李白 遠別離 translation: Distant Parting, by Li Bai
This is a very rough translation and annotation of the poem 遠別離 (Yuǎn Biélí), ‘Distant Parting’, by the Tang Dynasty Chinese poet 李白 (Lǐ Bái).
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遠別離 Yuǎn Biélí [distant] [part] [leave] Distant Parting
遠別離，古有皇英之二女， Yuǎn biélí, gǔ yǒu Huáng Yīng zhī èr nǚ, [distant] [part] [leave], [old] [have] [Huang] [Ying] ['s] [two] [female] Distant parting; in ancient times were the women Huang and Ying; (Huang and Ying were the daughter and concubine of the legendary emperor Shun. They both drowned in the River Xiang.)
乃在洞庭之南， nǎi zài Dòngtíng zhī nán, [thus] [at] [Dong] [Ting] ['s] [south] to the south of Dongting,
瀟湘之浦。 xiāoxiāng zhī pǔ. [Xiao] [Xiang] ['s] [river bank] on the banks of the River Xiang.
海水直下萬里深， Hǎishuǐ zhíxià wànlǐ shēn, [sea] [water] [vertical] [down] [ten thousand] [li] [deep] The ocean waters ten thousand _li_ deep, straight down -
誰人不言此離苦。 shéi rén bù yán cǐ lí kǔ. [who] [person] [not] [say] [this] [parting] [bitter] who would not say that this parting was just as painful?
日慘慘兮雲冥冥， Rì cǎn cǎn xī yún míng míng, [sun] [miserable] [miserable] [oh] [cloud] [dark] [dark] The sun so miserable, oh, the clouds so dark;
猩猩啼煙兮鬼嘯雨。 xīngxīng tí yān xī guǐ xiào yǔ. [orangutan][] [hoot] [mist] [oh] [ghost] [hiss] [rain] an orangutan hollers in mist, oh, a ghost hisses in rain.
我縱言之將何補， Wǒ zòng yán zhī jiàng hé bǔ, [I] [even if] [say] [it] [use] [what] [benefit] Even if I speak of it, what benefit is there? -
皇穹竊恐不照余之忠誠。 huáng qióng qiè kǒng bù zhào yú zhī zhōngchéng. [emperor] [dome] [I] [fear] [not] [perceive] [I] ['s] [loyal] [sincere] Heaven, I fear, will not perceive my loyalty.
雲憑憑兮欲吼怒， Yún píngpíng xī yù hǒu nù, [cloud] [majestic][] [oh] [want] [howl] [anger] The clouds so majestic, oh, they want to howl with rage;
堯舜當之亦禪禹。 Yáo Shùn dāng zhī yì shàn yǔ. [Yao] [Shun] [then] [it] [also] [abdicate] [Yu] from Yao to Shun, then he too abdicated to Yu.
君失臣兮龍為魚， Jūn shī chén xī lóng wéi yú, [lord] [lose] [minister] [oh] [dragon] [become] [fish] A lord loses his minister, oh, a dragon becomes a fish;
權歸臣兮鼠變虎。 quán guī chén xī shǔ biàn hǔ. [power] [return] [minister] [oh] [mouse] [become] [tiger] power returns to the minister, oh, a mouse becomes a tiger.
或言堯幽囚， Huò yán Yáo yōuqiú, [some] [say] [Yao] [remote] [prisoner] Some speak of Yao's imprisonment,
舜野死。 Shùn yě sǐ. [Shun] [wild] [die] and of Shun's death in the wild.
九疑聯綿皆相似， Jiǔ yí liánmián jiē xiāngsì, [Jiu] [Yi] [join] [continuous] [all] [each other] [resemble] Mt. Cangwu's peaks are endless, all alike; ([九疑](http://www.zdic.net/c/d/148/320741.htm) is another name for 苍梧山 - Mt. Cangwu.)
重瞳孤墳竟何是。 zhòngtóng gū fén jìng hé shì. [important] [eye] [alone] [tomb] [in the end] [what] [is] the emperor's lonely tomb - where was it in the end? ([重瞳](http://www.zdic.net/c/d/ed/240997.htm) refers to the emperor's eyes.)
帝子泣兮綠雲間， Dì zǐ qì xī lǜ yúnjiān, [emperor] [child] [sob] [oh] [green] [cloud] [between] Huang and Ying sob, oh, amongst green clouds;
隨風波兮去無還。 suí fēng bō xī qù wú huán. [follow] [wind] [wave] [oh] [leave] [not have] [return] borne on wind and waves, oh, they left without return.
慟哭兮遠望， Tòngkū xī yuǎnwàng, [grief] [weep] [oh] [far] [look] Weeping in grief, oh, they gazed afar,
見蒼梧之深山。 jiàn Cāngwú zhī shēnshān. [see] [Cang] [Wu] ['s] [deep] [mountain] to Cangwu's innermost peaks.
蒼梧山崩湘水絕， Cāngwú shān bēng Xiāng shuǐ jué, [Cang] [Wu] [mountain] [collapse] [Xiang] [water] [cut off] The peaks of Cangwu collapsed, the River Xiang was cut off,
竹上之淚乃可滅。 zhú shàng zhī lèi nǎi kě miè. [bamboo] [on] ['s] [tear] [thus] [can] [extinguish] the tear-stains on the bamboo were lost.
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Sources and further reading
