What Can We Do About Growing Old

[Intro]

[Verse 1]

The autumn wind rises gust after gust

White clouds drift past one by one

The grasses and trees have yellowed and shed their leaves

The shape of 人, the character for a person, has been written across the southern slope

I stand at the bow and watch

Until the sight leaves my heart empty and forlorn

[Pre-Chorus]

Orchids have a beauty of their own

Chrysanthemums have their own sweet fragrance

[Chorus]

Sail a towered boat across the Fen River

The bow plows through snow-white waves

Amid flutes and drums everyone sings aloud

When joy reaches its height, sorrow grows

How long can youth and vigor last

I am the one who can do nothing about growing old

[Verse 2]

All the lanterns on the boats are lit

Shining like flowing sparks of starlight

I think of someone who, when they smile

The one with smiling eyes and arched brows

Orchids and chrysanthemums return with their fragrance every year

Even longing has only silence left

[Pre-Chorus]

Some names cannot be spoken

At their mention, my eyes grow hot with tears

[Chorus]

Sail a towered boat across the Fen River

The bow plows through snow-white waves

Amid flutes and drums everyone sings aloud

When joy reaches its height, sorrow grows

How long can youth and vigor last

I am the one who can do nothing about growing old

[Instrumental]

[Verse 3]

Flutes and drums sound louder and louder

We drink round after round of wine

I am the master of all under heaven

I sit enthroned high above the multitudes

But the louder I laugh

The colder and more bitter the heart grows

[Bridge]

When joy reaches its height

Sorrow quietly takes the helm

It makes no noise or fuss

It simply sits to my left

In youth, I was like a mighty river

Surging on, refusing to pause for a moment

Now the river has slowed

Looking back there are whirlpools everywhere

[Verse 4]

Who cares when youth and strength will come?

Let old age come there is no need to hide

White clouds are still drifting through the sky

The wild geese will visit again next year

Only a person’s springtime

Slips into twilight in the blink of an eye

[Final Chorus]

Sail a towered boat across the Fen River

The bow plows through snow-white waves

Amid flutes and drums everyone sings aloud

When joy reaches its height, sorrow grows

How long can youth and vigor last

I am the one who can do nothing about growing old

[Outro]

The rowing songs slowly fade

The Fen River goes on talking to itself