The Song of Great Hate

by Bai Ju Yi, Tang Dynasty

Translated by David Du

(Note: This poem talks about the No.1 woman ( Yiang, Yuhuan) for an emperor in Tang Dynasty, their love and their stories.)

Once upon a time there was an Emperor,

Xuan Zong was his name, and he was looking for,

And yearning for, the girl of Most Exceeding Beauty.

Collecting women, he searched through the entire country.

But he didn't find her, however he might long.

At that time there was a family, name of Yang–

(Their foster daughter growing up might be the answer?)

(Though she just pokes around the harem, nobody knows her.)

Inherited beauty like hers cannot be long overlooked–

So finally, for a visit to the Palace she was booked.

Exquisitely dainty, she gives the Emperor a smile,

And glances at him ravishingly quite a while.

The selection process comes for him to choose:

The many concubines and wives to her all lose.

In Spring, the weather is cold or at least very cool–

An offer comes: to take a bath at the Emperor's pool.

In Hua Qing, the royal hot spring, she washes her skin,

So flawless, clear and white, his gaze to surely win.

By hand, an imperial maid lifts her up to stand–

She like a lotus comes up out of the water and

Soft she is but all is gracefulness well down,

Her face like a flower, her beautiful hair a cloud, a crown.

A golden flower clasp, to this her beauty concedes,

Made of rich gold, silver wires and crystal beads–

It's called Jin Bu Yao and when she goes walking,

It's charming how it shakes, glittering and shining.

It was then she began to sleep beneath the lotus pattern

Printed upon the Emperor's fine imperial curtain…

So deep in love they fall, so short falls the Spring night. They hug in sleep until the sun climbs its full height.

He deeply loves her beauty and falls into her charm,

And stops his morning meetings, rousing official alarm.

The Emperor makes her a pet, she always accompanies

Him to drink. She busies herself, never at ease.

In Spring she makes a tour with him and every night

She's making love with the Emperor, both in delight.

Three thousand concubines and imperial wives

Are finding there's more emptiness now in all their lives–

For all their wishing for his attentions, however much,

Only she alone enjoys the Emperor's touch.

She lives in a golden house near the Emperor,

Puts on her make up, and spoils herself and creates a stir–

The tongues at the Crystal Pavilion, where they drink, all whir–

Her drunkenness seems to make her even prettier.

Her brother became a marquis then, to much applause.

The envy of many lands accrued unto her cause–

The Yang families were glorified by everyone

As everyone admired her, she changed the tradition,

Before parental ideas, the flag of Change unfurls:

Through her lead, parents start to prefer girls.

'Twas at that time in Mount Li long ago that's why

The fame of Hua King Palace reached to the sky,

The heavenly music spread through time and everywhere,

Orchestral music, song and dance for all to share.

Singers and dancers and musical instruments in rows

For royal performances. They never tired of those…

Suddenly beats the horrible sound of battle drums,

And to the peace of Yu Yang hot rebellion comes!

The Emperor's song, "Of rainbow coloured and feathered costumes,"

Its glad harmonies the violent noise consumes–

In a few minutes the Nine Fold Palace is clouded with dust.

The Emperor and all his retinue escape–they must!

With the imperial army, to the southwest they go–

With all the jade and charming flags, the march is slow.

And then, about a hundred miles on towards the west,

The army stopped, demanded her and her brother's deaths.

The Emperor resisted but they broke his will

And so her beauty and charm died then at Ma Wei Hill.

Her jewelry, made of gold and silver, diamonds and jade,

Was abandoned on the ground where it was laid.

The golden phoenix pin to her hair still clings,

The clasp of jade…but nobody could touch anything.

He wanted to save her, but could not, this Emperor.

He looked back as they left, the blood and the tears running together.

The wind was chilly and sounded so much like a desolate cry,

And the dirt, the yellow sands clouded over the sky,

Building up in a vast arch like a cloud bridge,

As the army approached the river, zigzagging from the ridge.

Then the saddest Emperor arrived at Si Chuan,

By Jian Ge he looked for the will to carry on,

Though in Mount E Mei it was rare to see people walking.

Even the sun was dimmer, the imperial flags less charming.

The mountain and river in Si Chuan, so clear and bright

Were like the Emperor's yearning, so clear both day and night.

At the Si Chuan palace the Emperor gave a look

At the moon's colour. His heart broke–that was all it took.

One night, the Emperor heard a bell ring in the rain,

He crumpled then, overwhelmed by grief and pain.

After the brutal rebellion started calming down,

The army began their slow way back to Chang An town.

Passing by Ma Wei Hill and its lonely graves,

The Emperor was a wasteland, missing her lovely face…

He noticed the officers' uniforms were wet, be-teared,

As to the east they went, and Ma Wei disappeared.

Back at his palace at last, the Emperor looked around:

Everything seemed normal, the gardens, pools and grounds.

At Tai Ye pool and Wei Yang palace he noticed, though,

Her face inside the lotus, her brow along the willow…

However could he stop the tears' continual flow?

The spring winds blew the blooming peach tree and the plum,

The phoenix dropped its leaves in the rains of autumn.

The west palace and southern garden grew much grass,

The streets were full of leaves, none swept out the redness.

The orchestra that followed the Emperor back when

She brightened up the old time, started to play again,

Although it must be said they'd all grown newly-grey hair

And maids that once attended her looked old with care.

The Emperor watched the nightly glow worms fly up and down–

Eventually, his longing came up, and a frown.

Even the back-up light burned out, he could not sleep.

By the clock, a drum announced a midnight so deep.

Even when the Big Dipper heralded the dawn,

The sleeplessness of the Emperor went on and on.

He looked and saw the affectionate couple portrayed in tile,

Covered now in thick frost. He wore a tragic smile.

The quilt with the jade pattern long had gotten cool–

Who could partner with him, be such a fool?

"For now so many years, we two have missed each other–

Who am I to never dream of you, my dancer?"

Just then from distant Lin Quiong came a shaman,

A wandering Taoist, visiting Chang An.

It's said he had a special spell to work upon

the soul of Lady Yang to come and meet someone.

The Emperor with the yearning heart sent him a commission:

To search for the soul of lady Yang he got permission.

He flew the skies like lightning, and kept searching on,

Even the top of heaven and the bottom of earth (Huang Quan).

He couldn't find her–neither in earth nor sky was she–

But he heard of an immortal mountain in the sea,

Coalesced between real and imaginary…

Its pavilion is exquisite, hid in five-fold clouds,

There are many immortals, among them's been allowed:

Tai Zhen, her skin like snow, her face flower-fresh,

Most like the beloved the Emperor knew in the flesh.

The Taoist approached the golden house's western wall,

Knocked upon its jade door and drew himself up tall:

Would the immortal maid there kindly wish to see

An envoy from the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty?

A servant wakens Tai Zhen, asleep she happens to be…

Waking up with a start, she fixes her robe, and pushes up her pillow,

Gathers her thoughts and steps from the bed, graceful as a willow,

Moves through her tent of silk of many beautiful floral patterns,

And then opens, one by one, the byobu and jade curtains.

Her hair is half-unkempt, the tying of her dress in doubt,

She's half-asleep, with no make-up, and in this style comes out,

But a draft blows out her immortal sleeves–they're billowing,

As if his old rainbow-coloured and feathered costumes started dancing!

Her fair face looks so grievous and mournful, overflowing with tears–

Much like a new peach flower, moist in the rain of Spring, appears.

She gazes deeply at the envoy, and sends her message on:

"Since I and the Emperor were together, the voice and the face are all gone.

The love has cut off where once it grew in the old Shao Yang palace–

It's now like the old Han Emperor's wife Zhao Fei Yan's resting place.

Here at immortal Peng Lai palace, the sun and the moon get stronger,

And when I look down at the human world, I see Chan An no longer,

But right now I give you a token of love, a hairpin with golden flowers,

Expressing my deepest feelings for him, pass it on–this love was ours.

I've separated this ornament as skillfully as I can,

I give you half the golden flower, half a frame of fan.

So long as our hearts are strong, like this ornament of gold,

I believe that we can meet again, though heaven and earth get old."

She stops him with her eye then, as the Taoist rises to go,

And swears her love for the Emperor in words only she could know:

"Do you remember Chang Sheng Palace, the year of the beautiful weather?

One midnight–only you and me–we whispered these words together:

'If ever we have to fly in the sky, let's pretend to become a bird

Called Bi Yi, we'll fly wing to wing, above all heads, unheard.

And if we have to be rooted to the ground, we'll never mind–

We'll become like the Lian Li trees, whose branches are intertwined.'

I know that heaven and earth are forever, but all fade, finally,

Yet I long for the end of our mutual love to never come to be."

Original Poem is as follow:

长恨歌

【作者】白居易 【朝代】唐 翻译： 曼舞一江冬

汉皇重色思倾国，御宇多年求不得。

杨家有女初长成，养在深闺人未识。

天生丽质难自弃，一朝选在君王侧。

回眸一笑百媚生，六宫粉黛无颜色。

春寒赐浴华清池，温泉水滑洗凝脂。

侍儿扶起娇无力，始是新承恩泽时。

云鬓花颜金步摇，芙蓉帐暖度春宵。

春宵苦短日高起，从此君王不早朝。

承欢侍宴无闲暇，春从春游夜专夜。

后宫佳丽三千人，三千宠爱在一身。

金屋妆成娇侍夜，玉楼宴罢醉和春。

姊妹弟兄皆列土，可怜光彩生门户。

遂令天下父母心，不重生男重生女。

骊宫高处入青云，仙乐风飘处处闻。

缓歌谩舞凝丝竹，尽日君王看不足。

渔阳鼙鼓动地来，惊破霓裳羽衣曲。

九重城阙烟尘生，千乘万骑西南行。

翠华摇摇行复止，西出都门百余里。

六军不发无奈何，宛转蛾眉马前死。

花钿委地无人收，翠翘金雀玉搔头。

君王掩面救不得，回看血泪相和流。

黄埃散漫风萧索，云栈萦纡登剑阁。

峨嵋山下少人行，旌旗无光日色薄。

蜀江水碧蜀山青，圣主朝朝暮暮情。

行宫见月伤心色，夜雨闻铃肠断声。

天旋地转回龙驭，到此踌躇不能去。

马嵬坡下泥土中，不见玉颜空死处。

君臣相顾尽沾衣，东望都门信马归。

归来池苑皆依旧，太液芙蓉未央柳。

芙蓉如面柳如眉，对此如何不泪垂。

春风桃李花开日，秋雨梧桐叶落时。

西宫南内多秋草，落叶满阶红不扫。

梨园弟子白发新，椒房阿监青娥老。

夕殿萤飞思悄然，孤灯挑尽未成眠。

迟迟钟鼓初长夜，耿耿星河欲曙天。

鸳鸯瓦冷霜华重，翡翠衾寒谁与共。

悠悠生死别经年，魂魄不曾来入梦。

临邛道士鸿都客，能以精诚致魂魄。

为感君王辗转思，遂教方士殷勤觅。

排空驭气奔如电，升天入地求之遍。

上穷碧落下黄泉，两处茫茫皆不见。

忽闻海上有仙山，山在虚无缥渺间。

楼阁玲珑五云起，其中绰约多仙子。

中有一人字太真，雪肤花貌参差是。

金阙西厢叩玉扃，转教小玉报双成。

闻道汉家天子使，九华帐里梦魂惊。

揽衣推枕起徘徊，珠箔银屏迤逦开。

云鬓半偏新睡觉，花冠不整下堂来。

风吹仙袂飘飘举，犹似霓裳羽衣舞。

玉容寂寞泪阑干，梨花一枝春带雨。

含情凝睇谢君王，一别音容两渺茫。

昭阳殿里恩爱绝，蓬莱宫中日月长。

回头下望人寰处，不见长安见尘雾。

惟将旧物表深情，钿合金钗寄将去。

钗留一股合一扇，钗擘黄金合分钿。

但教心似金钿坚，天上人间会相见。

临别殷勤重寄词，词中有誓两心知。

七月七日长生殿，夜半无人私语时。

在天愿作比翼鸟，在地愿为连理枝。

天长地久有时尽，此恨绵绵无绝期。

Footnote：

l Jing bu yao: one kind of golden jewelry a flower shape which made of gold and silver wire with jade beads and clip on the hair temples, when the lady who ware it and go walking, flickering, flickering.

l Spring night: weeding night.

l Pool of Hua Qing: refers to the Hua Qing hot spring, In Tang Dynasty as a royal spring gathered Emperors and his concubines bathing or entertaining. Currently the south of Lintong district Xi’an city Shaanxi Province.

l The palace Li: refers to the palace where built under Mount Li, an imperial pool is nearby.

l Yuyang: a name of prefecture in Tang Dynasty it’s supervised by General An Lushan, he started to rebel the imperial court here. Currently Pinggu county in Beijing and Qi county in Tianjin.

l Rainbow-colored and feathered costume: it’s said an officer Yang Jingshu who was supervised Ping Ling prefecture presented to the emperor Xuanzong, then Xuanzong made a song. This melody majorly expresses illusory immoral atmosphere or the beauty of fairy maiden.

l Nine-fold palace: refers to the palaces in Chang’an.

l Ma wei hill: currently the North of Xingping county. A place was happened to forced remonstration the guards asked for emperor kill Yang guozhong and Yang yuhuan. The emperor answered the guard’s request for save the emperor’s life.

l A bell ring in the rain: one day the Emperor XuanZong walking into a valley in the rain he stood at a plank road which built along the face of a cliff. He heard a bell ringing, he recalled lady Yang and made a compose to memory her. Later this compose became a name of Ci (word) in Song Dynasty.

l Tai Ye and Wei Yang Palace originally it was the name of places in Han Dynasty. Here represents

The palaces in Tang Dynasty.

l Tai Zhen: refers to the soul of Lady yang.

l Shao Yang palace: originally a palace lady Zhao Fei Yan used to be living here refers to the palace of Chang’an.

l Penglai palace: it’s said an immortal mountain on the sea. Right now the Lady Yang’s soul living.

l Changsheng Palace: it’s located inner Huaqing palace. Here represents the palaces in Chang’an.