Having seen through the three springs' end,
What use are peach reds and willow greens?
Extinguish this glorious youth,
And seek the calm and heavenly peace.
Speak not of celestial peach blossoms in profusion,
Or apricot buds blooming amid the clouds.
In the end, who survives past autumn?
Just look—in the white poplar village, people weep;
Beneath green maples, ghosts chant and moan.
And endless withered grass covers the graves.
This is it: poor yesterday, rich today—all toil;
Spring glory, autumn decay—flowers tormented.
Such mortal trials of life and death—who can escape?
I have heard that in the West grows a sacred tree called Sala,
Bearing upon its boughs the fruit of eternal life.
English titles, text, and notes are AI-assisted for reading only; for scholarship cite the Chinese and authoritative editions.
Annotation
This song concerns Jia Xichun. Having witnessed her three sisters' tragic fates ('three springs'), she comprehends life's impermanence and becomes a nun. 'The sacred tree in the West' is the Buddhist sala tree; 'fruit of eternal life' represents liberation through Buddhist dharma. The entire song is infused with Buddhist philosophy of emptiness.
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