Send Off Deities Song
送 神 曲
汾 进 拜 兮 堂 前
目 眷 眷 兮 琼 筵。
来 不 语 兮 意 不 传
作 暮 雨 兮 愁 空 山。
悲 急 管， 思 繁 弦
灵 之 驾 兮 俨 欲 旋。
倏 云 收 兮 雨 歇
山 青 青 兮 水 潺 湲。
Song Shen Qu
Fen jin bai xi tang qian
Mu juan juan xi qiong yan.
Lai bu yu xi yi bu chuan
Zuo mu yu xi chou kong shan.
Bei ji guan, si fan xian
Ling zhi jia xi yan yu xuan.
Shu yun shou xi yu xie
Shan qing qing xi shui chan yuan.
Send Off Deities Song
Many and various people submit, and do obeisance before the main alter
See and bear in mind constantly the exquisite banquet and offerings.
Come and say nothing, no need for expression
Make and create sunset rain, melancholy empty mountains.
Sad and restless wind instruments, ponder the many chords and overtones from strings
Deities rise and soar upon the whirling vortex.
Quickly clouds depart and the rain stops
Mountains very green, water gurgling sounds.
Notes:
Make and create sunset rain: From an ancient story of an emperor visiting a sacred mountain. During the night he was visited by a goddess. They made love, he did not know if this really was a dream or not, except by the ruffled sheets on the bed. As the local mountain goddess, she told him she must go and never return. But he can see her during sunrises, within the few clouds around the rising sun, and as a quick rain shower at sunsets. So literally this is Wang Wei’s way of saying it is time for the deities to return to Heaven.