[updated October 2022]
Difficult Sichuan Road Melody
蜀 道 难
噫 吁 嚱，危 乎 高 哉！
蜀 道 之 难 难 于 上 青 天！
蚕 从 及 鱼 凫
开 国 何 茫 然。
尔 来 四 万 八 千 岁
不 与 秦 塞 通 人 烟。
西 当 太 白 有 鸟 道
何 以 横 绝 峨 眉 颠。
地 崩 山 摧 壮 士 死
然 后 天 梯 石 栈 方 钩 连。
上 有 六 龙 回 日 之 高 标
下 有 冲 波 逆 折 之 回 川。
黄 鹤 之 飞 尚 不 得 过
猿 猱 欲 度 愁 攀 缘。
青 泥 何 盘 盘
百 步 九 折 萦 岩 峦。
扪 参 历 井 仰 胁 息
以 手 抚 膺 坐 长 叹。
问 君 西 游 何 时 还？
畏 途 巉 岩 不 可 攀。
但 见 悲 鸟 号 古 木
雄 飞 雌 从 绕 林 间。
又 闻 子 规 啼 夜 月
愁 空 山。
蜀 道 之 难 难 于 上 青 天
使 人 听 此 凋 朱 颜。
连 峰 去 天 不 盈 尺
枯 松 倒 挂 倚 绝 壁。
飞 湍 暴 流 争 喧 豗
砰 崖 转 石 万 壑 雷。
其 险 也 若 此。
嗟 尔 远 道 之 人 胡 为 乎 来 哉？
剑 阁 峥 嵘 而 崔 嵬。
一 夫 当 关，万 人 莫 开。
所 守 咸 匪 秦
化 为 狼 与 豺。
朝 避 猛 虎
夕 避 长 蛇。
磨 牙 吮 血
杀 人 如 麻。
锦 城 虽 云 乐
不 如 早 还 家。
蜀 道 之 难 难 于 上 青 天
侧 身 西 望 长 咨 嗟！
Shu Dao Nan
Yi xu xi, wei hu gao zai !
Shu dao zhi nan nan yu shang qing tian !
Can cong ji yu fu
Kai guo he mang ran.
Er lai si wan ba qian sui
Bu yu qin sai tong ren yan.
Xi dang tai bai you niao dao
He yi heng jue e mei dian.
Di beng shan cui zhuang shi si
Ran hou tian ti shi zhan fang gou lian.
Shang you liu long hui ri zhi gao biao
Xia you chong bo ni she zhi hui chuan.
Huang he zhi fei shang bu dei guo
Yuan nao yu du chou pan yuan.
Qing ni he pan pan
Bai bu jiu she ying yan luan.
Men can li jing yang xie xi
Yi shou fu ying zuo chang tan.
Wen jun xi you he shi huan?
Wei tu chan yan bu ke pan.
Dan jian bei niao hao gu mu
Xiong fei ci cong rao lin jian.
You wen zi gui ti ye yue,
Chou kong shan.
Shu dao zhi nan nan yu shang qing tian
Shi ren ting ci diao zhu yan.
Lian feng qu tian bu ying chi
Ku song dao gua yi jue bi.
Fei tuan bao liu zheng xuan hui
Peng ya zhuan shi wan bi lei.
Qi xian ye ruo ci.
Jie er yuan dao zhi ren hu wei hu lai zai?
Jian ge zheng rong er cui wei.
Yi fu dang guan, wan ren mo kai.
Suo shou xian fei qin
Hua wei lang yu chai.
Zhao bi meng hu
Xi bi chang she.
Mo ya shun xue
Sha ren ru ma.
Jin cheng sui yun le
Bu ru zao huan jia.
Shu dao zhi nan nan yu shang qing tian
Ce shen xi wang chang zi jie !
Difficult Sichuan Road Melody
Alas, sigh, so high and dangerous!
Very difficult Sichuan road, more so than going above the blue sky!
Can Cong with Yu Fu found a vast dynasty
They arrived after forty-eight thousand years of continuous human settlement.
Not associated or neighbors to the Qin.
To the west, so much white snow, only birds can travel through.
No one can access the heights of Mt. Emei
Mountain earthquakes destroy and kill heroic men.
Then later five different peaks created like stone steps ascending to the sky
and connecting to Mt. Emei
Six dragons have to carry the sun above the tall treetops.
Down below waves wash away and come back into the river
Yellow cranes cannot go over these mountains.
Monkeys try to climb their way up and over, but cannot Mt. Qingni’s black mud good for making bricks.
Every one hundred steps require several switch-backs and moving around cliff ledges
Atop one can catch their breath and touch the stars.
Because of your efforts, sit down and take long and deep breaths Ask you, when do you think your western travels will end?
I fear these paths so steep and rocky, you will not be able to climb
If you die, the sad birds up in the old trees will enjoy your death.
Females difficult to follow the males through the forests Also hear cuckoos crying to the evening moon, empty mountains of this sorrow.
Sichuan road very difficult, goes up into the clear sky
Causes people to heed youthful appearances that have become withered.
Summit after summit so high, only leaves one foot of sky above them Thin and haggard pine trees cling to broken cliffs.
Flying rapids fall headlong below with noisy thundering
Exploding on rocks and outcroppings ten thousand walls of thunder
This place very dangerous
Why do we send people onto this distant and hazardous road?
Notes:
Can Cong: Known as the God of Blue-Green Clothes, he was famous as a promoter for the cultivation of silkworms.
Yu Fu: A work in the Songs of Chu called “The Fisherman”. An often used theme about a scholar who meets and discusses life with a local fisherman.
Mt. Emei: One of the Great Five Mountains of China located in Sichuan Province.