A white colt flashes past, a wild goose treads on snow. I still remember that spring and summer.
We met when we were young, beneath the Lakeview Tower. The singing and dancing were like a painting, yet also like a reflection of a pavilion.
In my prime, I marched on Xianyang in pursuit of fame and achievement. I led my troops north and conquered Pingyang.
I mastered countless books and plotted to leave an everlasting name.
Once the realm was unified, I burned the books and abolished the Six Arts;
I revised the laws and cast twelve bronze men;
Knowing how perilous the hearts of men could be, I sailed east to seek the Way;
I found the three immortal mountains overseas: Penglai, Fangzhang, and Yingzhou;
In the blink of an eye, years, decades, centuries passed, and the land remained as picturesque as ever;
I returned to my homeland, only to find that the song and dance that had once captivated the city were nowhere to be found.
And so I asked: What is it I seek in this life?
