprig of Plum Blossom
Lotus flowers are wilting and autumn plaited straw mats chills through,
I remove my silk robe and alone I board a canoe.
Who is it that correspondence send darting through clouds?
By the time I've written a reply, high above the west chamber hangs a full moon.
Flowers wither and petals fall while water takes its course,
Lovers harbour the same yearning, when apart both hearts melancholy brew.
Futile are means to clear the head of sentiments so blue,
One may ease the frown, only to find the heart in sorrow drowns.
000 -
000 YE Mengde - Lyrics to the Melody of Touching Up Rouged Lips (Up on a
small pavilion on a mountain peak in the Shaoxing era in the year of Yi Mao)
Aloft in a haze on a mountaintop pavilion high and steep,

There I was, alone at leisure above many a mountain peak.
With whom have I to share and appreciate views so out of reach.
As a sea of clouds extends for thousands of miles before me.
An ancient heart mine has become,

Though concerned about our four corners I remain. In vain I grieve.
The youth should valiant aspire to be.
Do not take after an old man and feeble be.

000 -
000 LI Yu - A Joyful Rendezvous
Quietly I ascend the west chamber in solitude,

A hook of a new moon hangs above.
On guarded grounds lonesome phoenix trees apprehend the works of a brisk fall.
It cannot be severed, and reasons fail and disappoint,

It is parting sorrow yet sweet it is not.
It tastes of something else in my mind that frees me not.

English Translation of 310 Song Poems by Betty Tseng 2011 11 First Edition PDF

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English Translation of 310 Song Poems

English Translation of 310 Song Poems

/ Betty Tseng 28 / 28utsc

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/ Betty Tseng 28 / 28utsc

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Translation and Editing History

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/ Betty Tseng 28 / 28utsc English Translation of 310

All editions of English Translation of 310 Tang Poems by / Betty Tseng

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So I have noticed that increasingly becoming aged is my frame of mind,

Drowning in homesickness, depressed by my time on the road,

/ Translated by : / Betty Tseng 2011.11 First Edition p. 25 / 266

At the borders autumn comes to the landscape change,

Fallen leaves desultorily drift over pot plants lined stairs,

Already rent is my heart, I cannot be more intoxicated,

/ Translated by : / Betty Tseng 2011.11 First Edition p. 26 / 266

A Xiang River melody comes from a zither played plaintively,

During the banquet, her eyes languors show,

/ Translated by : / Betty Tseng 2011.11 First Edition p. 27 / 266

Embroidered with a pair of butterflies was her dress,

Everything about her on close looks was fair.

The waters ripple and riffle in the Mandarin Duck Pond,

/ Translated by : / Betty Tseng 2011.11 First Edition p. 28 / 266

With a chalice in hand, I listen to the tune of the Water Melody,

On the sand stand a pair of gulls next to the darkened lake,

/ Translated by : / Betty Tseng 2011.11 First Edition p. 29 / 266

Bashfully she adjusts her jadeite hair-knot jewellery,

Charming clouds vanish easily,

As I new verses compose to a melody with spirits in a grail,

Powerless are flowers that must wither and fall,

/ Translated by : / Betty Tseng 2011.11 First Edition p. 30 / 266

Moments flash, even years would one day draw to a close,

Gathering views of the landscape reminds me of distance places,

On a crimson note of small calligraphic writing,

As the sun inclines, in the west chamber I recline in solitude,

/ Translated by : / Betty Tseng 2011.11 First Edition p. 31 / 266

Autumnal winds soughingly sough,

Purple rosebushes and red roses of Sharon shrivel and wilt,

/ Translated by : / Betty Tseng 2011.11 First Edition p. 32 / 266

I think of romantic couples who serenaded or pledged with jade,