Bai Juyi's ((everlasting regret)) original text and analysis!

everlasting regret song Bai Juyi

china's Emperor, craving beauty that might shake an empire, was on the throne for many years, searching, never finding. Till a little child of the Yang clan, hardly even grown, bred in an inner chamber, with no one knowing her.

but with graces granted by heaven and not to be concealed, at last one day was chosen for the imperial household. If she but turned her head and smiled, there were cast a hundred spells, and the powder and paint of the Six Palaces faded into nothing.

it was early spring. They bathed her in the FlowerPure Pool, which warmed and smoothed the creamy-tinted crystal of her skin. And, because of her languor, a maid was lifting her, when first the Emperor noticed her and chose her for his bride.

the cloud of her hair, petal of her cheek, gold ripples of her crown when she moved, were sheltered on spring evenings by warm hibiscus curtains. But nights of spring were short and the sun arose too soon, and the Emperor, from that time forth, forsook his early hearings.

and lavished all his time on her with feasts and revelry, his mistress of the spring, his despot of the night. There were other ladies in his court, three thousand of rare beauty, but his favours to three thousand were concentered in one body.

The Golden House is dressed up to serve the night, and when tables were cleared in the Tower of Jade, she would loiter, slow with wine. Sisters and brothers are all in the country, and, because she so illumined and glorified her clan.

she brought to every father, every mother through the empire, happiness when a girl was born rather than a boy. ...High rose Li Palace, entering blue clouds, and far and wide the breezes carried magical notes.

slow singing, slow dancing, slow dancing, the Emperor's eyes could never gaze on her enough. Till war-drums, booming from Yuyang, shocked the whole earth, and broke the tunes of The Rainbow Skirt and the Feathered Coat.

the Forbidden City, the nine-tiered palace, loomed in the dust, from thousands of horses and chariots headed southwest. The imperial flag opened the way, now moving and now pausing, but thirty miles from the capital, beyond the western gate.

the men of the army stopped, not one of them would stir, till under their horses' hoofs they might trample those moth-eyebrows. Flowery hairpins fell to the ground, no one picked them up, and a green and white jade hair-tassel and a yellowgold hair-bird.

the Emperor could not save her, he could only cover his face, and later when he turned to look, the place of blood and tears. Was hidden in a yellow dust blown by a cold wind, at the cleft of the Dagger-Tower Trail they crisscrossed through a cloud-line.

under Emei Mountain. The last few came, flags and banners lost their colour in the fading sunlight. But as waters of Shu are always green and its mountains always blue, so changeless was His Majesty's love and deeper than the days.

he stared at the desolate moon from his temporary palace, he heard bell-notes in the evening rain, cutting at his breast. And when heaven and earth resumed their round and the dragon car faced home, the Emperor clung to the spot and would not turn away.

from the soil along the Mawei slope, under which was buried, that memory, that anguish. Where was her jade-white face?. Ruler and lords, when eyes would meet, wept upon their coats, as they rode, with loose rein, slowly eastward, back to the capital.

the pools, the gardens, the palace, all were just as before, the Lake Taiye hibiscus, the Weiyang Palace willows. But a petal was like her face and a willow-leaf her eyebrow, and what could he do but cry whenever he looked at them?.

peach-trees and plum-trees blossomed, in the winds of spring, lakka-foliage fell to the ground, after autumn rains. The Western and Southern Palaces were littered with late grasses, and the steps were mounded with red leaves that no one swept away.

Li Yuan disciple Bai Fuxin, and the eunuchs thin-eyebrowed in her Court of PepperTrees;. Over the throne flew fire-flies, while he brooded in the twilight., he would lengthen the lamp-wick to its end and still could never sleep..

bell and drum would slowly toll the dragging nighthours, and the River of Stars grow sharp in the sky, just before dawn. And the porcelain mandarin-ducks on the roof grow thick with morning frost, jade is cold, who is with * * *.

with the distance between life and death year after year, and yet no beloved spirit ever visited his dreams. At Lingqiong lived a Taoist priest who was a guest of heaven, able to summon spirits by his concentrated mind.

and people were so moved by the Emperor's constant brooding, that they besought the Taoist priest to see if he could find her. He opened his way in space and clove the ether like lightning, up to heaven, under the earth, looking everywhere.

above, he searched the Green Void, below, the Yellow Spring, but he failed, in either place, to find the one he looked for. And then he heard accounts of an enchanted isle at sea, the mountains are in nothingness.

with pavilions and fine towers in the five-coloured air, and of exquisite immortals moving to and fro. And of one among them-whom they called The Ever True, with a face of snow and flowers resembling hers he sought.

so he went to the West Hall's gate of gold and knocked at the jasper door, and asked a girl, called Morsel-of-Jade, to tell The Doubly- Perfect. And the lady, at news of an envoy from the Emperor of China, was startled out of dreams in her nine-flowered, canopy.

she pushed aside her pillow, dressed, shook away sleep, and opened the pearly shade and then the silver screen. Her cloudy hair-dress hung on one side because of her great haste, and her flower-cap was loose when she came along the terrace.

while a light wind filled her cloak and fluttered with her motion, as though she danced The Rainbow Skirt and the Feathered Coat. And the tear-drops drifting down her sad white face, were like a rain in spring on the blossom of the pear.

but love glowed deep within her eyes when she bade him thank her liege, whose form and voice had been strange to her ever since their parting. Since happiness had ended at the Court of the Bright Sun, and moons and dawns had become long in Fairy-Mountain Palace.

but when she turned her face and looked down toward the earth, and tried to see the capital, there were only fog and dust. Show affection for the old, and, through his envoy, sent him back a shell box and gold hairpin.

but kept one branch of the hairpin and one side of the box, breaking the gold of the hairpin, breaking the shell of the box. "Our souls belong together," she said, "like this gold and this shell", somewhere, sometime, on earth or in heaven, we shall surely.

and she sent him, by his messenger, a sentence reminding him, of vows which had been known only to their two hearts. On the seventh day of the Seventh-month, in the Palace of Long Life, we told each other secretly in the quiet midnight world.

that we wished to fly in heaven, two birds with the wings of one, and to grow together on the earth, two branches of one tree.. Earth endures, heaven endures; some time both shall end, while this unending sorrow goes on and on for ever.

Translation:

Tang Minghuang is lustful and wants to find a peerless beauty day and night;

I have ruled the country for many years, but I can't find a satisfactory one.

Yang Xuanying only grew up with a daughter, which is very charming.

raised in a boudoir, outsiders don't know that she is absolutely beautiful.

a natural beauty is hard to discard for a long time;

One day, she was chosen to be a concubine beside the emperor.

When she looked back and smiled, she was charming in various ways.

The concubines in the Sixth Palace are all eclipsed.

It was chilly in spring, and the emperor gave her a bath in Huaqing Pool.

The hot spring is moist, washing the fat-like muscles.

the maid helps her, like a lotus in the water.

it was so charming when I was first moistened by the emperor.

The hair is like clouds, the face is like flowers, and the head is wearing a golden step;

In Furong's tent, I spent a warm spring night with the Emperor.

spring night hates being too short, so she sleeps till dawn;

The king is deeply in love with his children, and never goes to court again.

bear the pleasure of serving you, and accompany you all day long;

in spring, we are dedicated to the spring outing night, and they are inseparable.

There are 3, concubines in the harem, all of whom look like goddesses.

3, beautiful women are not tempted, and the emperor only dotes on her.

in the golden house, Gillian is dressed up, and she is inseparable every night.

Let's have a feast on the jade building. Drunkenness is accompanied by longing for love.

Sisters make wives and brothers officials, and the fiefs are rewarded;

Yang's family is full of brilliance, which makes people envy and yearn for it.

all parents in the world have changed their wishes;

everyone looks at the suicide of a boy, just trying to have a little daughter.

Huaqing Palace at the northern foot of Mount Li, Yuyu Qionglou towering into the clouds;

The breeze wafts through Yue Xian, and it can be heard in all directions.

Light songs and slow dances are more in tune, and orchestral melodies are vivid;

kings watch all day, and their desires are endless.

Suddenly, the drums of Yuyang War rang, shaking the Palace Que;

The dancing geisha is shocked, so stop playing colorful plumage.

Nine towers and palaces are full of flames and smoke;

Thousands of troops and horses protect the king and rush to the southwest.

the cuihua dragon flag shakes all the way, and the team walks and stops;

I left the capital for a hundred miles in the west and came to Mawei Pavilion in the post station.

Long Wujun and Yu Linjun, what can we do if the Sixth Army doesn't leave?

The lingering and wronged beauty finally lost her life in front of the horse.

The ornaments on the head of the imperial concubine were scattered all over the floor, and no one asked.

and a green and white jade hair-tassel and a yellowgold hair-bird, precious headdresses are one after another.

The king can't be saved by his love, so he hides his face and cries into a tearful person;

look back at this tragic situation, with blood and tears.

The autumn wind sweeps the fallen leaves, and the loess dust has disappeared;

The circle zigzagged through the plank road, and the team boarded the sword gate.

Emei mountain is a dangerous road, and the Shu road is difficult and few people walk;

the flag is dark and dull, and the sun is faint and near dusk.

The vast Shu River is green, and the majestic Shu Mountain is green;

the holy Lord is sad about the imperial concubine, and he loves the old love day and night.

When I see the moonlight in my palace, I always feel sad and sad.

in the night rain, I smell the bell, and I play the sad rain bell.

the sky turned round and the war was peaceful, and the king drove back to Beijing;

When I arrived at Mawei, I hesitated and couldn't bear to leave the heartbroken man.

Under the hillside of Mawei, in the desolate loess grave,

Beauty's face is no longer seen, only her grave is on the ground.

When you look at me, I look at you with tears on my face.

Dongwangjing was heartbroken and let the horses go home.

When I went back to Chang 'an and entered the palace, the Lotus Pond Garden remained the same.

hibiscus flowers in Taiye Pool and weeping willows in Weiyang Palace.

hibiscus is like her face, and willow leaves are like her eyebrows;

how can you see things without thinking about people? When you touch the scenery, your eyes will droop.

when the spring breeze blows open the peach and plum blossoms, things are unbearable;

The autumn rain dripped on the plane leaves, and the scene was even more miserable.

Xingqing Palace and Ganlu Hall are full of autumn grass.

The fallen leaves in the palace are all over the steps, and no one has swept them for a long time.

In those days, all the disciples of Liyuan had new white hair.

The female officials in the empresses' palace are all old.

at night, fireflies fly in the palace, and my mind is depressed and my heart is at a loss;

I miss you all night, and I can't sleep, and I have picked up all the rushes.

counting the delayed bells and drums, the more you count, the longer the night becomes;

look at the starry sky in the distance until the dawn in the east.

The cold mandarin duck tile is covered with frost.

who will use the jade quilt pricked by the cold with the emperor?

where will you go is far away, and one year has passed so far;

where is the soul of beauty? Why didn't you dream?

There is a famous Taoist in Sichuan who is visiting Chang 'an.

You can attract the soul of the imperial concubine with pious Taoism.

it hurts to miss you so much that people show sympathy for the king;

Just ask the alchemist to work hard and look for it diligently.

ride the clouds and air into the air, moving like lightning;

go to heaven and go to earth to seek, and look everywhere in heaven and hell.

searched the whole blue sky, searched the whole grave;

the sky is vast and grey, and I haven't seen it everywhere.

I suddenly heard that there is a fairy mountain Penglai Mountain in the East China Sea.

the fairy mountain stands in the clouds, and the clouds come and the fog goes away.

exquisitely carved towers and terraces supported by colorful auspicious clouds;

There are countless fairy goddesses, all of whom are graceful and colorful.

Among thousands of beautiful fairies, one is called Taizhen;

The skin is like snow and looks like flowers, as if it is the person you are looking for.

The alchemist knocked on the door of Baiyu in the West Chamber of Jinque;

he asked his maid Xiaoyu to let Shuangcheng know.

I suddenly heard the announcement that the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty had sent an envoy;

Jiuhua's tent is so fairy that he was shocked in a deep dream.

Push away the sleeping pillow, take your coat, get up in a hurry and wander around;

The gold and silver screen of Pearl Lian Zi is open all the way.

Wu's beard is half tilted, and it seems that he just woke up;

regardless of the uneven corolla, I hurried down to the hall.

the breeze blows the sleeves, and the steps are gently fluttering;

It's like dancing in the palace.

On the lonely and sad face, tears are everywhere;

Like a pear with rain after a new spring rain.

Gaze at the envoy of the Emperor with emotion, and thank him deeply for the king:

After a long farewell on Mawei Slope, I heard nothing from him.

The love in Zhaoyang Temple has been cut off for a long time.

Penglai Palace has a medium time, and the fairyland is faint and eternal.

Look back, lean down, and the yellow dust covers the world;

I saw layers of dust and fog, but I couldn't see it in Chang 'an, Kyoto.

only by sending a token of my affection;

Send you a box of gold hairpin, which may comfort the king;

I'll keep half of the golden hairpin and one for the bright one.

break the gold hairpin and divide the cymbals, and each person will collect half of them.

I wish our hearts were as strong as those of a hairpin;

whether in heaven or on earth, we will meet one day;

When I left, I paid tribute to the alchemist and sent a message to the king.

there are vows in the message, and only they know them.

On the night of July 7th, we met in the Palace of Eternal Life.

In the middle of the night, no one whispered to each other, and both of them vowed to the sky:

In the sky, we would like to be a Qi Fei shrew;

on the ground, we are willing to never separate the connecting branches.

even if it lasts forever, there will always be an end;

Only this life-and-death regret will never end.