永隔

男：三生有幸今生有你
用几世才修得天造地设连理比翼

女：白首不离余生不弃
有情人秉花烛举案齐眉心心相印

合：可岁华短如嗟叹
须臾间曲终人散
谁曾料因果乱造化误算
穷奇道成绝路永隔人寰

男：痛到黄泉也
合：望不穿

女：流水似忆轩昂如你
那相守的点滴缱绻多少爱意
男：莫忘记（女：我铭记）
男：柔情痴心（女：与你随行）
合：这一生彼此牵系
怎么舍得离去

合：可岁华短如嗟叹
须臾间曲终人散
谁曾料因果乱造化误算
穷奇道成绝路永隔人寰
凡尘告一段
来世再作伴

男：啊～
女：啊～

合：宿命时与愿违思念从未断
男：岁华短如嗟叹
合：孤泪悬 天妒红颜
不夜天 血衣染 以身挡剑
厌离者 却尝尽愁苦离散
遗言千千万
来不及讲完

English #1 – Forever Separated

In my three lives, I am fortunate in that this one, I have you
How many lives did I have to cultivate to earn this?1
Heaven’s making, earth’s designing—interwoven branches, wings pressed together2

Even whitehaired, I will not leave you; for my remaining years, I will not discard you
To have someone who cares, carrying the patterned marriage candles3
Our respect raised to eye level,4 our hearts in harmony5

But our flowering years6 together were as short as a sigh
in a mere moment, our song ended, people scattered
Who predicted the tangling of cause and effect, the miscalculation of fortune?
Qiongqi Dao became a dead end, forever separating us in the human realm

Pain, all the way into the underworld7
No longer able to hope8

Flowing water, like memories—dignified and imposing,9 like you
Waiting and watching, like falling droplets
How love tangles and ties us together
Do not forget (It is inscribed on my heart)
Gentle emotions, infatuated heart (Travelling beside you)
In this life, we will be tied by each other
How can we bear to part

But our flowering years together were as short as a sigh
in a mere moment, our song ended, people scattered
Who predicted the tangling of cause and effect, the miscalculation of fortune?
Qiongqi Dao became a dead end, forever separating us in the human realm
We’ll separate in this mortal world for a time
In the coming life, we’ll accompany each other once more

Ah…

Our fate conflicts with what we’d wish— our thoughts and yearnings for each other have never broken
Our flowering years together were as short as a sigh
A lonely tear hovers, suspended—heaven envies beauties10
Nightless City—clothes stained with blood—blocking a sword with a body
and yet it is the one who is sick of parting11 who tastes the bitterness and sorrow of separation
The words of the deceased number a thousand, ten thousands
but it is too late to say them all

1.The concept of 三生 sansheng / three lives derives from Buddhism: the three lives are one’s past life, one’s current life, and one’s next life. The idea, generally speaking, is that one cultivates goodness in one’s present life in order to improve one’s allotment/fortune/fate in the next one.
2.The “interwoven branches” and “wings pressed together” are both symbols of eternal love in the Chinese tradition, featuring prominently in the last lines of Bai Juyi’s masterpiece,《长恨歌》 Changhenge / “Song of Everlasting Regret.” The poem is over eight hundred characters long, and both dramatizes and romanticizes the love between 唐玄宗 Emperor Xuanzong of Tang and his concubine, 杨玉环 Yang Yuhuan. The lines in question: “[…] 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。” // “in the heavens, let us be biyi birds / on earth, let us be interwoven trees / heaven is long-lasting, earth long-enduring, but eventually, they will end / only this regret, unending, unbroken, will have no day of end.” A 比翼 biyi bird is a mythical bird that actually consists of two half-birds; only when they are paired together can they fly.
3.The 花烛 huazhu / “patterned candles” are candles traditionally lit on wedding nights, decorated with dragons and phoenixes, which in turn are symbolic of talented men and virtuous women.
4.The chengyu 举案齐眉 ju’an qimei / literally, “to hold the tray level with the brow,” is used to describe a married couple treating each other with courtesy, as bowing one’s head while raising the proffered item demonstrates respect.
5.The chengyu 心心相印 xinxin xiangyin / is used to describe two people who are kindred spirits, or otherwise have a mutual affinity.
6.The characters I’ve translated as [“flowering years”] are actually 岁华 suihua, which is the name of Jin Zixuan’s sword. 岁华 suihua could also be translated as “magnificent years” or, more in a more pedestrian manner, simply “time.”
7.黄泉 huangquan, literally “yellow spring,” is another name for the land of the dead in Chinese folklore. Here I’ve rendered it as “underworld.”
8.望穿 wangchuan / means “to look forward to,” “to eagerly await.” The insertion of the negation particle in this phrase inverts the meaning—they are no longer able to look forward to something they’ve been eagerly awaiting because that has been rendered impossible or unattainable.
9.轩昂 xuanang, here translated as “dignified and imposing” is particularly notable because the character 轩 xuan is in fact the xuan of Jin Zixuan’s name.
10.The binome 红颜 hongyan, literally “rosy face,” is often used to describe beautiful women, likely alluding to a healthful flush or the use of cosmetics. The sentiment of 天妒红颜 tiandu hongyan, literally “the heavens envy beautiful women,” references the tendency of beautiful women in history to lead difficult, often tragic lives.
11.The lyrics here play on the literal meaning of Jiang Yanli’s name, as 厌 yan means “to detest, to be sick of” and 离 li means “parting, farewell, departure.”

Submitted by absolutelsewhere

English #2 – Eternal Separation

It’s my good fortune to have you in this life.
How many lives I use that can build and get this perfect match with very loving couples.

Even my hair became white I still use the remaining of my life to not abandon you.
Lovers couple hold wedding candle with mutual respect in marriage, and two heats beat as one.

But the good times is short like a sigh.
In a flash, the song end and people fall apart.
Whoever guesses, and regard that karma is confusion and good fortune is a mistake.
Qiongqi path becomes the disappearing road, that separate us forever from this world.

My sorrow also go to underworld.
Hope not to pass-through.

My memory seems like running water, that recall all your dignified.
How many love, that can keep mutually a drip in love and inseparable.

Don’t forget.
I remember.

My gentle and infatuation.
I’ll accompany you together.
Our life is related to each other.
How can I willing to part and leave?

But the good times is short like a sigh.
In a flash, the song end and people fall apart.
Whoever guesses, and regard that karma is confusion and good fortune is a mistake.
Qiongqi path becomes the disappearing road, that separate us forever from this world.
I want to tell a word to the world.
That next life I’ll come back again to accompany you.

a~
a~

Our fate together read to separate, but we never think of giving up.
The good times is short like a sigh.
Hold the lonely tears, heaven jealous to this beautiful woman.
At Nightless city, stained with bloody garment because of this body block the sword.
Dislike this leaving, but experience all fearfulness of separate from another.
Thousands of countless words.
It too late to finish the words.

Submitted by MJ-Q8