Pavilion Evenings
阁 夜
岁 暮 阴 阳 催 短 景
天 涯 霜 雪 霁 寒 宵。
五 更 鼓 角 声 悲 壮
三 峡 星 河 影 动 摇。
野 哭 千 家 闻 战 伐
夷 歌 数 处 起 渔 樵。
卧 龙 跃 马 终 黄 土
人 事 音 书 漫 寂 寥。
Ge Ye
Sui mu yin yang cui duan jing
Tian ya shuang xue ji han xiao.
Wu geng gu jiao sheng bei zhuang
San xia xing he ying dong yao.
Ye ku qian jia wen zhan fa
Yi ge shu chu qi yu qiao.
Wo long yue ma zhong huang tu
Ren shi yin shu man ji liao.
Pavilion Evenings
End of the year moon and sun, scenery and life quickly pass by
At the edge of the sky, cold night clears up to frost and snow.
Daybreak drums, their reveille with strong and melancholy sounds
Three Gorges area, stars are river reflections that stir and wave.
From the countryside, cries from one thousand households about
the battles and attacks
Only a few local ethnic songs arise from the fishermen and woodcutters.
Zhuge Liang’s martial energies eventually are buried in Yellow Springs
Human affairs involve waiting alone and in silence for family and imperial
letters.
Notes:
Zhuge Liang: (181-234) Prime Minister and Regent of the Shu Han state (221-263) within and during the Three Kingdoms period (220-280). One of the most famous of the Chinese military strategists. Known for his intellectual skills and as the “Crouching Dragon”.
Yellow Springs: The Chinese version of Hell or Hades. The Chinese word is
Diyu.