Translating Bai Juyi's Song of Everlasting Regret

2026-08-25 16:24

Emperor Ming of the Tang Dynasty had a preference for women and had always wanted to find a peerless beauty. He had ruled the world for many years but had never been able to find one. The Yang family had a daughter who had just grown up and was kept in a boudoir without outsiders knowing. Her natural beauty was hard to bury, and one day, she was chosen to be by the king's side. When she looked back and smiled, she gave birth to a hundred kinds of coquettishness, causing the makeup of the six palaces to pale in comparison. In the cold of spring, the emperor gave her a bath in Huaqing Pool, and the hot spring water washed her creamy skin. When the maid helped her up, she was weak and weak. This was when she had just received the emperor's favor. Her hair was like clouds, her face was like a flower, and she wore a golden headband. She spent a warm spring night with the king in the hibiscus tent. The spring night was short. The sun rose high in the sky before he got up. From then on, the king no longer went to the morning court. She had no free time all day to receive the king's love and serve the king's banquets. She followed the king on a trip in the spring and enjoyed the king's company alone at night. There were 3,000 beauties in the harem, but the king had concentrated all 3,000 favors on her. He dressed her up in the golden house, served the king beautifully at night, and was drunk with spring after the banquet in the Jade Tower. Her brothers and sisters had all been conferred official titles and given land. Her family was full of glory and was enviable. As a result, all parents no longer valued boys and instead hoped to have girls. The Li Palace stood high into the blue clouds, and the celestial music in the palace floated everywhere with the wind. The soothing song and slow dance complemented the sound of silk and bamboo. The king could not get enough of watching it all day long. The Yuyang rebel army's war drums shook the sky and earth, breaking the "Song of Rainbow Feathers". Smoke and dust rose from the palaces of Chang 'an, the capital. The emperor fled southwest with many chariots and horses. The emperor's ceremonial carriage swayed and stopped, traveling more than a hundred miles west of the capital. The six armies protecting the emperor refused to move forward. The emperor had no choice but to let the beauty die in front of the horse. Her mother-of-pearl flowers fell to the ground and no one picked them up. There were also Cui Qiao, Jin Que, and the jade hairpin. The king covered his face but could not save him. When he looked back, blood and tears flowed. The yellow dust filled the air, and the autumn wind blew. They climbed up the Sword Pavilion through the cloud inn. There were few pedestrians at the foot of Mount Emei. The flags were dim, and the sun was dim. The river in Shu was green, and Mount Shu was green. The king missed the imperial concubine day and night. Seeing the moon in the palace was also a sad color. At night, hearing the sound of the rain and the bell was even more heartbreaking. When the situation improved, the king returned to Beijing, but when he reached Mawei Slope, he hesitated. In the mud at the foot of Mawei Hill, the beautiful face of the imperial concubine could not be seen, only the place where she died was left. The monarch and his subjects looked at each other and their clothes were wet with tears. They looked east at the capital and let the horses return slowly. When he came back, he saw that the pond garden was still the same. The hibiscus of the Supreme Liquid Pond and the willow tree of the Weiyang Palace were still there. The hibiscus was like the face of the imperial concubine, and the willow tree was like her eyebrows. How could the king not shed tears in the face of this? When the spring breeze blew the peach and plum flowers open, and when the autumn rain knocked down the leaves of the parasol tree. The West Palace and the South Palace were covered with autumn grass, and the fallen leaves piled up on the steps, but no one cleaned them. The pear garden disciples had new white hair, and the female officials in the pepper room had also aged. At night, fireflies danced in the palace. The king's thoughts were quiet, and it was difficult to fall asleep even when the lonely lamp was burned out. The bell rang slowly at night. The night was long and the Milky Way was bright. Dawn was about to break. The frost on the mandarin duck tiles is thick, and the jade quilt is cold. Who will sleep with the king? It had been many years since they parted, but the imperial concubine's soul had not entered the dream. There was a Taoist priest in Linqiong who lived in Chang 'an and could summon souls with sincerity. Moved by the king's longing, he asked the Taoist priest to diligently search for the soul of the imperial concubine. The Taoist priest rode on the clouds like lightning and searched everywhere. He searched through the nine heavens and the underworld, but he could not find them. Suddenly, he heard that there was an immortal mountain on the sea. The immortal mountain was illusory. The pavilion was exquisite and ingenious. Colorful clouds rose up, and there were many graceful fairies among them. One of them was a fairy named Taizhen. Her snow-white skin and beautiful appearance were very similar to an imperial concubine. The Taoist priest knocked on the jade door in the west chamber of the Golden Watchtower and asked Xiaoyu and Shuang Cheng to report it. Hearing that it was the messenger of the Han Emperor, Taizhen woke up from his dream in the Jiuhua Tent. She put on her clothes, pushed the pillow, got up, and paced around. The beaded curtains and silver screens opened one by one. She had just woken up with her hair half-tilted, and her corolla was not neat when she came down to the hall. The wind blew her sleeves up, just like when she danced the " Rainbow Feathers Dance ". Her beautiful face was filled with loneliness. Tears flowed down her face like a pear blossom in the rain. She thanked the king affectionately, and since they parted, her voice and appearance had been vague. The love in Clear Sun Hall had been severed, and the days in Penglai Palace were long. Looking back at the human world, I couldn't see Chang 'an, only dust and fog. He could only use old things to express his deep feelings and send the golden hairpin to the emperor. He left one golden hairpin and one box behind. He opened the golden hairpin and separated the box. I hope my heart is as firm as gold, and there will always be a time when we meet in heaven and earth. Before he left, he repeatedly exhorted them, and only the two of them knew the deep meaning in his words. On the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, in the Longevity Palace, they had whispered in the middle of the night when no one was around. In heaven, I wish to be a pair of birds flying together, and on earth, I wish to be a pair of branches growing together. There was an end to eternity, but this regret would never end. The novel "Song of Everlasting Sorrow: Morning and Evening" is equally exciting. Everyone is welcome to click and read it!