A Libation to the Moon at Red Cliff

[Intro]

[Verse 1]

I stand west of the old ramparts

Listening to the river tell, that page of the Three Kingdoms

人道是周郎赤壁 (They say this is Zhou Yu's Red Cliff)

Firelight once illuminated, the whole river night

Waves have washed over a thousand years

They wash away the people, but cannot wash away the iron

[Pre-Chorus]

The land is as beautiful as a painting

How many heroes，step forth from the painting

[Chorus]

大江东去，浪淘尽，千古豪杰 — The great river flows east, its waves wash away, the heroes of all ages

乱石穿空，惊涛拍岸，雪浪千叠 — Jagged rocks pierce the sky, fierce waves pound the shore, snowy breakers rise in a thousand folds

羽扇纶巾，谈笑间，樯橹灰飞烟灭 (With feather fan and silk headscarf, amid talk and laughter, the enemy fleet turns to ash and smoke)

Royal banners change, dynasty after dynasty

Life is a dream, I pour a libation to the moon over the river, honoring heroic sacrifice

The great river flows east, the glory of ages never ceases

[Verse 2]

遥想公瑾当年 (I picture Gongjin in those distant days)

In that season when fortune smiled upon him

Xiao Qiao had just married him

His heroic bearing shines, reflected in a smiling face

Before the battle lines he stands composed

Amid talk and laughter he secured, a great victory

[Pre-Chorus]

故国神游，多情应笑我 (“My spirit roams the ancient realm, laugh at me for feeling so deeply”)

Hair turned gray too soon, a fervor unchanged

[Chorus]

大江东去，浪淘尽，千古豪杰 — The great river flows east, its waves wash away, the heroes of all ages

乱石穿空，惊涛拍岸，雪浪千叠 — Jagged rocks pierce the sky, fierce waves pound the shore, snowy breakers rise in a thousand folds

羽扇纶巾，谈笑间，樯橹灰飞烟灭 (With feather fan and silk headscarf, amid talk and laughter, the enemy fleet turns to ash and smoke)

Royal banners change, dynasty after dynasty

Life is a dream, I pour a libation to the moon over the river, honoring heroic sacrifice

The great river flows east, the glory of ages never ceases

[Instrumental]

[Verse 3]

The moon above the river never grows old

Having watched a thousand sails pass, the shimmering water is clear and cool

So many splendid figures

All surrendered to the waves, blooming and fading again

Only the river still flows

Washing away every joy and sorrow, its voice never ceasing

[Bridge]

Life is like one great dream

In the dream，Red Cliffs is a world of fire

Those who feel deeply grow old easily

My graying hair is reed leaves，bleached by the river wind

一尊还酹江月 — I pour another cup in offering to the moon over the river

A toast to the great souls of ages past, and a little to myself

The dream ends, but the great river remains

Waves roll east, the moon leans west

[Verse 4]

It is time to set off home

Carrying away, all over me, the moonlight's pure radiance

When I think of it again many years later

The waves, across my heart, draw a slanting stroke

So what if life is but a dream

Dream expansively, dream wildly

[Final Chorus]

大江东去，浪淘尽，千古豪杰 — The great river flows east, its waves wash away, the heroes of all ages

乱石穿空，惊涛拍岸，雪浪千叠 — Jagged rocks pierce the sky, fierce waves pound the shore, snowy breakers rise in a thousand folds

羽扇纶巾，谈笑间，樯橹灰飞烟灭 (With feather fan and silk headscarf, amid talk and laughter, the enemy fleet turns to ash and smoke)

Royal banners change, dynasty after dynasty

Life is a dream, I pour a libation to the moon over the river, honoring heroic sacrifice

The great river flows east, the glory of ages never ceases

[Outro]

The river still flows east

Let this cup of wine, serve as my visiting card