Swirling Snow on a Sunlit River

[Intro]

[Verse 1]

The river's surface after the snow has stopped

The moon polishes it smooth as silk

I push the window open a crack

The glow of snow comes flooding into the little tower

On a night so pure

Even a sigh feels out of season

[Pre-Chorus]

Someone taught me to read a poem backward

Saying the same landscape would take on a different meaning

[Chorus]

Beneath the bright moon, snow flows like pale jade

The dark clouds are thin, as though drunk on wine

Willow fluff dances all over the sky, too much to gather into my sleeves

Scattered gulls call ceaselessly as they glide

Along the clear riverbank, each gust of evening wind blows chillier

The green mountains have grown slender with the grace of jade bones

[Verse 2]

At dusk I go for a walk beside the river

The wind sends my coat hem fluttering wildly

Snow has fallen on the distant green mountains

Thinned to a single furrow of a darkly painted brow

The water at the inlet beneath the mountain

Is blue almost to black, so clear and still

[Pre-Chorus]

A few light gulls skim the water

Like a few scattered ink dots, swimming

[Chorus]

Beneath the bright moon, snow flows like pale jade

The dark clouds are thin, as though drunk on wine

Willow fluff dances all over the sky, too much to gather into my sleeves

Scattered gulls call ceaselessly as they glide

Along the clear riverbank, each gust of evening wind blows chillier

The green mountains have grown slender with the grace of jade bones

[Instrumental]

[Verse 3]

Read this ci poem backward

It reveals another world of passing seasons

Read forward it is a snowy river

Read backward it heads toward Mount Wu

It turns out that scenery, too, will

Depend on which end you begin speaking from

[Bridge]

I turn to see snow reflected at the window

The window paper glows like a small patch of daylight

Faint mist hangs down from the mountains

Hanging faintly over the mountain peaks

Read forward or backward, it is still the same

Neither snow nor moon will yield

Looking back and forth across a lifetime

It is simply a matter of enjoying it through another pair of eyes

[Verse 4]

Then let us keep walking along the moonlight

Wherever I reach will count as a lovely encounter

The snow will stop, the moon will move on

Those who read poetry need not force things

Tomorrow night look through a different window

Another look at the snowy river still will not feel old

[Final Chorus]

Beneath the bright moon, snow flows like pale jade

The dark clouds are thin, as though drunk on wine

Willow fluff dances all over the sky, too much to gather into my sleeves

Scattered gulls call ceaselessly as they glide

Along the clear riverbank, each gust of evening wind blows chillier

The green mountains have grown slender with the grace of jade bones

[Outro]

The moon has risen a little higher

Faint mist still hangs over the mountain peaks