The Willow's Longing Leans West

[Intro]

[Verse 1]

The birds begin calling as soon as day breaks

The calls are scattered and uneven

Spring is almost over

A few birds left behind call with lingering tenderness

I listened for a while in bed

I simply joined them and cried for a while

[Pre-Chorus]

I rise and draw the curtain open

Before me there is only grass, grown far too thick

[Chorus]

The east wind blows into the courtyard now and then

杨柳千条尽向西 — A thousand willow branches all lean west

朝日残莺伴妾啼 — In the morning sun, the last orioles weep with me

开帘只见草萋萋 — I lift the curtain and see only lush grass

All pointing toward the same trace

Only I am still standing where I was

[Verse 2]

The grass is green without end

Spreading all the way to the indistinct horizon

Someone once told me

The wilder the grass grows, the more the wanderer should think of coming home

But the grass has greened again and again

There is no word from the one who ought to remember

[Pre-Chorus]

I retreat indoors and sit down

Restless and weary, as though weeds have grown inside my heart

[Chorus]

The east wind blows into the courtyard now and then

杨柳千条尽向西 — A thousand willow branches all lean west

朝日残莺伴妾啼 — In the morning sun, the last orioles weep with me

开帘只见草萋萋 — I lift the curtain and see only lush grass

All pointing toward the same trace

Only I am still standing where I was

[Instrumental]

[Verse 3]

The east wind has entered the courtyard again

Wave after wave, as though bringing news

I ask it, coming from the east

Have you seen the hoofbeats heading west

The wind says nothing

Intent only on reaching the willow branches westward

[Bridge]

A thousand willow boughs lean west together

As if they had agreed, with not one absent

What do they know

What right have they to do my longing for me

But once the scolding is over, regret returns

They bend at the waist, as though bowing toward the west

Oh well, let them be

Even the willows are closer to him than I am, how unfair

[Verse 4]

By evening the wind has eased a little

Its westward posture has never changed

I too learn to gaze westward

Gazing until dusk erases even the distant mountains

If you too are looking west

Think of the willow branches, as my arms reaching toward you

[Final Chorus]

The east wind blows into the courtyard now and then

杨柳千条尽向西 — A thousand willow branches all lean west

朝日残莺伴妾啼 — In the morning sun, the last orioles weep with me

开帘只见草萋萋 — I lift the curtain and see only lush grass

All pointing toward the same trace

Only I am still standing where I was

[Outro]

Tomorrow the east wind will come again

The willow still leans west, I am still waiting for you