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。

The beauty-loving monarch longed year after year

To find a beautiful lady without peer.

A maiden of the Yangs to womanhood just grown,

In inner chambers bred, to the world was unknown.

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。

Endowed with natural beauty too hard to hide,

One day she stood selected for the monarch’s side.

Turning her head, she smiled so sweet and full of grace

That she outshone in six palaces the fairest face.

春寒赐浴华清池，温泉水滑洗凝脂。

She bathed in glassy water of warm-fountain pool,

Which laved and smoothed her creamy skin when spring was cool.

侍儿扶起娇无力，始是新承恩泽时。

Upborne by her attendants, she rose too faint to move,

And this was when she first received the monarch’s love.

云鬓花颜金步摇，芙蓉帐暖度春宵。

Flowerlike face and cloudlike hair, golden-headdressed,

In lotus-flower curtain she spent the night blessed.

春宵苦短日高起，从此君王不早朝。

She slept till sun rose high, for the blessed night was short,

From then on the monarch held no longer morning court.

承欢侍宴无闲暇，春从春游夜专夜。

In revels as in feasts she shared her lord’s delight,

His companion on trips and his mistress at night.

后宫佳丽三千人，三千宠爱在一身。

In inner palace dwelt three thousand ladies fair;

On her alone was lavished royal love and care.

金星妆成娇侍夜，玉楼宴罢醉和春。

Her beauty served the night when dressed in Golden Bower

Or drunk with wine and spring at banquet in Jade Tower.

姊妹弟兄皆列士，可怜光彩生门户。

遂令天下父母心，不重生男重生女。

All her sisters and brothers received rank and fief

And honours showered on her household, to the grief

Of the fathers and mothers who’d rather give birth

To a fair maiden than any son on earth.

骊宫高处入青云，仙乐风飘处处闻。缓歌慢舞凝丝竹，尽日君王看不足。

The lofty palace towered high into blue cloud,

With wind-borne music so divine the air was loud.

Seeing slow dance and hearing fluted or stringed song,

The emperor was never tired the whole day long.

渔阳鼙鼓动地来，惊破霓裳羽衣曲。

But rebels beat their war drums, making the earth quake

And “Song of Rainbow Skirt and Coat of Feathers” break.

九重城阙烟尘生，千乘万骑西南行。

A cloud of dust was raised o’er city walls nine-fold;

Thousands of chariots and horsemen southwestward rolled.

翠华摇摇行复止，西出都门百馀里。

Imperial flags moved slowly now and halted then,

And thirty miles from Western Gate they stopped again.

六军不发无奈何，宛转蛾眉马前死。

Six armies would not march -- what could be done? -- with speed

Until the Lady Yang was killed before the steed.

花钿委地无人收，翠翘金雀玉搔头。

None would pick up her hairpin fallen to the ground

Or golden bird and comb with which her head was crowned.

君王掩面救不得，回看血泪相和流。

The monarch could not save her and hid his face in fear;

Turning his head, he saw her blood mix with his tear.

黄埃散漫风萧索，云栈萦纡登剑阁。

The yellow dust spread wide, the wind blew desolate;

A serpentine plank path led to cloud-capped Sword Gate.

峨嵋山下少人行，旌旗无光日色薄。

Below the Eyebrow Mountains wayfarers were few;

In fading sunlight royal standards lost their hue.

蜀江水碧蜀山青，圣主朝朝暮暮情。

On western waters blue and western mountains green

The monarch’s heart was daily gnawed by sorrow keen.

行宫见月伤心色，夜雨闻铃肠断声。

The moon viewed from his tent shed a soul-searing light,

The bells heard in night rain made a heart-rending sound.

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。

Suddenly turned the tide. Returning from his flight,

The monarch could not tear himself away from the ground

Where ‘mid the clods beneath the slope he couldn’t forget

The fair-faced Lady Yang, who was unfairly slain.

君臣相顾尽沾衣，东望都门信马归。

He looked at ministers, with tears his robe was wet;

They rode east to the capital, but with loose rein.

归来池苑皆依旧，太液芙蓉未央柳。

Back, he found her pond and garden in the old place,

With lotus in the lake and willows by the hall.

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。

Willow leaves like her brows and lotus like her face;

At the sight of all these, how could his tears not fall

Or when in vernal breeze were peach and plum full-blown

Or when in autumn rain parasol leaves were shed?

西宫南内多秋草，落叶满阶红不扫。

In western as in southern court was grasso’er grown;

With fallen leaves unswept the marble steps turned red.

梨园子弟白发新，椒房阿监青娥老。

Actors, although still young, began to have hair grey;

Eunuchs and waiting maids looked old in palace deep.

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。

Fireflies flitting the hall, mutely he pined away;

The lonely lampwick burned out; still he could not sleep.

Slowly beat drums and rang bells; night began to grow long;

Bright shone the Milky Way; daybreak seemed to come late.

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。

The lovebird tiles grew chilly with hoar frost so strong,

And his kingfisher quilt was cold, not shared by a mate.

One long, long year the dead and the living were parted;

Her soul came not in dreams to see the brokenhearted.

临邛道士鸿都客，能以精诚致魂魄。

A Taoist sorcerer came to the palace door,

Skilled to summon the spirit from the other shore.

为感君王辗转思，遂教方士殷勤觅。

Moved by the monarch’s yearning for the departed fair,

He was ordered to seek for her everywhere.

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。

Borne on the air, like flash of lightning he flew;

In heaven and on earth he searched through and through.

Up to the azure vault and down to deepest place,

Nor above nor below could hee’er find her trace.

忽闻海上有仙山，山在虚无缥缈间。楼阁玲珑五云起，其中绰约多仙子。

He learned that on the sea were fairy mountains proud

That now appeared, now disappeared amid the cloud

Of rainbow colours where rose magnificent bowers

And dwelt so many fairies as graceful as flowers.

中有一人字太真，雪肤花貌参差是。

Among them was a queen whose name was Ever True;

Her snow-white skin and sweet face might afford a clue.

金阙西厢叩玉扃，转教小玉报双成。

Knocking at western gate of palace hall, he bade

The porter fair to inform the queen’s waiting maid.

闻道汉家天子使，九华帐里梦魂惊。

When she heard there came the monarch’s embassy,

The queen was startled out of dreams in her canopy.

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。

Pushing aside the pillow, she rose and got dressed,

Passing through silver screen and pearl shade to meet the guest.

Her cloudlike hair awry, not full awake at all,

Her flowery cap slanted, she came into the hall.

风吹仙袂飘飘举，犹似霓裳羽衣舞。

The wind blew up her fairy sleeves and made them float

As if she danced the “Rainbow Skirt and Feathered Coat.”

玉容寂寞泪阑干，梨花一枝春带雨。

Her jade-white face crisscrossed with tears in lonely world

Like a spray of pear blossoms in spring rain impearled.

含情凝睇谢君王，一别音容两渺茫。

She bade him thank her lord, lovesick and brokenhearted;

They knew nothing of each other after they parted.

昭阳殿里恩爱绝，蓬莱宫中日月长。

Love and happiness long ended within palace walls;

Days and months appeared long in the fairyland halls.

回头下望人寰处，不见长安见尘雾。

Turning her head and fixing on the earth her gaze,

She saw no capital ’mid clouds of dust and haze.

唯将旧物表深情，钿合金钗寄将去。

To show her love was deep, she took out keepsakes old

For him to carry back, hairpin and case of gold.

钗留一股合一扇，钗擘黄金合分钿。

Keeping one side of the case and one wing of the pin,

She sent to her dear lord the other half of the twin.

但教心似金钿坚，天上人间会相见。

“If our two hearts as firm as the gold should remain.

In heaven or on earth we’ll sometime meet again.”

临别殷勤重寄词，词中有誓两心知。

At partings he confided to the messenger

A secret vow known only to her lord and her.

七月七日长生殿，夜半无人私语时。

On seventhday of seventh moon when none was near,

At midnight in Long Life Hall he whispered in her ear,

在天愿作比翼鸟，在地愿为连理枝。

“On high, we’d be two lovebirds flying wing to wing;

On earth, two trees with branches twined from spring to spring.”

天长地久有时尽，此恨绵绵无绝期！

The boundless sky and endless earth may pass away,

But this vow unfulfilled will be regretted for aye.