A Fish Bears a Letter

[Intro]

[Verse 1]

The post station in Chenzhou in spring

Mist paints the towers and ferry crossing, into a blur

I write letters in a lonely lodging

Countless letters half written and crumpled away

The Peach Blossom Paradise cannot be captured in writing

I can only write letters home saying all is well

[Pre-Chorus]

The letters I receive grow thinner and thinner

Those who think of me grow fewer and farther apart

[Chorus]

Plum blossoms are sent onward from a post station

A fish-shaped case holds a silk letter sealed within

Letter by letter, building a fortress of resentment

I count and count, but can never get it right

The Chen River once flowed peacefully around Mount Chen

For whom do I insist on hastening toward Xiaoxiang

[Verse 2]

The cuckoo cries blood in the mist

Crying until even the setting sun seems to weep

I close the window

Cold still enters the house through the cracks

The letter says the hills of Chen have turned green

Yet all I see is a blur in the mist

[Pre-Chorus]

How should I write my reply?

The sign-off always comes from a journey far from home

[Chorus]

Plum blossoms are sent onward from a post station

A fish-shaped case holds a silk letter sealed within

Letter by letter, building a fortress of resentment

I count and count, but can never get it right

The Chen River once flowed peacefully around Mount Chen

For whom do I insist on hastening toward Xiaoxiang

[Instrumental]

[Verse 3]

If you ask what sorrowful resentment is

It is confession after confession left unsent

It is wanting to return but being unable to

It is the loneliness I long to voice but swallow back

Built up layer upon layer

Built stronger than a city’s walls

[Bridge]

Some say the Chen River is foolish

Turning away from a settled life

Yet insist on heading downstream

To Xiaoxiang, chasing an illusion

But I understand what it feels

Staying would mean suffering just the same

Rather than remain trapped in the mist

Better to flow toward the road ahead, though it remains unclear

[Verse 4]

Tonight I finish writing the last letter

Seal it with wax and hand it to the courier

The letter makes no mention of resentment

Only ask whether you have enough to eat and wear

O Chen River, keep flowing for now

Wait until I too have gathered enough steps to set out

[Final Chorus]

Plum blossoms are sent onward from a post station

A fish-shaped case holds a silk letter sealed within

Letter by letter, building a fortress of resentment

I count and count, but can never get it right

The Chen River once flowed peacefully around Mount Chen

For whom do I insist on hastening toward Xiaoxiang

[Outro]

At dawn, perhaps the fog will clear

The Chen River has flowed through countless dawns and dusks