Bai Juyi: Songs and Dances

 

[updated September 2022]

 

Songs and Dances

 

歌 舞
秦 中 岁 云 暮
大 雪 满 皇 洲。
雪 中 退 朝 者
朱 紫 尽 公 侯。
贵 有 风 云 兴
富 无 饥 寒 忧。
所 营 唯 第 宅
所 务 在 追 游。
朱 轮 车 马 客
红 烛 歌 舞 楼。
欢 酣 促 密 坐
醉 暖 脱 重 裘。
秋 官 为 主 人
廷 尉 居 上 头。
日 中 为 一 乐
夜 半 不 能 休。
岂 知 阌 乡 狱
中 有 冻 死 囚。

 

Ge Wu

Qin zhong sui yun mu
Da xue man huang zhou.
Xue zhong tui zhao zhe
Zhu zi jin gong hou.

Gui you feng yun xing
Fu wu ju han you.
Suo ying wei di zhai
Suo wu zai zhui you.

Zhu lun che ma ke
Hong zhu ge wu lou.
Huan han cu mi zuo
Zui nuan tuo chong qiu.

Qiu guan wei zhu ren
Ting wei ju shang tou.
Ri zhong wei yi le
Ye ban bu neng xiu.
Qi zhi wen xiang yu
Zhong you dong si qiu.

 

Songs and Dances

Middle of Shaanxi Province at the end of the year
Heavy snow fills Huangzhou.
Dawn palace audience adjourns into the snow
Most of them wearing the red and purple of the rich nobility.

They enjoy and value the beginning of wind and clouds
Wealthy do not worry about cold and hunger.
They totally operate only for their own house and family
Their job is to travel and pursue each other.

Red-adorned carriages and horses just sit and enjoy
Singing and dancing in red-candled buildings.
Merrily drink close to each other with happiness and joy
After drunk, they again shed their fur coats.

Government judges make life and death decisions
Prison guards sit close to these higher authorities.
All day the lot of them of one happiness
They are unable to finish by midnight.
The prison inside Wenxiang is known
Some of the convicts there have already frozen to death.

 

Notes:

Huangzhou: Also known as Hangzhou  Provincial capital of Zhejiang Province and as imperial capital during the Southern Song Dynasty.