A Homeward Light Across Ten Thousand Miles

[Intro]

[Verse 1]

In youth I once gazed toward the White Jade Capital of heaven

Before the twelve towers, moonlight gleams like frost

With sword in hand I leave my native home

I wish to entrust my aspirations to the imperial court

Half a lifetime of wind and rain hastens age

A paper's worth of hollow fame falls into a distant river

[Pre-Chorus]

Looking back on old excursions, the people are already far away

Only an old friend knows my sorrow

[Chorus]

Borrow a river of moonlight, to light my homeland ten thousand miles away

How many people scattered apart, still wait for a window

I set empty fame aside, and treasure old promises

Through all the wind and snow along the way, my ardent blood has never cooled

May the lights of a thousand homes shine on the road back

May these mountains and rivers be safe, may the people never be driven from home

[Verse 2]

Armored cavalry raise dust that blots out the sun

Every plant and tree in the old garden holds sorrow

White bones lie silent beneath wild grass

What crime have the common people committed to suffer such calamity

Hollow fame led me astray, aboard a towered ship

Long is the road west to Yelang

[Pre-Chorus]

An old friend’s promise makes gold seem light

To drive the frost from all over me

[Chorus]

Borrow a river of moonlight, to light my homeland ten thousand miles away

How many people scattered apart, still wait for a window

I set empty fame aside, and treasure old promises

Through all the wind and snow along the way, my ardent blood has never cooled

May the lights of a thousand homes shine on the road back

May these mountains and rivers be safe, may the people never be driven from home

[Instrumental]

[Verse 3]

The river carries the cool snowy hues of Mount Emei

A thousand sails carry the moon past Xunyang

You open aged wine in the riverside tower

A cup shared with a kindred soul warms the cold window

[Bridge]

清水芙蓉出自然 — A lotus rises from clear water in natural grace

Its fragrance reveals itself without adornment

Your poet’s heart is like the bright moon

I will not forget a promise worth a thousand in gold

Suddenly I hear a pardon has arrived with the geese

Covered in frost and snow, I see the light of spring

On the journey home across ten thousand miles, the lights draw near

Even at midnight I worry over the old battlefield

[Verse 4]

The letter of pardon frees me from the frost covering my body

Hard to ease the sorrow of lovers parted in two places

When will all the fires of war go out

The lights of countless homes shine upon peace and well-being

[Final Chorus]

Borrow a river of moonlight, to light my homeland ten thousand miles away

How many people scattered apart, still wait for a window

I set empty fame aside, and treasure old promises

Through all the wind and snow along the way, my ardent blood has never cooled

May the lights of a thousand homes shine on the road back

May these mountains and rivers be safe, may the people never be driven from home

[Outro]

I raise my cup and gaze toward the Yangtze

May the bright moon shine in all directions