A Song of Regret for Eternal Love
Bai Juyi
Tr. Feng Hong
长恨歌剧照
汉皇重色思倾国，御宇多年求不得。
杨家有女初长成，养在深闺人未识。
Emperor Xuanzong was indulged in the beauty,
But for years the palace completed no duty.
In the Yang family there was a fairy maid,
Never stepping out and unseen to the world.
天生丽质难自弃，一朝选在君王侧。
回眸一笑百媚生，六宫粉黛无颜色。
It I was not easy to be veiled as an inborn beauty,
And fortunately to serve Emperor she was given priority.
Prettily glancing back with a smile produced much charms,
Which shaded all beautiful ladies in the imperial palaces.
春寒赐浴华清池，温泉水滑洗凝脂。
侍儿扶起娇无力，始是新承恩泽时。
For the spring chill she was granted in the Huaqing Hot Spring,
And the thermal water warmed her smooth and white skin. The tender soul was assisted by the maidservant,
From the very moment of having been Emperor’s attendant.
云鬓花颜金步摇，芙蓉帐暖度春宵。
春宵苦短日高起，从此君王不早朝。
The face was as fair as a flower, walking in a tender pace with the bun,
And behind the lotus-patterned bed curtain the spring nights leisurely have come.
It was pity that the spring nights were so short and when awake the sun rose up,
Emperor was unconscious of not going to the morning court over the top.
承欢侍宴无闲暇，春从春游夜专夜。
后宫佳丽三千人，三千宠爱在一身。
Constantly there were merry banquets for the beauty’s joy accompanied by fame,
Spring outings were in all spring and spring nights were escorted by him.
In the imperial palaces the fairy beauties were there about three thousand,
But only she was the most favorite who the lord was preoccupied.
金屋妆成娇侍夜，玉楼宴罢醉和春。
She was powered in the grand room all right,
Invited to the feast in Yulou Tower and then squiffy to serve at night,
姊妹弟兄皆列士，可怜光彩生门户。
遂令天下父母心，不重生男重生女。
All her siblings were rewarded and risen in the official world,
Which presented her family as a glorious one endowed.
All parents of the state changed their minds to have a joy,
Untraditionally to be honored to give birth to a girl instead of a boy.
骊宫高处入青云，仙乐风飘处处闻。
缓歌慢舞凝丝竹，尽日君王看不足。
Lishan Palace was upright to the blue sky there,
And holy tones were heard with the wind everywhere.
In soft songs and slow dance with the strings and flutes,
All days Emperor contented himself with the banquets.
渔阳鼙鼓动地来，惊破霓裳羽衣曲。
九重城阙烟尘生，千乘万骑西南行。
For the battle drums from Yuyang began to beat away,
The melodies of Rainbow and White Feathers Garment broken on the way.
All the gate towers were dusted several layers for raids,
Thousands of carriages and horsemen retreated southwestwards.
翠华摇摇行复止，西出都门百馀里。
六军不发无奈何，宛转蛾眉马前死。
The emperor’s Kingfisher-feathered carriage marched off and on,
And when a hundred li was away from the imperial Western Gate,
There have no alternative to urge the garrison troops halted to march on,
Before the army again geared up but only the death of the beauty.
花钿委地无人收，翠翘金雀玉搔头。
君王掩面救不得，回看血泪相和流。
No one picked up the engraved hair ornaments,
Such as the curled jade clasps and the golden-bird hairpins.
Emperor only covered his face to weep but could not help,
And his tears and her blood were mixed up.
黄埃散漫风萧索，云栈萦纡登剑阁。
峨嵋山下少人行，旌旗无光日色薄。
The yellow dust blowing with the chilly wind,
The troops climbed along Jiange Plank Path winding up to the cloud.
Reaching at the foot of E’mei Mountains with few man in sight,
Flags fluttered not like in the past and were dotted with the dim sunlight.
蜀江水碧蜀山青，圣主朝朝暮暮情。
行宫见月伤心色，夜雨闻铃肠断声。
Even there were clear river waters and the green mountains,
But days after nights Emperor could not forget the passions.
In the imperial palace the moonlight recalled the grief,
And in the rainy nights the bells echoed the broken-hearted life.
天旋地转回龙驭，到此踌躇不能去。
马嵬坡下泥土中，不见玉颜空死处。
The turmoil ended and the imperial carriage rolled back,
But he lingered to leave in the very place which played trick,
It’s the foot of Mawei Slope where the earth found
No any fragment the beauty had ever traced.
君臣相顾尽沾衣，东望都门信马归。
归来池苑皆依旧，太液芙蓉未央柳。
Emperor and the ministers looked each other and the tears stained their robes,
And to reach the imperial gate but no haste they expected eastwards,
All the pools and the enclosure, as it were, stood,
Stories as the same as Taiye Pool, Lotus Pond and Willow in Weiyang Palace told,
芙蓉如面柳如眉，对此如何不泪垂！
春风桃李花开日，秋雨梧桐叶落时。
The lotus root is white like her countenance and the willow leaves her pretty eyebrows.
Emperor had deep affection at sight of those to shed tears for sorrows,
The moment spring breeze grew the peach and plum blossoming,
And the autumn rain hastened parasol leaves falling.
西宫南内多秋草，落叶满阶红不扫。
梨园子弟白发新，椒房阿监青娥老。
There were weed-choked lots in western as in southern court,
And steps were thick with the fallen leaves turning red but not swept,
The hair of operatic players in the Pear Garden were getting to grey,
And in chambers coated by Chinese prickly ash all maids were in their ageing way.
夕殿萤飞思悄然，孤灯挑尽未成眠。
迟迟钟鼓初长夜，耿耿星河欲曙天。
At nights fireflies were mute in palace,
While the wick burned up but the lonely owner was sleepless.
The night watcher sounded later which presented the autumn nights longer,
And as bright as daybreak the Milky Way yielded the glimmer.
鸳鸯瓦冷霜华重，翡翠衾寒谁与共？
悠悠生死别经年，魂魄不曾来入梦。
Coupled tiles were chilly with the thick frost,
And the kingfisher-feathered quilt was cold for no mate shared it.
When they were parted for a year,
She didn’t appear in his dreams there.
临邛道士鸿都客，能以精诚致魂魄。
为感君王辗转思，遂教方士殷勤觅。
A Taoist from Linqiong offered himself to Chang’an,
And said to summon her soul he was the very man.
To save Emperor’s sleeplessness in bed,
The Taoist was ordered to search for her ahead.
排空驭气奔如电，升天入地求之遍。
上穷碧落下黄泉，两处茫茫皆不见。
Mounting the clouds and riding the mist he’s swift as lightning,
In corners of Heaven and the nether world for searching.
Exhausted everywhere in the sky and below the earth,
In the two worlds he found no soul that was worth.
忽闻海上有仙山，山在虚无缥缈间。
楼阁玲珑五云起，其中绰约多仙子。
Occasionally the fairy mountain on the sea was heard,
Which was located on the middle of the illusory land.
On the colorful clouds were floating the ornate pavilions,
Where dwelt the graceful fairy maidens.
中有一人字太真，雪肤花貌参差是。
金阙西厢叩玉扃，转教小玉报双成。
Among them there was a maid named Taizhen,
Snow-white skin and flowery appearance seemed to be then.
Knocking at the jade door of the western gate of the golden palace
He bade Xiaoyu to inform Shuangcheng for service.
闻道汉家天子使，九华帐里梦魂惊。
When she was convinced there was an earthly envoy,
Behind the splendid bed curtain she was startled from her dreams all.
揽衣推枕起徘徊，珠箔银屏迤逦开。
云鬓半偏新睡觉，花冠不整下堂来。
She pushed aside the pillow and got dressed up hesitantly,
To make the pearl curtain and the silver screen open tortuously.
Just awake with the hairstyle a little in disorder,
She entered the hall with her hair not neatly arranged in order.
风吹仙袂飘飘举，犹似霓裳羽衣舞。
Her fairy sleeves were blown up in the wind, light and soft,
As if performing the former dance “Rainbow and White-Feathered Garment”.
玉容寂寞泪阑干，梨花一枝春带雨。
Tear stains were crisscrossed on the pretty but lonely face,
Like pear flowers in spring rain got fallen in that trace.
含情凝睇谢君王，一别音容两渺茫。
With the tender affections she thanked her lord,
As they had no exchanges when they parted.
昭阳殿里恩爱绝，蓬莱宫中日月长。
Anyway affections in Zhaoyang Palace would be ceased,
While in Penglai Isle there could not be perished.
回头下望人寰处，不见长安见尘雾。
Turning her head and looking down at the earth,
She only caught the vision of fog but no Chang’an hearth.
唯将旧物表深情，钿合金钗寄将去。
It’s no other than the mementos to present her passion,
To let him take the treasure-patterned case and the gold hairpin.
钗留一股合一扇，钗擘黄金合分钿。
For him with one branch of hairpin and half of the case separate,
So the hairpin was divided and the case was split.
但教心似金钿坚，天上人间会相见。
If the two hearts were as firm as the gold pin,
In heaven or on earth we would meet again.
临别殷勤重寄词，词中有誓两心知。
When leaving he was urged again with the message,
To send words to the lord with the pledge.
七月七日长生殿，夜半无人私语时。
On the seventh day of the seventh moon in Longevity Palace,
At midnight none but they whispered to each other’s ears.
在天愿作比翼鸟，在地愿为连理枝。
In Heaven we would be birds flying side to side,
On earth we were mingled with the same root for good.
天长地久有时尽，此恨绵绵无绝期！
Enduring as long as the sky and earth is fanciful,
But such heartache would ever be forceful!
长恨歌
,
