The Frosty Moon, Clear as Water

[Intro]

[Verse 1]

The autumn wind blows into the courtyard

At the far end of the corridor, grass grows taller than a person

Dreams cannot be shut in

Unconfined, it runs down the road to Qingmen

When I wake, beside my pillow there is still

The same night, the same water clock marking the hours

[Pre-Chorus]

Even the parrots have fallen asleep

The golden lock beneath the moon, gleaming all in vain

[Chorus]

回廊远砌生秋草 — Autumn grass grows by the winding corridor and distant stone steps

My dreaming soul races a thousand miles, all the way back to Qingmen Road

The parrot cries through the long night, its cries bringing distress

A jade-green cage with a golden lock, holds a whole night's loneliness across its bars

Dewdrops have rolled all night, yet cannot bring things full circle

The precious zheng has a broken string, its sorrowful notes linger around the rafters

[Verse 2]

By day I teach it to speak

It has learned to imitate longing to perfection

At night it begins to dream

In its dreams there are cages too, locks and shackles too

It laments how hard the long night watches are to bear

Behind gauze curtains, I count the night watches with it until dawn

[Pre-Chorus]

The silken bed curtains lift at midnight

The frosty moon hangs overhead, clear as drifting water

[Chorus]

回廊远砌生秋草 — Autumn grass grows by the winding corridor and distant stone steps

My dreaming soul races a thousand miles, all the way back to Qingmen Road

The parrot cries through the long night, its cries bringing distress

A jade-green cage with a golden lock, holds a whole night's loneliness across its bars

Dewdrops have rolled all night, yet cannot bring things full circle

The precious zheng has a broken string, its sorrowful notes linger around the rafters

[Instrumental]

[Verse 3]

I reach out to catch the dew

I try to catch one round drop, but they all scatter

Nothing can be made whole anymore

The moon is full yet people part, and the strings have lost their tune

Lift the treasured zheng and pluck its strings

One mournful note, startles the birds beneath the eaves

[Bridge]

The road by Qingmen is a road of parting

Back then, there, the hoofbeats slowly faded

One parting puts a thousand miles between us

My dreaming soul pursues a thousand miles, yet cannot catch those proud hoofbeats

The parrot asks me what is wrong

I say it's nothing, the frost is heavy and the day still young

It knows nothing of human affairs

I have only learned to turn the sorrow of broken strings into a whistle

[Verse 4]

In the middle of the night, I rise and put on a robe

The frosty moonlight is like water, soaking dampness into my bones

Jade dew falls for another night

What cannot be made whole is far more than the shape of a dewdrop

A broken string can be replaced

Once a heart breaks, what can bind it firmly together again

[Final Chorus]

回廊远砌生秋草 — Autumn grass grows by the winding corridor and distant stone steps

My dreaming soul races a thousand miles, all the way back to Qingmen Road

The parrot cries through the long night, its cries bringing distress

A jade-green cage with a golden lock, holds a whole night's loneliness across its bars

Dewdrops have rolled all night, yet cannot bring things full circle

The precious zheng has a broken string, its sorrowful notes linger around the rafters

[Outro]

As dawn draws near

Frost on the autumn grass, waiting for the sun to sweep it away