[updated October 2022]
Red Cliff Songs of Departure
赤 壁 歌 送 别
二 龙 战 决 雌 雄
赤 壁 楼 般 扫 地 空。
烈 火 张 天 照 云 海
周 瑜 于 此 破 曹 公。
君 去 沧 江 望 澄 碧
鲸 鲵 唐 突 留 馀 迹。
一 一 书 来 报 故 人
我 欲 因 之 壮 心 魄。
Chi Bi Ge Song Bie
Er long zhan jue ci xiong
Chi bi lou ban sao di kong.
Lie huo zhang tian zhao yun hai
Zhou yu yu ci po cao gong.
Jun qu cang jiang wang cheng bi
Jing ni tang tu liu yu ji.
Yi yi shu lai bao gu ren
Wo yu yin zhi zhuang xin po.
Red Cliff Songs of Departure
Two generals met in combat to determine who wins, who loses
At Red Cliff, fires swept the boats away.
Intense fires spread, lighting up the clouds and sky all the way to the ocean
General Yu scattered their troops and sailors.
You depart for the clear section of the Changjiang, transparent bluish-green in the distance
Only traces remaining from the battle are the jingni fish.
Send your diary notes to me and your old friends
My heart-mind and spirit will naturally grow stronger with them.
Notes:
Red Cliff: Famous battle in 208 AD, near the end of the Han Dynasty. Reportedly the largest naval battle in history.
General Yu: (?-221 AD): One of the Five Elite Generals of Chinese history.