Snow Falls, Frost Bites

Leaning against the slow strings, I let my parting sorrow run its course,

hearing an old tune,

lingering silently in the dark.

The ice has melted, yet I can only feel adrift,

wrapped in the chill of spring,

for whose sake do I awaken?

A glance reveals a world weathered by time,

a desolate land of snow.

Vast and boundless, veiled in swirling mist.

In the distance, a thousand mountains stand silent beneath the clouds at the edge of the sky, coldly watching the turmoil of the world.

But how could a single snowfall

bury all the grudges and grievances between them?

The wind fills the silver brocade robe. Scattered, drifting light and shadow fade away, refracting a dim glow.

Far away, pure-colored mist hangs in the gentle sandalwood fragrance, wisps of smoke appearing and vanishing.

As pale blue daylight falls in a clear wash, the vast palace complex of the Snow Kingdom gleams with silver-glazed tiles, their iridescent light rippling outward like moonlight.

These crystal-clear palaces, like those of the Moon, are as translucent as snow falling from the heavens, untouched by dust.

What kind of obsession drove them, men and women alike,

to suffer such heartache and sorrow, life after life?

At last, turning back suddenly, I see through it all.

In this lifetime, for whose sake do I finally awaken?

All I can do is chant of snow, and falling ice-cold...

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