Song of Everlasting Regret

The Song of Everlasting Regret by Bai Juyi, translated by Wikisource

Composed in the year 806, The Song of Everlasting Regret details the events surrounding the death of the lady Yang Guifei during the Anshi Rebellion in 755. Yang Guifei was the beloved concubine of the Emperor Xuanzong of Tang.

Lines 1 - 50

Original	Pinyin	Translation
長 恨 歌	cháng hèn gē	The Song of Everlasting Regret
漢皇重色思傾國，	Hàn huáng zhòng sè sī qīngguó,	A certain emperor of the Han dynasty placed a premium on his dalliances, and longed for a woman so beautiful, that he might be tempted to ignore his duties at court, and thus bring about the downfall of his empire.	Yang Guifei
御宇多年求不得。	yùyǔ duōnián qiú bùdé.	He ruled his empire for many years without finding such a beauty.
楊家有女初長成，	Yáng jiā yǒu nǚ chū zhǎng chéng,	There was a girl of the house of Yang who had just come of age.
養在深閨人未識。	yǎng zài shēnguī rén wèi shì.	She had been brought up in the women's chambers, and was not yet known to the outside world.
天生麗質難自棄，	tiānshēng lìzhì nán zìqì,	Her natural beauty and lovely comportment were difficult to ignore,
一朝選在君王側。	yī zhāo xuǎn zài jūnwáng cè.	One day, she was selected to stand at the side of His Majesty.
回眸一笑百媚生，	huímóuyīxiào bǎi mèi shēng,	She could melt one's heart with her coquettish smile,
六宮粉黛無顏色。	liùgōng fěndài wú yánsè.	All of the powdered faces of the ladies in waiting from the six palaces paled in comparison.
春寒賜浴華清池，	chūn hán cì yù Huáqīngchí,	On a cold spring day, he bestowed upon her the honor of bathing with him at the Huaqing pools,	According to legend, this is the pool that was used by Yang Guifei and the emperor.
溫泉水滑洗凝脂。	wēnquán shuǐ huá xǐ níngzhī.	The waters of the hot springs were smooth, and washed over her pale white skin.
侍兒扶起嬌無力，	shìér fú qǐ jiāo wúlì,	The palace maids helped her to leave the pool, because she was too delicate and lacked strength.
始是新承恩澤時。	shǐ shì xīn chéng ēnzé shí.	This was when she began to receive the emperor's advances.
雲鬢花顏金步搖，	yúnbìn huāyán jīnbùyáo,	She had dark black hair, and the face of a flower, with golden jewelry dangling from her hair.
芙蓉帳暖度春宵。	fúróng zhàng nuǎn dù chūn xiāo.	They spent the spring nights in the warmth of a hibiscus tent.
春宵苦短日高起，	chūn xiāo kǔ duǎn rì gāo qǐ,	They lamented that the spring nights were all too short, and did not rise until long after the sun had come out.
從此君王不早朝。	cóngcǐ jūnwáng bù zǎozhāo.	From this point on, His Majesty did not attend the morning court.
承歡侍宴無閒暇，	chéng huān shì yàn wú xiánxiá,	She spent her days pleasing the emperor and accompanying him to banquets. She had no free time.
春從春遊夜專夜。	chūn cóng chūn yóu yè zhuān yè.	In the springtime, she accompanied him on his outings, and would share his bed night after night.
後宮佳麗三千人，	hòu gōng jiālì sān qiān rén,	Although there were 3,000 beauties in the inner palace,
三千寵愛在一身。	sān qiān chōngài zài yīshēn.	He placed the love of 3,000 all on her alone.
金屋妝成嬌侍夜，	jīnwū zhuāng chéng jiāo shì yè,	After she finished putting on her makeup in the golden house, she was a bundle of charm as she accompanied His Majesty in the evenings.
玉樓宴罷醉和春。	yùlóu yàn bà zuì hé chūn.	She was drunk with alcohol and springtime after the banquets at the jade mansion.
姊妹弟兄皆列土，	jiěmèi dìxiōng jiē liètǔ,	All of her brothers and sisters were granted land,
可憐光彩生門戶。	kělián guāngcǎi shēng ménhù.	This enviable splendor breathed new life into their family status.
遂令天下父母心，	suì lìng tiānxià fùmǔ xīn,	This, in turn, caused the thinking of parents everywhere to change.
不重生男重生女。	bú zhòng shēng nán zhòng shēng nǚ.	They no longer held boy babies in high esteem, but began to prize girl babies.
驪宮高處入青雲，	Lígōng gāochù rù qīngyún,	The high spots of Mount Li Palace entered into the azure clouds.
仙樂風飄處處聞。	xiānyuè fēng piāo chùchù wén.	Heavenly music floated on the winds; it could be heard everywhere.
緩歌謾舞凝絲竹，	huǎn gē màn wǔ níng sīzhú,	The slow songs and rhythmic dancing blended seamlessly with the orchestra.
盡日君王看不足。	jìn rì jūnwáng kàn bùzú.	His Majesty could watch all day long, and still not get enough of it.
漁陽鼙鼓動地來，	Yúyáng pí gǔ dòng dì lái,	The sound of the war drums from Yuyang began to shake the earth,
驚破霓裳羽衣曲。	jīng pò Níshāngyǔyīqǔ.	And broke the spell of the Song of rainbow skirts and feather robes.
九重城闕煙塵生，	jiǔchóngchéngquè yānchén shēng,	Smoke and dust descended upon the nine layered watchtowers of the imperial palace,
千乘萬騎西南行。	qiānshèngwànjì xī'nán xíng.	As tens of thousands of imperial guards fled to the southwest.
翠華搖搖行復止，	cuìhuá yáo yáo xíng fù zhǐ,	The jade ornaments adorning the imperial banners rocked back and forth as the emperor's chariot moved forward then stopped again,
西出都門百餘里。	xī chū dūmén bǎi yú lǐ.	Traveling more than one hundred li from the western gate of the capital.
六軍不發無奈何，	liù jūn bù fā wú nàihé,	The six armies of the emperor refused to advance any further, so the emperor was left without a choice,
宛轉蛾眉馬前死。	wǎnzhuǎn éméi mǎ qián sǐ.	The writhing fair maiden, whose long and slender eyebrows resembled the feathery feelers of a moth, died in front of the horses.	the pass at Mount Jian
花鈿委地無人收，	huādiàn wěi dì wú rén shōu,	Her ornate headdress fell to the ground, and nobody picked it up;
翠翹金雀玉搔頭。	cuìqiào jīnquè yùsāotóu.	Then her kingfisher hair ornament, her gold sparrow hairpin and her jade hair clasp.
君王掩面救不得，	jūnwáng yǎn miàn jiù bùdé,	His Majesty covered his face, for he could not save her.
回看血淚相和流。	huí kàn xuè lèi xiāng huò liú.	Looking back, he saw a stream of blood and tears mixing together.
黃埃散漫風蕭索，	huáng āi sǎnmàn fēng xiāosuǒ,	The yellow dust rising in the air amid a bleak and chilly breeze,
雲棧縈紆登劍閣。	yún zhàn yíngyū dēng Jiàn'gé.	The winding wooden walkways high up in the clouds ascend through the pavilions of the pass at Mount Jian.
峨嵋山下少人行，	Éméishān xià shǎo rén xíng,	Few people were traveling on the road beneath Mount Emei,	Mount Emei
旌旗無光日色薄。	jīngqí wú guāng rì sè bó.	The banners had no luster and the sky was bleak.
蜀江水碧蜀山青，	Shǔ jiāng shuǐ bì Shǔ shān qīng,	The rivers of Shu were blue, and the mountains of Shu were green,
聖主朝朝暮暮情。	shèngzhǔ zhāo zhāo mù mù qíng.	Our liege lord thought about her night and day.
行宮見月傷心色，	xínggōng jiàn yuè shāngxīn sè,	In his temporary palace, he would gaze at the moon, and his facial expression would reveal his broken heart,
夜雨聞鈴腸斷聲。	yè yǔ wén líng chángduàn shēng.	He would hear the wind chimes during an evening rain storm, a sound filled with sorrow.

Lines 51 - 100

天旋地轉回龍馭，	tiānxuándìzhuǎn huí lóngyù,	After the uprising was over, the emperor's dragon chariot returned for him,	capital Mawei Mount Jian Mount Emei The emperor's flight from the capital
到此躊躇不能去。	dào cǐ chóuchú bùnéng qù.	Arriving back at this place, he lingered and was unable to leave.
馬嵬坡下泥土中，	Mǎwéipō xià nítǔ zhōng,	In the dirt at the slopes of Mawei,
不見玉顏空死處。	bù jiàn yù yán kōng sǐ chù.	He did not see her face of Jade, he only saw the abandoned place where she had died.
君臣相顧盡霑衣，	jūnchén xiāng gù jìn zhān yī,	The emperor and his ministers looked at each other and soaked their clothes with tears,
東望都門信馬歸。	dōng wàng dūmén xìn mǎ guī.	Looking to the east at the gates to the capital, they allowed the horses to dictate the pace of their return.
歸來池苑皆依舊，	guī lái chí yuàn jiē yījiù,	They returned to find the ponds and gardens the same as before,
太液芙蓉未央柳。	Tàiyè fúróng Wèiyāng liǔ.	The lotus plants of Taiye ponds and the willow trees of Weiyang Palace.
芙蓉如面柳如眉，	fúróng rú miàn liǔ rú méi,	The lotus plants were like her face and the willow trees were like her eyebrows,
對此如何不淚垂。	duì cǐ rúhé bù lèi chuí	Upon seeing this, how could he hold back the tears?
春風桃李花開日，	chūn fēng táo lǐ huā kāi rì,	Gone were the breezy spring days when the peach and plum trees were in bloom,
秋雨梧桐葉落時。	qiū yǔ wútóng yè luò shí.	Replaced by the autumn rains when the leaves of the Wutong trees had fallen.
西宮南內多秋草，	Xīgōng Nánnèi duō qiū cǎo,	The Western and Southern Palaces were overgrown with autumn grass,
落葉滿階紅不掃。	luòyè mǎn jiē hóng bù sǎo.	And nobody swept away the fallen red leaves that piled up on the steps.
梨園子弟白髮新，	líyuánzǐdì bái fǎ xīn,	The performers of the Pear Garden royal opera troop had newly white hair,
椒房阿監青娥老。	jiāofáng ājiān qīng'é lǎo.	At Pepper residence, the eunuchs and palace maids had become old.
夕殿螢飛思悄然，	xī diàn yíng fēi sī qiǎorán,	In the evening palace, the fireflies filled the air as he sat in silence, alone with his thoughts,
孤燈挑盡未成眠。	gū dēng tiāo jìn wèi chéng mián.	The lonely lamp had used up its wicker, yet he still could not sleep.
遲遲鐘鼓初長夜，	chí chí zhōng gǔ chū chángyè,	The bells and drums slowly rang out at the start of each watch, marking the beginning of another long night,
耿耿星河欲曙天。	gěng gěng xīng hé yù shǔ tiān.	The Milky Way shined brightly, how he longed for day break.
鴛鴦瓦冷霜華重，	yuānyang wǎ lěng shuāng huá zhòng,	The mandarin duck tiles were icy, and the frost on them was heavy,
翡翠衾寒誰與共。	fěicuì qīn hán shéi yǔ gòng?	The jadeite quilt was cold. After all, who would share it with him?
悠悠生死別經年，	yōuyōu shēng sǐ bié jīng nián,	The living and the dead became separated one drawn-out year ago,
魂魄不曾來入夢。	húnpò bùcéng lái rùmèng.	Her soul had not appeared to him in his dreams.
臨邛道士鴻都客，	Línqióng dàoshì Hóngdūkè,	A Daoist priest from Linqiong came to the capital as a guest,
能以精誠致魂魄。	néng yǐ jīngchéng zhì húnpò.	He had the ability to use his piety to summon the spirits.
為感君王輾轉思，	wèi gǎn jūnwáng zhǎnzhuǎn sī,	He was moved by His Majesty's anguish,
遂教方士殷勤覓。	suì jiāo fāngshì yīnqín mì.	And because of this, His Majesty eventually prevailed upon the priest to search for her spirit in earnest.
排空馭氣奔如電，	pái kōng yù qì bēn rú diàn,	The priest ran like lightning as he parted the skies and rode high through the air,
升天入地求之遍。	shēng tiān rù dì qiú zhī biàn.	He ascended the heavens and down into the earth, looking for her everywhere.
上窮碧落下黃泉，	shàng qióng bìluò xià huángquán,	He searched thoroughly up in the blue beyond, as well as down in the Yellow Springs below the earth,
兩處茫茫皆不見。	liǎng chù mángmáng jiē bújiàn.	But did not spot her in the vastness of either place.
忽聞海上有仙山，	hū wén hǎishàng yǒu xiān shān,	Then suddenly, he heard about a mountain of celestial beings that was on the sea,
山在虛無縹緲間。	shān zài xūwúpiǎomiǎo jiān.	The mountain was in the midst of a vast expanse of haze.
樓閣玲瓏五雲起，	lóugé línglóng wǔyún qǐ,	A tower rose exquisitely through the vibrant clouds,
其中綽約多仙子。	qízhōng chuòyuē duō xiānzǐ.	In the tower, there lived a great many celestials who were possessed of a feminine grace.
中有一人字太真，	zhōng yǒu yī rén zì Tàizhēn,	Among these was someone with the style name of Tàizhēn,
雪膚花貌參差是。	xuěfū huā mào cēncī shì.	Who had snow-white skin, and a lovely countenance which more or less matched that of his lost love?
金闕西廂叩玉扃，	jīn què xī xiāng kòu yù jiōng,	The priest knocked on the jade door to the western wing of the golden watchtower,
轉教小玉報雙成。	zhuǎn jiāo Xiǎoyù bào Shuāngchéng.	He implored Xiǎoyù to relay a message to Shuāngchéng.
聞道漢家天子使，	wén dào Hàn jiā tiānzǐ shǐ,	Hearing that it was an emissary of the Han family's Son of Heaven,
九華帳裡夢魂驚。	jiǔhuázhàng lǐ mèng hún jīng.	From inside the resplendent tent, she was startled awake from her dream.
攬衣推枕起徘徊，	lǎn yī tuī zhěn qǐ páihuái,	Reaching for her robes, and pushing aside her pillow, she began to pace around the room, dazed and confused,
珠箔銀屏迤邐開。	zhūbó yínpíng yǐlǐ kāi.	She then made her way through the pearl lace curtains and the screens of silver.
雲鬢半偏新睡覺，	yúnbìn bàn piān xīn shuìjiào,	Her hairdo was lopsided, because she had been sleeping just now,
花冠不整下堂來。	huāguān bù zhěng xià táng lái.	Her headpiece was not straight as she descended into the main room.
風吹仙袂飄飄舉，	fēng chuī xiān mèi piāopiāo jǔ,	A gust of wind caused her celestial sleeves to flutter,
猶似霓裳羽衣舞。	yóu sì Níshāngyǔyīwǔ.	Just like when she used to perform the Dance of rainbow skirts and feather robes.
玉容寂寞淚闌干，	yùróng jímò lèi lán'gān,	Her jade countenance was sad, and crisscrossed with tears,
梨花一枝春帶雨。	lí huā yī zhī chūn dài yǔ.	Like a pear blossom bathed in springtime rain.

Lines 101 - end

含情凝睇謝君王，	hánqíng níngdì xiè jūnwáng,	Full of emotion, she fixed her gaze on the priest and relayed her thanks to His Majesty,
一別音容兩渺茫。	yī bié yīn róng liǎng miǎománg.	But since they last parted, they looked and sounded only vaguely familiar to each other.
昭陽殿裡恩愛絕，	Zhāoyángdiàn lǐ ēn'ài jué,	The passion that they shared in the Hall of the Bright Sun was now no more,
蓬萊宮中日月長。	Pénglái Gōng zhōng rìyuè cháng.	The days and months are now long in Penglai Palace.
回頭下望人寰處，	huítóu xià wàng rénhuán chù,	Turning back to look down at the places where mortals dwell,
不見長安見塵霧。	bújiàn Cháng'ān jiàn chénwù.	She does not see Chang'an, she only sees dust and mist.
唯將舊物表深情，	wéi jiāng jiù wù biǎo shēnqíng,	All she could do was to send along some old keepsakes as an expression of her deep affection,
鈿合金釵寄將去。	diànhé jīnchāi jì jiāng qù.	So she sent away the emissary with her inlaid box and golden hairpin.
釵留一股合一扇，	chāi liú yī gǔ hé yī shàn,	But she kept one part of the hairpin and one leaf of the box,
釵擘黃金合分鈿。	chāi bò huángjīn hé fēn diàn.	From then on, the pieces of the hairpin and the box would be separated.
但教心似金鈿堅，	dàn jiāo xīn sì jīn diàn jiān,	But, she left word for His Majesty to remain firm in his devotion to her, just like the firmness of the gold and inlay work,
天上人間會相見。	tiānshàng rénjiān huì xiāngjiàn.	Sooner or later, they will see each other again, whether it be in the heavens beyond or among the mortals on earth.
臨別殷勤重寄詞，	línbié yīnqín chóng jì cí,	As they were about to part company, she once again implored the priest to pass along a message for her,
詞中有誓兩心知。	cí zhōng yǒu shì liǎng xīn zhī.	The message contained a promise that only the two of them would know about.
七月七日長生殿，	qīyuè qīrì Chángshēng Diàn,	On the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, in the Hall of Longevity,
夜半無人私語時。	yèbàn wú rén sī yǔ shí.	At midnight, when nobody is around, this is when we will make our secret pact.
在天願作比翼鳥，	zài tiān yuàn zuò bǐ yì niǎo,	"In the heavens, we vow to be as two birds flying wingtip to wingtip,
在地願為連理枝。	zài dì yuàn wéi lián lǐ zhī.	On earth, we vow to be as two intertwined branches of a tree."
天長地久有時盡，	tiānchángdìjiǔ yǒu shí jìn,	Even the heaven and earth have their ending times,
此恨綿綿無絕期。	cǐ hèn mián mián wú jué qí.	The regret of our parting will last forever and never end.

Licensing

This is a translation and has a separate copyright status from the original text. The license for the translation applies to this edition only.
Original:	This work published before January 1, 1923 is in the public domain worldwide because the author died at least 100 years ago.
Translation:	This work is licensed under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.