This story was inspired by the lyrics of Xiao Qu'er's song "Shang Xie."
Your wedding robes, blazing like fire, scorched the ends of the earth,
From then on, the setting sun branded my heart like cinnabar.
They say world-stunning peach blossoms bloom in your eyes,
So how did those blossoms fall like rain overnight?
Who can lend me one glance back,
To trace the distant years upstream against the current,
Following "Shang Xie," which you softly sang for me,
So I may see you once again.
In those distant days of old,
I laughed at how lightly you promised yourself in marriage.
You spent your whole life singing "Shang Xie,"
While I turned away, forsaking your flowerlike beauty.
That year, blossoms filled Chang'an's skies,
And I heard the frontier spring wind weep blood.
The scent of blood in the wind was as heady as wine,
The clash of weapons swallowed the wilderness,
Even the returning geese cried in the firelight,
And the wails carried far away.
That song of "Shang Xie" you recited,
From then on, I could never hear clearly again.
What defeated us was not the passage of time,
The realm had long ago decided that you and I must part forever.
So you carved your name into the pages of history,
And I carved yours before my grave.
Blossoms scatter again in this season,
Yet your wedding robes burn brighter than the falling petals.
You part your lips as if to recite all of "Shang Xie" once more,
But what you say is: "I wish to part from you forever."
