Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Chogonka, part 3

41 君王、面を掩て救て得ず。
The King covered his face, unable to save her

42 首を回せば、血と涙と相ひ和して流る。
When he turned his head, he saw blood and tears combining and flowing away.

43 黄埃(こうあい)、散漫として風蕭索(せうさく)たり。
The yellow dust scattered sadly in the breeze.

44 雲の棧、縈り紆りて劍閣に登る。
The walkways in the clouds wind around and climb up through Jiange.

- Or "the passes of Mount Jian," a border gate in modern Sichuan. The next few lines continue to describe the King's journey home.

45 峨嵋山の下人の行くこと少まれ也
There were few people going through the foot of Mount Emei.

- Both SKT and the wikisource point out that Emei isn't on Xuanzong's route but it was a common place in poetry and it was a famous part of Shu.

46 旌旗光無して日色薄く。
The banners had no light and the sun was pale.

- In other words the sky was cloudy so the sun couldn't illuminate the King's banners.

47 蜀江、水碧にして蜀山青し。
The water of the Shu rivers was blue, and the Shu mountains were green.

- 青 here refers to the lush plant growth, so it's not "blue".

48 聖主朝朝(あさなあさな)暮暮(ゆうべゆうべ)の情、
The King's feelings morning and night

- This is another line where I don't fully understand the grammar of the original.  SKT indicates this line means "(But in contrast to the lushness of the mountains and river,) the King's felt downcast because he thought about her morning and night."  Wikisource has "Our liege lord thought about her night and day."  It seems more to me like this should lead into the next lines, describing the King's 情.

49 行宮に月を見ては心を傷むる色,
Watching the moon in his temporary dwelling reflected the pain of his heart.

50 夜の雨に鈴を聞ては腸を断つ声。
Hearing bells on a rainy night was a sound of deep sorrow.

- SKT emends 鈴 to 猿, suggesting this is based on a 故事 about a mother monkey crying for her children.

51 天旋り、日転りて龍馭を廻へす,
The heavens turned and the sun moved, and the Emperor's chariot returned.

- This is a poetic way of saying the rebellion ended.  I believe that Xuanzong had abdicated by this point and was a retired Emperor.

52 此に到て躊躇して去ること能はず。
When he reached this place he hesitated and was unable to depart.

- "This place" is Mawei, where Yang Guifei was killed.

53 馬嵬の坡の下泥土の中,
In the mud and dirt at the base of Mawei's slopes,

54 玉顏を見ずして空しく死せし処。
He did not see her jeweled face, but only the place where she uselessly died.

- wikisource suggests that 玉 here is a reference to Guifei's birth name 玉環, although 玉 is a fairly conventional symbol of beauty.

55 君臣、相顧みて盡(ことごと)く衣を霑(うるほ)す,
The King and his ministers looked at each other, and they all soaked their clothes [with tears].

56 東の(方)都門を望み、馬に信(まか)せて帰る。
They turned towards the Eastern gate of the capital, and let their horses make their way home.

57 帰り来て池苑、皆な旧きに依る,
When they returned, the ponds and gardens were just like before.

58 太液の芙蓉、未央の柳。
The lotuses of Taiye and the willows of Weiyang.

- Weiyang palace was a Han Dynasty location, but in the Tang dynasty a pond had been built in the palace called Weiyang.  Wikisource says that the Taiye ponds were constructed by Emperor Wu, making this yet another reference to him.  Incidentally, this line is quoted verbatim in "Kiritsubo"; the only direct quote of the poem.

59 芙蓉は面の如く、柳は眉の如く,
 The lotuses were like her face, and the willows were like her eyebrows.

60 此に対して如何ぞ涙を垂(給は)ざらん。
Faced with this, how could the King not cry?

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