| The Bells of Jiange | 劍閣聞鈴 |
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| The grass grows green under the Mawei Slope, and even today the concubine's mausoleum remains. | 馬嵬坡下草青青 今日猶存妃子陵 |
| On the walls poems are written of their regret, and inside the shrines all visitors are overcome with sorrow. | 題壁有詩皆抱恨 入祠無客不傷情 |
| As you made the ten thousand mile trip westward, why do you sigh at hearing the bells during a rainy night? | 萬里西巡君請去 何勞雨夜歎聞鈴 |
| The spirit of Yang Guifei dissipated under the pear blossom tree, while Chen Xuanli (Note 1) led the troops defending the Emperor onwards. | 楊貴妃 梨花樹下香魂散 陳元禮 帶領著軍卒保駕行 |
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| Alas! The monarch traveled in infinite regret and loneliness, with his heart dazed as though drunk and tears welling out like a knocked over jug. | 歎君王 萬種淒涼 千般寂寞 一心似醉 兩淚如傾 |
| For the first time he saw the sorrowful moon and stars about to be swept away by dawn, but the lengthy road with its twist and turns is impossible to get used to. | 愁漠漠 殘月曉星初領略 路迢迢 涉水登山哪慣經 |
| With difficulty he endured his way to base camp to rest his tired body, only to be battered by cold rain and sorrowful wind to exacerbate his pitifulness. | 好容易 盼到行宮歇歇倦體 偏遇著 冷雨淒風助慘情 |
| Inside Jiange there is a Tang Emperor so drenched in sorrow that he can't sleep, thus he heard the endless clanking outside of his window. | 劍閣中 有懷不寐唐天子 聽窗外 不住的叮噹連連地作響聲 |
| He asked in a hurry, "What is making that noise outside?" Gao Lishi reported, "The raindrops in the forest and the bells below the roof." | 忙問道 外面的聲音卻是何物也 高力士奏 林中雨點和簷下金鈴 |
| This monarch heard this and sighed repeatedly, "This is a heartbroken man hearing the sound of heartbreak." | 這君王一聞此言 長籲短歎啊 說正是 斷腸人聽斷腸聲 |
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| "It's these accursed bells ringing and this accused rain, cursing this unbreakable longing, and unbreakable bond. | 似這般 不作美的鈴聲 不作美的雨呀 怎當我 割不斷的相思 割不斷的情 |
| The raindrops knocking on the window also batters at our heart, the rolling logs prevents us from going into our dream. | 灑窗櫺 點點敲人心欲碎 搖落木 聲聲使我夢難成 |
| The ringing dispels the spirits wandering in front of our porch, as frigid wind chilled us to the bone from under the covers. | 噹啷啷 驚魂響自簷前起 冰涼涼 徹骨寒從被底生 |
| The lamp casts a lonely shadow before us, as no one remains to speak to us until the break of day. | 孤燈兒 照我人單影 雨夜 同誰話五更 |
| Even in the ancient days the Goddess of Mount Wu entered the King Xiang of Chu's heart (Note 2), how can our dreams remain void without a trace of you? | 從古來 巫山曾入襄王夢 我何以 欲夢卿時夢不成 |
| Is it because your bowed shoes wishes not to step into the witching hour's moon, or is it because your sleeves cannot defend against the midnight wind? | 莫不是 弓鞋懶踏三更月 莫不是 衫袖難禁午夜風 |
| Is it because this inn's too broken down for your tastes, or is it because the troops rushing that frighten your soul? | 莫不是 旅館蕭條卿嫌悶 莫不是 兵馬奔馳心怕驚 |
| Is it because there's still resentment within your fragrant heart? Is it because our cheating heart doesn't have the necessary piety? | 莫不是 芳卿心內懷餘恨 莫不是 薄幸心中少至誠 |
| If not, then why like the divine Goddess do you not leave the beaches of the Luo River? (Note 3) Even as we exhausted our tears and broke our soul waiting?" | 既不然 神女因何不離洛浦 空教我 流幹了眼淚望斷了魂靈 |
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| "As one of us lie within the cold pillow and frigid blanket inside a red bedchamber, the other lie within sunken pearls and shattered jade inside yellow dirt. | 一個兒 枕冷衾寒臥紅羅帳裏 一個兒 珠沉玉碎埋黃土堆中 |
| The roots entwined forcibly shattered by torrential rain to the left and right, the halfwing birds blown apart by howling wind to the east and west. (Note 4) | 連理枝 暴雨摧殘分左右 比翼鳥 狂風吹散各西東 |
| We know now that the sun and moon jewels will not reunite (Note 5) and the pearl will not return this life (Note 6), so we wish that, in the world beyond we can remain at your side. | 料今生 璧合無期珠還無日 但願得 泉下追隨伴玉容 |
| We know now that you are the goddess Chang'e returning to your palace in the moon, but if we knew this earlier, then we wouldn't have wasted this trip westward to have it terminate here. | 料芳卿 自是嫦娥歸月殿 早知道 半途而廢又何必西行 |
| We regret giving command of the army to your blasted adopted son (Note 7), We regret giving the affairs of the state to your accursed cousin. (Note 8) | 悔不該 兵權錯付卿義子 悔不該 國事全憑你從兄 |
| Thinking deeply, it's these bastards that had destroyed the country, and unfairly, it's your beauty that gets the toppling blame. (Note 9) | 細思量 都是奸賊他把國誤 真冤枉 偏說妃子你傾城 |
| Oh the soldiers, what was this resentment that drove them against you? Shamefully, We wanted to preserve your life but it wasn't to be. | 眾三軍 何仇何恨和卿作對 可愧我 想保你的殘生也是不能 |
| Alas, your fragrant soul followed the wind into the void, and our blood tears rained down in a thousand drops. | 可憐你 香魂一縷隨風散 卻使我 血淚千行似雨傾 |
| We grieved your frightened eyes, clattering teeth, shaking body and blemished face as the soldiers rushed in. | 慟臨危 直瞪瞪星眸 咯吱吱的皓齒 戰兢兢玉體 慘淡淡的花容。 |
| We looked on as we couldn't save you or take your place, we cried as we find no way to repay nor face you. | 眼睜睜 既不能救你 又不能替你 悲慟慟 將何以酬卿 又何以對卿 |
| Most sorrowful are the pearl blossoms bloom year after year, as from now on our heart breaks every time we see them. (Note 10) | 最傷心 一年一度梨花放 從今後 一見梨花一慘情 |
| Alas, my concubine, it's our fault we sacrificed you to save our old hide, and we are wrecked by new grief as we remember old regrets." | 我的妃子呀 一時顧命 誣害了你 好叫我 追悔新情 憶舊情 |
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| “We can no longer watch the entwined lotus within the Imperial Pond, we can no longer listen to the Song of Peace within the Gathered Fragrance Pavilion. (Note 11) | 再不能 太液池觀蓮並蒂 再不能 沉香亭譜調清平 |
| We can no longer view the moon on the Moon Viewing Mansion, and we can no longer wish for eternity within the Eternity Palace. (Note 12) | 再不能 玩月樓頭同玩月 再不能 長生殿內祝長生 |
| As we spoke of love into the deepest of night, you then said husband and wife in love will forever be so into reincarnation. (Note 13) | 我二人 夜深私語到情濃處 你還說 恩愛的夫妻世世同 |
| Now, even though those words remain, where have you gone? No matter how many times we think of it we are always overcome with sorrow." | 到如今 言猶在耳人何處 幾度思量幾慟情 |
| Outside the window, the bells ring intermittently as the sound of rain intensified, within the inn, the lamp is almost out as the Imperial bed iced. | 窗兒外 鈴聲兒斷續雨聲更緊 房兒內 殘燈兒半滅御榻如冰 |
| The Emperor's gut twisted and knotted as it almost shattered, the Emperor's tears flowed in a thousand directions as the myriad drops glowed red. | 柔腸兒 九轉百結百結欲斷 淚珠兒 千行萬點萬點通紅 |
| This monarch grieved to dawn without any sleep, and suddenly heard his attendants requesting him to continue his journey on. | 這君王 一夜無眠 悲哀到曉 猛聽得 內宦啟奏 請駕登程 |
