Lyrics for 剑染春水 (Sword Stained with Spring Water) from the donghua of Thousand Autumns,《山河剑心》
Translator: 🍓SassyStrawberry | http://www.sassystrawberry.com
Original Lyrics: 猫科的猫/潮汐-tide
Music: 潮汐-tide
For the best reading experience, we recommend reading the chapters in the original format instead of the WordPress reader.
Verse 1: | |
总角宴宴音 依稀在耳畔 zǒng jiǎo yàn yàn yīn yī xī zài ěr pàn |
The sound of the children’s [1] banquet echoed dimly in my ears (0:35) [1] zǒnɡ jiǎo (总角) – The children’s hairstyles with 2 buns. |
何曾料 世事乱 hé céng liào shì shì luàn |
Did you ever expect the chaotic affairs of the world? |
唯余青衣飘摇难 wéi yú qīng yī piāo yáo nán |
With only a qingyi [2] and drifting about in distress. [2] qīng yī (青衣) – referring to clothes worn by humble people like servants. |
前尘都忘却 何处可归返 qián chén dōu wàng què hé chù kě guī fǎn |
Forgetting the dust from the secular past, is there a place that I can return to? |
明河影 长空湛 míng hé yǐng cháng kōng zhàn |
The reflection of the bright river, the vast sky is clear. |
拈花一笑尽安然 niān huā yī xiào jǐn ān rán |
Pick up the flower, a smile is full of peaceful feelings. |
天阔虹影 风荷轻转 tiān kuò hóng yǐng fēng hé qīng zhuǎn |
The sky is vast and the rainbow’s reflection, [3] the lotus flower sways in the wind. [3] tiān kuò hóng yǐng (天阔虹影) – This is Mount Xuandu’s qinggong method, Tiankuo Hongying. |
碧水顾盼 杨柳舒展 bì shuǐ gù pàn yáng liǔ shū zhǎn |
Looking into the bluish-green water, the willow trees unfold their branches leisurely. |
雕龙一掌 雨覆云翻 diāo lóng yī zhǎng yǔ fù yún fān |
A single Carved Dragon Palm, [4] the chaos of the wind and rain. [4] diāo lóng zhǎng (雕龙掌) literally Carved Dragon Palm. Sang Jingxing’s martial arts. This is referring to the time where YWS betrayed SQ to SJX. |
破而后立傲骨寒 pò ér hòu lì ào gǔ hán |
Destroying and rebuilding the foundation,[5] the unyielding proud bones [6] are cold and lonely. [5] pò ér hòu lì (破而后立) – referring to destroying or getting rid of the originals so that the new things can be put in place. This refers to SQ destroying his daoxin and rebuilding his foundations with the Zhuyang Ce. |
Chorus: | |
踏燕北 走江南 tà yàn běi zǒu jiāng nán |
To travel across Yanbei and visit Jiangnan. |
推杯换盏 tuī bēi huàn zhǎn |
A lively harmonious scene drinking with a close friend. [7] [7] tuī bēi huàn zhǎn (推杯换盏) – to push the cup and toast one another. Describes a good relationship. |
一朝恩怨都付笑谈 yī zhāo ēn yuàn dōu fù xiào tán |
One day the gratitude and resentment will become topics for people to talk and laugh about. |
苍生难 红尘乱 cāng shēng nán hóng chén luàn |
All living things suffer, the mortal world [8] is chaotic. [8] hóng chén (红尘) refers to the red dust of the secular world. |
但凭胸怀 dàn píng xiōng huái |
Just relying on one’s tolerance and breadth of vision. |
一剑同悲定河山 yī jiàn tóng bēi dìng hé shān |
One sword of shared grief to put the rivers and mountains [9] in order. [9] shān hé (河山) means rivers and mountains, tóng bēi(同悲)share the common grief. |
也曾有 泪洒满 yě céng yǒu lèi sǎ mǎn |
There have been times where the tears have spilled all over. |
江海山川 jiāng hǎi shān chuān |
The rivers and seas, the mountains and rivers. [10] [10] It may be related to this Tang Dynasty poem by Si Kongshu 《云阳馆与韩绅宿别》. It’s a sad poem of farewell. |
一水澄澈此心不换 yī shuǐ chéng chè cǐ xīn bù huàn |
This heart which is crystal clear like water, will not change. |
剑所向 道所在 jiàn suǒ xiàng dào suǒ zài |
Where the sword guides, is where the dao is. |
一身风流 yī shēn fēng liú |
To be talented and romantic from head to toe. |
一指春水晏然 yī zhǐ chūn shuǐ yàn rán |
One finger of the spring water [11] brings tranquility and peace. [12] [11] Yes, this is an allusion to YWS’s chūn shuǐ zhǐ fǎ (春水指法) or Spring Water Fingering method. |
Verse 2: | |
逍遥行四海 高名满长安 xiāo yáo xíng sì hǎi gāo míng mǎn cháng ān |
Traveling free and unfettered across the four seas, [13] Chang’an is filled with fame and renown. (2:11) [13] There is a longer saying sì hǎi wéi jiā (四海为家) – literally means to take the four seas as your home, it means that someone wanders about and does not have a fixed address. |
曾年少 堂前燕 céng nián shào táng qián yàn |
Once I was young, the swallow before the hall. [14] [14] táng qián yàn (堂前燕) – literally means the Swallow before the Hall. It is a specific reference to a Tang Dynasty’s poem《烏衣巷》 by Liu Yuxi , with a verse speaking of the Wang-Xie family. The aristocratic Wang-Xie family was one of the most prominent families during the Eastern and Western Jin Dynasties. |
不及策马江湖岸 bù jí cè mǎ jiāng hú àn |
Too late to spur the horse to the jianghu’s shore. |
乱世多情仇 往事空纠缠 luàn shì duō qíng chóu wǎng shì kōng jiū chán |
In turbulent times there is love and hatred, the past entangles me in vain. |
羌笛韵 雁门关 qiāng dí yùn yàn mén guān |
The qiang flute [15] sounds pleasantly across the Yanmen Pass. [16] [15] qiāng dí (羌笛) – An ancient folk instrument of the nomadic Qiang people. It is played vertically, and two pipes emit the same pitch. The sound is somewhat sad. |
蟠龙一梦黄泉畔 pán lóng yī mèng huáng quán pàn |
The coiled dragon [17] dreams of the bank of the Yellow Springs. [18] [17] pán lóng (蟠龙) – the Coiled Dragon – this references the Coiled Dragon Conference or (蟠龙会) when Yan Wushi was besieged by the five martial arts experts outside Tuyuhun. |
塞上之月 关城之变 sāi shàng zhī yuè guān chéng zhī biàn |
The moon above the pass, the unrest in the border fort. |
抬眸一刹 故人眼前 tái móu yī chà gù rén yǎn qián |
To lift one’s eyes for a moment, the old friend is before your eyes. |
春风拂面 绿水山涧 chūn fēng fú miàn lǜ shuǐ shān jiàn |
The spring winds caress the surface of the crystal clear waters of a mountain stream. |
半步峰底幸得缘 bàn bù fēng dǐ xìng dé yuán |
The fortunate fate acquired below Banbu Peak (Half-Step Peak). |
Chorus: x 2 |
Thanks so much, I love that song!
<3 it's my favorite song from the donghua OST, I listened to it so much and loved the lyrics, so I had to translate it. Glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Thank you for taking the time to translate the song, and for writing footnotes. I really love this kind of format you are using. It helps me understand better.
Thanks for translating and telling us the meanings!
Brilliant work! Thank you for translating this song and for presenting it in a user-friendly manner. the rich metaphors in the lyrics are better appreciated this way 💟