李白 西嶽雲台歌送丹丘子 translation: A Song of Parting for Dan Qiuzi on Mt Hua's Cloudy Peak, by Li Bai'
This is a very rough annotation / translation of the poem 西嶽雲台歌送丹丘子 (Xīyuè Yúntái Gē Sòng Dān Qiūzǐ), ‘A Song of Parting for Dan Qiuzi on Mt Hua’s Cloudy Peak’, by the Tang Dynasty Chinese poet 李白 (Lǐ Bái).
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西嶽雲台歌送丹丘子 Xīyuè Yúntái Gē Sòng Dān Qiūzǐ [dream] [roam] [Tian] [Mu] [hum] [leave behind] [depart] A Song of Parting for Dan Qiuzi on Mt Hua's Cloudy Peak
西嶽崢嶸何壯哉！ Xīyuè zhēng róng hé zhuàngzāi! [Xi] [Yue] [lofty] [lofty] [what] [strong] [!] Mt. Hua so high a lofty - how robust!
黃河如絲天際來。 Huánghé rú sī tiānjì lái. [Yellow] [River] [like] [silk] [sky] [border] [come] The Yellow River is like silk coming from the horizon.
黃河萬里觸山動， Huánghé wànlǐ chù shān dòng, [Yellow] [River] [ten thousand] [li] [touch] [mountain] [move] The Yellow River over ten thousand _li_ touches the mountains as it moves;
盤渦轂轉秦地雷。 pán wō gǔ zhuǎn Qín dì léi. [coil] [eddy] [wheel] [turn] [Qin] [land] [thunder] it coils and eddies as it twists and turns in Qin lands like thunder.
榮光休氣紛五彩， Róngguāng xiū qì fēn wǔcǎi, [glory] [light] [rest] [vapour] [scatter] [five] [colour] Glorious vapours scatter rainbow colours;
千年一清聖人在。 qiānnián yī qīng shèngrén zài. [thousand] [year] [one] [clear] [sage] [person] [at] in thousands of years, once it runs clear, the sages are there.
巨靈咆哮擘兩山， Jù líng páoxiāo bò liǎng shān, [huge] [spirit] [roar] [howl] [split] [two] [mountain] The mighty spirit roars and splits the two mountains,
洪波噴箭射東海。 hóngbō pēn jiàn shè dōnghǎi. [flood] [wave] [spray] [arrow] [shoot] [east] [sea] huge waves spray like arrows shooting into the eastern sea.
三峰卻立如欲摧， Sān fēng què lì rú yù cuī, [three] [peak] [go back] [stand] [like] [want] [destroy] The three peaks retreat as if about to collapse;
翠崖丹谷高掌開。 cuì yá dān gǔ gāo zhǎng kāi. [blue-green] [cliff] [red] [valley] [high] [fist] [open] blue-green cliffs and red valleys - to the height of his fist made open.
白帝金精運元氣， Bái dì jīn jīng yùn yuánqì, [white] [emperor] [metal] [essence] [move] [original] [energy] The White Emperor made metal essence from primordial energy;
石作蓮花云作台。 shí zuò liánhuā yún zuò tái. [stone] [be] [lotus] [flower] [cloud] [be] [terrace] stones are lotus flowers, clouds are terraces.
雲臺閣道連窈冥， Yúntái gé dào lián yǎo míng, [cloud] [terrace] [shelf] [way] [link] [deep] [dark] The cloud terrace wooden roadway links the dark mists;
中有不死丹丘生。 zhōng yǒu bùsǐ Dān Qiūshēng. [middle] [have] [not] [die] [Dan] [Qiu] [Sheng] within is the immortal Dan Qiusheng.
明星玉女備灑掃， Míng xīng yùnǚ bèi sǎsǎo, [bright] [star] [jade] [girl] [prepare] [sprinkle] [sweep] The Jade Girl of the bright stars prepares to sprinkle and sweep;
麻姑搔背指爪輕。 Mágū sāo bèi zhǐ zhǎo qīng. [Ma] [Gu] [scratch] [back] [finger] [claw] [light] Magu scratches her back lightly with claw-like nails.
我皇手把天地戶， Wǒ huáng shǒu bǎ Tiāndì hù, [My] [emperor] [hand] [hold] [Heaven] [Earth] [door] My empress holds open the door of Heaven and Earth;
丹丘談天與天語。 Dān Qiū tán tiān yǔ tiān yǔ. [Dan] [Qiu] [speak] [Heaven] [with] [Heaven] [speech] Dan Qiu speaks to Heaven in Heavenly Speech.
九重出入生光輝， Jiǔchóng chūrù shēng guānghuī, [nine] [repeat] [exit] [enter] [create] [light] [shine] In the Nine Layered Heavens, back and forth - a radiance;
東來蓬萊復西歸。 dōng lái pénglái fù xi guī. [east] [come] [Peng] [Lai] [repeat] [west] [return] coming east to Penglai, then returning west.
玉漿倘惠故人飲， Yù jiāng tǎng huì gùrén yǐn, [jade] [paste] [if] [benefit] [old friend][] [drink] The Jade Elixir, if given, this old friend would drink it;
騎二茅龍上天飛。 qí èr máo lóng shàngtiān fēi. [ride] [two] [reed] [dragon] [ascend] [Heaven] [fly] we'd ride two straw dragons and fly up to Heaven.
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