“The Song of Nine Refrains”
Tonight I sing softly beneath the moon,
Please listen as I sing you a tune.
Before the melody is done, the strings have snapped,
How can I speak the sorrow in my heart?
First refrain,
A ripple stirs in my silent sea of thoughts.
Wordless, I furrow my brow in sorrow,
So many feelings I can’t bring myself to voice,
I put them into verse instead.
Second refrain,
The moon shines on the pavilion by the little tower.
The glittering stars leave nowhere to hide.
Deep in the quiet night, I softly play an old zither,
While the moon’s shadow dances on its own.
Third refrain,
Moonlight slips through the gauzy window, soft and graceful.
Restless sorrow leaves me lonely and forlorn.
A few lingering thoughts, a wisp of soul,
My heart turns them over and over.
Fourth refrain,
Love and hate entwine my heart; I cannot choose.
A bitter, cold wind breaks through the window at night.
Cold stars glitter, my heart trembles,
And the waning moon is as it was before.
Fifth refrain,
From now on, do not lament that fate has been unkind in love.
Through all the joy and sorrow, whose fault was it?
How deep my feelings, how true my love,
And tears fall unbidden.
Sixth refrain,
Now the flowers bloom, then fall again.
The fading blossoms have vanished into the flowing waters.
I compose beautiful verses, then quietly erase every trace,
While time rushes by like a shuttle.
Seventh refrain,
Do you know that love has become your demon?
Do not betray this heart; please cherish me.
My shadow stands alone, the door to my heart locked tight,
To stay together has become a luxury.
Eighth refrain,
Even a sharp sword cannot sever the threads of love.
Sorrow and melancholy are etched deep in my heart.
Years of happiness are, in the end, hard to leave behind,
But what can I do if I cannot let them go?
Ninth refrain,
I sing a light song all the way to the Silver River.
My brush knows the promise in my heart.
I lift it and write a fresh new verse,
Dancing with a touch of ink.
Singing alone,
Drunk alone, sober alone, drinking alone.
A guest in dreams, within and beyond them.
The breeze sings softly, the night dew whispers,
I smile and pass through it all with ease.
Alas,
How many times do flowers bloom and fall?
Ten thousand years of mortal life have passed.
Clouds gather and drift away, as they always have,
And I compose the song within my heart.
Prologue
