长恨歌
白居易
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。
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。
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。
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。
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。
金屋妆成娇侍夜，玉楼宴罢醉和春。
姊妹弟兄皆列土，可怜光采生门户。
遂令天下父母心，不重生男重生女。
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。
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。
翠华摇摇行复止，西出都门百余里。
六军不发无奈何，宛转蛾眉马前死。
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。
黄尘散漫风萧索，云栈萦纡登剑阁。
峨嵋山下少人行，旌旗无光日色薄。
蜀江水碧蜀山青，圣主朝朝暮暮情。
行宫见月伤心色，夜雨闻铃断肠声。
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。
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。
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。
西宫南内多秋草，落叶满阶红不扫。
梨园弟子白发新，椒房阿监青娥老。
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。
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。
临邛道士鸿都客，能以精神致魂魄。
为感君王辗转思，遂教方士殷勤觅。
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。
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。
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。
闻道汉家天子使，九华帐里梦魂惊。
揽衣推枕起徘徊，珠箔银屏迤逦开。
云髻半偏新睡觉，花冠不整下堂来。
风吹仙袂飘飘举，犹似《霓裳羽衣舞》。
玉容寂寞泪阑干，梨花一枝春带雨。
含情凝睇谢君王，一别音容两渺茫。
昭阳殿里恩爱绝，蓬莱宫中日月长。
回头下望人寰处，不见长安见尘雾。
唯将旧物表深情，钿合金钗寄将去。
钗留一股合一扇，钗擘黄金合分钿。
但教心似金钿坚，天上人间会相见。
临别殷勤重寄词，词中有誓两心知。
七月七日长生殿，夜半无人私语时。
在天愿作比翼鸟，在地愿为连理枝。
天长地久有时尽，此恨绵绵无绝期。
A Song of Endless Sorrow
Bai Juyi
The Han Emperor loved beauty，
And he longed to have a lady
Who should be one of the most pretty
On his land of sovereignty.
For years in his royal palaces
He’d failed to find one up to this.
In the Yangs there happened to be
A daughter； just grown up was she，
Who’d been brought up in her boudoir，
Unknown to people near and far.
She was by nature elegant，
Not used to self-abandonment.
Then one day it should so happen
That she was luckily chosen
To be a personal attendant
Of the Emperor omnipotent.
Various charms beamed in her smile
As she turned round to look the while.
Colourless were other ladies
In the six royal palaces.
She was granted in the cold spring
In the Huaqing Pool a bathing.
The warm pool， with smooth water filled，
Cleaned her white skin like grease congealed.
Quite feeble and weak she was made
And must be helped up by the maid.
Not till then got she the favour
To share bed with the Emperor.
With her flowery face and towering hair
She had gold hair-pins with pendants to wear.
In the lotus-pattern curtain
To pass warm spring nights they were fain.
The sun was soon high in the sky.
For the short spring nights they would sigh.
Thenceforth the Emperor lazy got
And was never early at court.
Most of her time she was spending
Serving him and feasts attending.
Each night she would accompany
The Emperor， who loved her deeply.
Spring outings found them together，
For the Emperor liked no other.
Three thousand palace beauties there were.
The love of the powerful Emperor
For these three thousand of his own
Was all centered on her alone.
In golden room she dressed herself up bright
That she might well wait on him at night.
After their feasts in the Jade Tower
They’d be drunk and had a gay hour.
Feoffed were her sisters and brothers；
More honoured was her house than others’.
That’s why all the parents would regret
Sons but not daughters to beget.
High was the palace on Li Hill；
Its upper part the clouds would fill.
Heavenly music waved in the air，
And it could be heard everywhere.
Gentle singing， graceful dancing
Went on with music entrancing.
All this the whole day he watched and eyed，
Yet the Emperor wasn’t satisfied.
From Yuyang roared the battle drums
That shook the earth and struck it dumb
And soon gave the sweet song a fright，
That “Clothes Rainbow-Bright and Feather-Light.”
The Capital’s strong rings of wall
Were in smoky dust shrouded all.
Thousands of cars and horses sped
And all to the southwest fast fled.
The Emperor with courtiers and ladies，
After alternate moves and tarries，
Past the west gate of the city，
Marched forward more than a hundred li.
Here no armies would take to flight
Till in a miserable plight
The Emperor’s most beloved
Was before her horse strangled dead.
Her dressing ornaments were found
Scattered unheeded on the ground：
A bird’s feather of jadeite green，
A gold sparrow and a jade hairpin.
The poor Emperor covered his face，
Unable to save her from disgrace.
His backward look was on her fixed；
His tears rolled down with her blood mixed.
The yellow dust spread endlessly，
And the wind was bleak and chilly.
They took the winding plank pathway
And mounted Jiange there to stay.
At the foot of the Emei Mountain
Few people would pass or remain.
Their banners and flags lost splendor，
And the sun’s radiance got thinner.
Blue was the Shu rivers’ water；
Green was the Shu mountains’ verdure.
Deep was the Emperor’s feeling
Every night and every morning.
In his poor temporary palace
The moonlight would cause his sadness；
In rainy nights the ringing bell
Would make him heartbroken and unwell.
At last came to pass a great turn：
The Emperor was now to return.
At the place where had died his love
He hesitated and could not move.
Here at the foot of the Mawei Slope
Under the earth lay his only hope.
What he saw was her burial place
Instead of her beautiful face.
The lord and all his courtiers tried
Looked at one another and cried.
They gazed east and rode at discretion
In the capital’s direction.
On arriving they could behold
Ponds and gardens were as of old，
Where still luxuriantly did grow
Familiar lotus and willow.
The lotus and her face were alike；
The willows her eyebrows were like.
How could the Emperor hold back his tears
When he saw all these of past years！
When in spring blew the breeze wholesome，
Peach and plum trees were in blossom.
When autumn rains made things pellmell，
The Chinese parasols’ leaves fell.
In the west and south palaces both，
Autumn weeds had quite a thick growth.
Full on the steps fallen leaves lay；
They were red but not swept away.
The royal theatrical players
Began to have their new grey hairs；
The eunuchs and maids of the queen
Were old and not what they had been.
In the night， palace glowworms flew，
Thoughtful deeply the Emperor grew.
Ended was the wick of the light；
He remained sleepless all the night.
Late sounded the bell and the drum，
The night began long to become.
Very bright was the Milky Way，
Heralding the dawning of the day.
Tiles of mandarin-duck pattern
Were cold， covered with thick frost stern；
Chilly quilt of the colour of jadeite，
Who would share it with him at night？
Long were the years they had parted
Since she from the world departed.
Wheresoever her soul might be，
In dreams he e’er failed it to see.
From Linquong a Taoist priest came
To live in Chang’an with the fame
Of being able to summon
Souls by his magic uncommon.
To ease the gnawing lovesickness
Of the Emperor for his mistress，
The priest was asked his best to try
To search for her soul low and high.
In the vast space， with air as steed，
He rode and dashed at lightning speed.
Up to the sky， down to underground，
He made a full search round and round.
Not in the blue heaven above，
Nor in the netherworld below，
Could he find the Emperor’s love；
Both the places were boundless so！
Suddenly it was reported：
On the sea a fairy mountain
Could indistinctly be spotted
Among visions all uncertain.
There， exquisite pavilions and towers
Loomed amid varicoloured clouds，
And fairies as pretty as flowers
Had lived peacefully in large crowds.
Among them there was one fairy；
By the name of Taizhen she was known.
Her white skin was indeed snowy；
She herself was a flower full blown.
Knocks were heard at the white jade door.
Of the golden palace’s west wing.
First the maid Xiaoyu was called for，
Who then told Shuangcheng everything.
“Someone comes from the Han Emperor”
The news was at last brought to her，
In the flowery curtain lying
With a frightened heart much trying.
Then she pushed aside her pillow，
Dressed herself and paced to and fro.
The pearl shade and the silver screen
One by one to be opened were seen.
Half aslant was her towering hair，
For from sleep she was just waken.
Putting on her crown not with care，
She went down the hall， heart-stricken.
Blown by the wind， her two sleeves long
Fluttered and made her the same sight
As when she had danced to the song
“Clothes Rainbow-Bright and Feather-Light”.
She had a look mute and lonesome
While crisscross rolled down her teardrops.
She was like a pear twig in blossom，
When in spring it shone with raindrops.
She stared with deep feeling tender
And murmured she thanked the Emperor.
Parting had caused memory vaguer
Of his usual tone and manner.
Their conjugal love now ended
Which in the Zhaoyang Palace was bred；
But here in the Penglai Palace
Her future days would be endless.
Turning her head downwards to see
Man’s world where her life she had led，
She couldn’t see the Chang’an City，
But a vast dust fog in its stead.
She could only send some old things
In token of her deep feelings：
An inlaid work with leaves in a pair
And the gold hairpin wrought with care.
Hairpin’s one half she would here leave，
And also inlaid work’s one leaf；
So the gold hairpin would be split，
And inlaid work’s leaves would separate.
If only hearts could be as constant
As gold or inlaid leaf present，
They would meet again， it was certain，
Either on earth or in heaven.
At parting， once again she bade
To take the message to the Emperor
About the pledge they had gravely made，
Known to both hearts and no other.
On lunar July the seventh day，
In Changsheng Palace they had a stay，.
When at midnight no one was there，
They had such a tete-a-tete rare：
If they were to live in the air，
They would be of lovebirds a pair；
If on the earth they were to remain，
They’d be branches of related grain.
Ne’er have heaven and earth so long passed
But they’ll sometime come to their last，
While there’ll be no end to the sorrow
Of these two lovers deep in love so！
