English Rendering
On a visit to the Mountain of Nine Immortals,I heard the folksong "Flowers by the Pathway".It is said that the Queen of Wuyue went home to Lin'an every year when spring came.When the King of Wuyue surrendered to the Emperor of Song,he wrote a note to his wife,saying,"As flowers blossom by the pathway,now you may go home slowly. Ballad singers made a doleful melody for this note,which touched me to the heart.But the wording was indelicate,so I improved it.
Ⅰ
Butterflies dance amid flowers by the pathway,
The land is still the same but men have passed away.
Survivors of old dynasties age by and by;
Fair maidens come back slowly, giving sigh for sigh.
Ⅱ
Countless mountain flowers blossom by the pathway,
Passers-by throng to see the cab emerald-green.
If the King had gone in a dignified array,
The Queen should come slowly with a majestic mien.
Ⅲ
Both wealth and rank will pass like the dew on the grass;
Beauty and charm will fade like flowers by the pathway.
It was late for the King to leave the land,alas!
Still we sing of the Queen slow on her homeward way.
