骊宫高处入青云,仙乐风飘处处闻。
Branch palace at Mount Li was positioned at high altitude.
Wind carried heavenly music everywhere.
缓歌慢舞凝丝竹,尽日君王看不足。
From wind or string instruments came soothing tunes and dances.
All day long, Emperor didn't get tired of watching them.
渔阳鼙鼓动地来,惊破霓裳羽衣曲。
Earth-shattering battle drumbeats rang out at County Yuyang.
They brutally interrupted the "Fairyland Feather-Dress Song".
九重城阙烟尘生,千乘万骑西南行。
Smoke and dust filled all nine sections of palaces.
Thousands of riders and horses headed southwest.
翠华摇摇行复止,西出都门百余里。
The imperial convoy staggered forward and paused intermittently.
It arrived at a hundred plus Chinese miles west of capital's front gate.
六军不发无奈何,宛转蛾眉马前死。
Six battalions refused to move on and nothing could be done.
After much pleading, Yang was executed in front of ruler's horse.
花钿委地无人收,翠翘金雀玉搔头。
Nobody picked up her jewelry scattered on the ground.
And neither were the emerald and jade pieces.
君王掩面救不得,回看血泪相和流。
The Emperor covered his face and could do nothing to save her.
A mix of his blood and tears oozed out when he turned back his head.
黄埃散漫风萧索,云栈萦纡登剑阁。
Yellow dust scattered in whistling wind.
Through sky-high meandering plank-road they climbed up to Sword Gate Pass.
峨嵋山下少人行,旌旗无光日色薄。
Few travelers were seen below Emei-like Mountains.
In gloomy daylight, military banners lost their hues.
蜀江水碧蜀山青,圣主朝朝暮暮情。
Both rivers and mountains at Shu Region were greenish.
Day and night His Majesty was plagued by love-sickness.
行宫见月伤心色,夜雨闻铃肠断声。
In seeing the moon at makeshift palace, he was heart-shattered.
Bell-ringing sounds in rain were particularly heart-wrenching.
天旋地转回龙驭,到此踌躇不能去。
With a turn of fortune, the imperial coach came back to the capital.
At the eventful place, Emperor paused and stopped going.
马嵬坡下泥土中,不见玉颜空死处。
Inside the soil below the bottom of Mawei Slope,
the die-in-vain beauty could no longer be seen.
君臣相顾尽沾衣,东望都门信马归。
Looking at one another, tears soaked clothes of Emperor and officials.
They let horses trot at own paces as they headed east to capital.
归来池苑皆依旧,太液芙蓉未央柳。
Upon their return, ponds and gardens stayed the same,
with lotuses in Taiye Pond and willows beside Weiyang Palace.
芙蓉如面柳如眉,对此如何不泪垂?
Reminiscent were lotuses of her face and willows of her eyebrows.
How could tears not fall facing these?
春风桃李花开日,秋雨梧桐叶落时。
There were days when peach or plum trees bloomed in spring breeze,
and parasol leaves fell off under autumn rain.
西宫南内多秋草,落叶满阶红不扫。
Fall-time weed was in abundance at west and south palaces.
Doorsteps turned red from un-swept fallen leaves.
梨园子弟白发新,椒房阿监青娥老。
Hairs of imperial performers had recently turned gray.
Palace concubines and maids were getting old.
夕殿萤飞思悄然,孤灯挑尽未成眠。
At sunset, Emperor mulled in silence amid airborne fireflies at hall.
Until lone oil lamp was burned out, he still couldn't fall asleep.
迟迟钟鼓初长夜,耿耿星河欲曙天。
Time dragged on and hour-telling bells and drums seemed belated.
Stars were shining bright just as the day began to break.
鸳鸯瓦冷霜华重,翡翠衾寒谁与共?
Chilly frost covered interlocked tiles on roof.
Who would share the dainty embroidery quilt with the monarch?
悠悠生死别经年,魂魄不曾来入梦。
After one long year in different paths between life and death,
her spirit had not shown up in his dream.
临邛道士鸿都客,能以精诚致魂魄。
A Linqiong Taoist priest was a visitor at Chang'an,
Allegedly with utmost sincerity he could summon souls.
为感君王辗转思,遂教方士殷勤觅。
Touched by the monarch's gnawing passion,
the Taoist was instructed to search diligently for her.
排空驭气奔如电,升天入地求之遍。
With lightning speed, he zoomed across air and space.
In sky and earth, he looked all over different places.
上穷碧落下黄泉,两处茫茫皆不见。
Locations in blue sky above and netherworld below were exhausted.
There was no trace of her in these two boundless realms.
忽闻海上有仙山,山在虚无缥缈间。
Suddenly he heard there was a mountain at sea occupied by gods.
The peak existed in an abstract yet realistic space.
楼阁玲珑五云起,其中绰约多仙子。
Exquisite tower rose amidst multicolored clouds.
Among the locals were many shapely goddesses.
中有一人字太真,雪肤花貌参差是。
One of them went by the name Taizhen.
Seemingly she had snow-like skin and flower-like beauty.
金阙西厢叩玉扃,转教小玉报双成。
Knocking at the front gate upon arrival,
he instructed a maid to deliver a message.
闻道汉家天子使,九华帐里梦魂惊。
In hearing a sovereign's representative was there,
she was shocked out of her dream inside luxurious bed-drapes.
揽衣推枕起徘徊,珠箔银屏迤逦开。
Pushing pillow aside and lifting her gown, she went hesitantly.
Then she pushed open bead-curtain and silver screen.
云鬓半偏新睡觉,花冠不整下堂来。
She was still half-awake with tilted hair-bun,
and untidy floral crown as she walked down the hallway.
风吹仙袂飘飘举,犹似霓裳羽衣舞。
When wind wafted up sleeves of her fairy-dress in floating motion,
it was as if she was performing a "Fairyland Feather-Dress Dance".
玉容寂寞泪阑干,梨花一枝春带雨。
Tears crisscrossed her gorgeous face in sadness,
as if it were a springtime pear-bloom in rain.
含情凝睇谢君王,一别音容两渺茫。
She gazed at him and asked him to thank the monarch with love.
Once departed, memories of each other had become a blur.
昭阳殿里恩爱绝,蓬莱宫中日月长。
Their mutual affection at Zhaoyang Palace had become history.
Many days and month still were coming in this Penglai-like place.
回头下望人寰处,不见长安见尘雾。
In looking back at the mundane world,
Chang'an was out of sight while dust and fog remained.
唯将旧物表深情,钿合金钗寄将去。
She could only express her deep passion through mementos,
by asking him to bring back jewelry-studded box and gold hairpin.
钗留一股合一扇,钗擘黄金合分钿。
She kept a portion of the hairpin and box.
Hairpin was broken apart and pattern of box was separated.
但教心似金钿坚,天上人间会相见。
She asked that their hearts stay firm like gold.
In heaven or earth they would meet again.
临别殷勤重寄词,词中有誓两心知。
In bidding farewell, she earnestly asked him to bring back words.
In those words were pledges that only the two of them would know.
七月七日长生殿,夜半无人私语时。
In Changsheng Palace on seventh day of seventh month,
he whispered in her ears when no one was around.
在天愿作比翼鸟,在地愿为连理枝。
In sky she would want to be joint-body birds with him.
On ground she would want to be joint-branch trees together.
天长地久有时尽,此恨绵绵无绝期。
Times would come when long-living heaven and earth would end.
But this regret would live on forever and ever.