China and the West

Bai, Juyi [Bo, Juyi]. Long bitter song. Transl. by Gary Snyder.
The "Long Bitter Song" (Chang hen ge) of Bai Juyi (Po Chü-i) is probably the best known and most widely popular poem in the whole Chinese cultural-sphere. Bai and his friend Wang Shifu (Wang Shih-fu) were visiting the Xienfu Chan Buddhist training center in 806, and were talking one night of the events of the reign of Emperor Xuanzong (Hsiian Tsung) and the An Lushan rebellion, sixty years earlier. Xuanzong was one of China's better rulers and presided over what has since been considered the golden age of both Chan Buddhist creativity and Chinese poetry. He took power in 712 and led a strong and innovative administration up to about 745. At that time he became totally infatuated with Yang Gui Fei (Yang Kuei- fei), the wife of one of his many sons. She became his concubine, the Sogdian-Turkish general An Lushan became an intimate of the couple and perhaps also a lover of Yang, the restive Northeast revolted under An, he led his troops into the capital, Xuanzong, Yang Gui Fei and the palace guard fled the city, and outside town at Horse Cliff the troops stopped, refused to go on, and insisted on putting Yang Gui Fei to death. That was in 755. The rebellion was quelled by 762, about the same time Xuanzong died. This rebellion marked a watershed in the fortunes of the Tang dynasty, beginning a period of somewhat more decentralized power, a rise of Chinese cultural chauvinism and contempt for the "third world" bor¬der peoples, and a greater weakness in relation to the borders.
The story of the Emperor and his lovely concubine had become legend. After that evening's reminiscences. Bai was inspired to write the story as a long poem. Within his own lifetime he then heard it sung on the canals and in the pleasure quarters by singing-girls and minstrels. Bai lived from a.d. 772 to 846. He was born in a poor family, passed the examina-tions partly on the strength of his literary brilliance, and became a life¬long political functionary of great integrity and compassion who wrote many stirring poems on behalf of the common people. He was a Chan Buddhist, and studied under the master Wei Kuan, who was a disciple of the outstanding Chan teacher Mazu (Ma-tsu).
This poem is in the seven character line, which gives it (in Chinese) this sort of rhythm:
tum tum / turm turm: turm turm turm
I have tried to keep to this beat as far as possible in my translation. I did the first version of it with the aid of Ch'en Shih-hsiang who was my teacher in graduate seminars at U.C. Berkeley in Tang poetics, in the early fifties.
I must take full responsibility, however, for idiosyncratic aspects of the translation—cases of both stripped-down literalism, and occasional free flights. My debt to his gracious, learned, unquenchable delight in all forms of poetry is deep indeed, and I am pleased to honor his memory with this publication of a poem that we took much pleasure in reading together.
Gary Snyder 28.X.86

I
Han's Emperor wanted a Beauty
one to be a "Destroyer of Kingdoms" Scouring the country, many years,
sought, but didn't find.
The Yang family had a girl
just come grown;
Reared deep in the inner-apartments,
men didn't know of her.
Such Heaven-given elegance
could not be concealed
One morning she was taken to
the Emperor's household.
A turn of the head, one smile,
—a hundred lusts were flamed
The Six Palaces rouge-and-eyebrow
without one beautiful face.
In the Spring cold she was given a bath
at the Flower-pure Pool
Warm pool, smooth water,
on her cold, glowing skin
Servant girls helping her rise,
languorous, effortless beauty—
This was the beginning of her new role:
glistening with Imperial favour.
Hair like a floating cloud, flower-face,
ripple of gold when she walked.
—In the warm Hibiscus curtains
they spent the Spring night.
Spring night is bitterly short
it was noon when they rose;
From this time on the Emperor
held no early court.
Holding feasts and revels
without a moment's rest
Spring passed, Spring dalliance,
all in a whirl of nights.
Beautiful girls in the outer palace:
three thousand women:
Love enough for three thousand
centered in one body.
In Gold House, perfectly attired
her beauty served the night;
In the Jade Tower the parties ended
with drunk, peaceful Spring.
Her sisters and brothers
all given land,
Splendor and brilliance
surprised her humble family.
Following this, on all the earth,
fathers & mothers hearts
No longer valued bearing males
but hoped to have girls.
The high-soaring Li palace
pierces blue clouds
Delights of Immortals, whirled on wind
were heard of everywhere.
Slow song, flowing dance,
music like frost-crystal
sifting from the lute-strings—
The Emperor could exhaust a day
watching—and still not full
II
Then Yuyang war drums,
approached, shaking the earth;
Alarming, scattering, the "Rainbow Skirt"
the "Feathered Robe" dances.
From the nine great City-Towers,
smoke, dust, rose.
Thousands of chariots, ten thousand horsemen scattered Southwest—
Kingfisher banner fluttering, rippling,
going and then stopping;
West out the city walls
over a hundred li
And the six armies won't go on:
nothing can be done—
Writhing, twisting, Moth-eyebrows
dies in front of the horses.
Her flower comb falls to the ground
not a man will pick it up—
Kingfisher feathers, "little golden birds",
jade hair-pin;
The Emperor hides his face
no way to help
Turns, looks, blood, tears,
flow, quietly mingle.
Yellow dust eddies and scatters.
Desolate winds blow.
Cloud Trail winds and twists
climbing to Sword-point Peak
Under Omei Shan
the last few came.
Flags, banners, without brightness,
A meagre-coloured sun.
Shu river waters blue
Shu mountains green
And the Emperor, days, days,
nights, nights, brooding.
From the temporary palace, watching the moon colour tore his heart
The night-rain bell-tinkle
—bowel-twisting music.
III
Heaven turns, earth revolves,
The Dragon-Chariot returned.
But he was irresolute,
didn't want to go;
And at the foot of Horse Cliff,
in the sticky mud,
Couldn't find the Jade Face
at her death-place.
Court officials watching him
soaked their clothes with tears.
Looking east to the Capital walls,
they returned on horses
Came back to Pond Park
—all was as before.
Taiye Hibiscus,
Weiyang Willow.
But Hibiscus flowers were like her face,
the Willows like her brow:
Seeing this, how could he
keep tears from falling.
Spring wind, peach, plum,
flowers open in the sun;
Autumn rain, Wutong trees, leaf-fall time.
Western palace, the inner court,
many autumn grasses.
Falling leaves fill the stairs
red: and no one sweeps.
The Pear-garden players
white-haired young.
Pepper-court eunuchs
watched beautiful girls age.
Evening, palace, glow-worm flight,
—his thoughts were soundless
He picked his single candle-wick down, couldn't reach sleep.
Slow, slow, the night bell
begins the long night,
Glimmering, fading, the Milky Way,
and day about to dawn.
Silent tile roof-ducks
are heavy with frost-flowers
The Kingfisher quilt is cold—
who will share his bed?
Far, far, the living and the dead
and the light years—cut apart.
Her spirit already dissolving,
not even entering dreams.
IV
A Linqiong Daoist priest
of the Hongdu school
Was able to deeply concentrate
and thus call up the spirits.
Hearing this, the Emperor
—troubled, twisting thoughts.
Ordered the Daoist priest
to make a thorough search.
Pushing the sky, riding air,
swift as a thunderbolt,
Harrowing the heavens, piercing Earth,
he sought everywhere
Above exhausting the blue void,
below, the Yellow Springs.
The ends of earth—vast, vast,
and nowhere did he find her.
Then he heard—that out on the ocean—
was a mountain of Immortals
A mountain at—nowhere—
a cloudy, unreal place.
Palace towers, tinkling gems,
where Five Clouds rise.
Within—lovely, wanton, chaste,
many faery people.
There was there one faery
called Taizhen;
Snow skin, flower appearance,
it had to be her.
At the Gold Tower of the West Wing,
he knocked on the Jade door:
Announcing himself to Little Jade
—and she told Shuang Cheng,
That the Emperor of the people of Han
had sent an envoy.
In the nine-flowered canopy
the faery's dreams were broken;
Holding her clothes, pushing the pillow,
she rose, walking unsteady.
Winding, opening the pearl door,
the inlaid silver screens.
Her cloud-like hair, floating on one side,
—just brought from sleep.
Her flower-cap unadjusted
she came down the hall,
Wind blew her elegant sleeves
floating, floating up—
Seemed like the "Rainbow Skirt",
the "Feathered Robe" dance.
Her jade-like figure small and alone,
she scattered her sad tears:
As though one branch of a blossoming pear
was holding the whole Spring's rain.
Restraining her feeling, cooling her look,
she told him to thank the Emperor;
"With that parting our two forms
were split by the World's vast shifting;
After Zhaoyang temple,
our love was cut off.
Here in Raspberry-tangle Palace
the days and months are long—
I look down, hoping to see
lands where humans dwell,
I never see Chang'an
but only dusty haze.”
Then taking some ancient treasures
rich in deep feeling,
An inlaid box, a gold hairpin,
to be delivered back,
Keeping a leg of the hairpin,
keeping half the box,
Breaking the gold of the hairpin, box cut in two—
"If only our hearts are strong as
this gold hairpin,
Above in heaven, or among men,
we will somehow meet.
Go back swiftly
tell him this message:
For it tells of one Vow
that two hearts know,
In the seventh month on the seventh day
in Long-Life Temple.
At midnight, no one about,
we swore together
If in heaven, to fly as
the 'paired-wing' birds;
If on earth, to grow as
one joined branch."
Heaven lasts, Earth endures,
—and both will end;
This sorrow stretches on
forever, without limit.